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Leave Your Home Safe Checklists
Packing Tips
Dollars and Sense
Health and Safety
Your Special Needs
Ticket Vocabulary
Ticket Information
Documented to Travel
Airport Arrivals
At the Gate
Your Luggage and Security
Rental Car Tips
Hotel Tips
Cruise Line Tips |
* Arrange with a neighbor, friend or relative to check your home and/or business periodically.
* Contact the post office to hold your mail, and either cancel or hold your newspaper subscriptions.
* Arrange for lawn care or snow removal, so your home won’t look unattended.
* If you leave your car at home, have someone start it up periodically while you’re gone.
* Purchase automatic light times. Set clock radios to go off at different times.
* Make certain your home, car and other insurance policies are up-to-date
* Put your valuables and jewelry in your home safe, a hiding place in your home, or a safety deposit box.
* If you have a security system, tell the company that you’ll be away and to consider all alarms as real. Also, let the local police know you’ll be gone. Let them have the names of the people watching things for you.
* If you don’t have someone coming in periodically to check on things, be sure to move your houseplants away from direct sunlight, water thoroughly and wrap pots with plastic. Putting houseplants in the bathtub with a shallow amount of water is helpful. Most plants can live this way without further watering for two weeks.
* Don’t leave anything in the refrigerator that might spoil. Turn your refrigerator to its lowest setting.
* Turn water heater down at its lowest setting. Turn your air conditioner up in summer, unless you may need to keep the house from getting too cold to protect your pets and water pipes.
* Lock all doors and windows, including basement and garage.
* Unplug electric items, such as your computer, toasters, microwaves, and unhook your phone line from your modem. Check your surge protectors.
* While you’re packing your car, keep your garage door down, so people walking or driving down won’t know you’re leaving.
* Leave your window treatments the way you usually do.
* Disconnect the garage door.
__ See your travel agent about special deals and other discounts you qualify for
__ Do your own research on the area you’ll be visiting, especially if you’re planning to travel to foreign countries.
__ Check to make sure your passport is valid.
__Take care of medical and dental checkups and necessary vaccinations.
__ Begin an exercise program, if you don’t already have one, to prepare your body for the extra energy you’ll expend while traveling. Consult your physician first.
__ Make your reservations
__Check the weather at your destination so you’ll know what to expect and what you should pack.
__Arrange for direct deposit to your bank account if you don’t already have it. Find out what your available credit is on your charge cards. If necessary, ask your bank for an increase in credit.
__Make sure your credit cards are valid through the duration of your trip.
__ Notify your credit card companies where you’ll be traveling so they’ll immediately approve your purchases while you’re on your trip.
__ Check your ATM and debit card for both daily and total limits. Remember your PIN numbers or get a new one for all your cards.
__Get automatic light timers to switch your lights on and off and begin to use them.
__Make sure your driver’s license is current and will remain valid while you’re traveling.
__Check your cameras for batteries, purchase film or additional photo discs.
__ Make arrangements with someone you can trust to check your home periodically and start your car during very cold or very hot weather while you’re gone.
__ Have the post office hold your mail.
__ Schedule lawn care or snow removal.
__Arrange for a pet-sitter or boarding for your pets
__ Get comfortable shoes and start breaking them in.
__ Either add yogurt to your diet or drink acidophilus milk or take acidophilus pills to help you deal with food in foreign countries that might wreak havoc on your digestive system.
__Reconfirm all your reservations
__If you plan to use them, get traveler’s checks from the bank.
__If you’re traveling abroad, find out how to purchase foreign currency.
__Check your insurance coverage for your car, home and the valuables you’ll either take with you or leave at home to make sure you’ll still be covered while away.
__If you’re traveling by car, get it checked out and serviced.
__ Put your valuables and jewelry in your home safe, a hiding place in your home, or a safety deposit box.
__Try to use up all your perishables, such as milk and fruit, before you leave.
__Plan what you’re going to take and bring them out to prepare packing.
__Get out your luggage and mark it both inside and out with identification.
__Begin to adjust your eating and sleeping habits to your destinations time zone.
__Make several copies of your passport and at least two lists of credit card numbers and the serial numbers of your traveler’s checks. Leave one copy of your passport and list at home or with friend or relative, give one to your traveling companion, and pack a set in your suitcase.
__Now is the time to notify the local police and security company to know you’ll be out-of-town and to consider any alarms as real.
__Get a list of your prescriptions in generic terms and make sure you’ll have enough of your medication for the duration of your trip.
__Pick up your dry cleaning and laundry.
__Get current on all your bills.
__ “Test drive” your luggage. After you’ve packed, walk around with your luggage to see if you’re comfortable with the weight of it and ease of maneuvering it.
__Take care of your house plants: move away from direct sunlight, water thoroughly and wrap pots with plastic.
__Empty refrigerator of perishables.
__Cancel or hold your newspaper.
__Put your mail on hold.
__Cancel or hold your newspaper.
__Before you pack up your car, fill it up with gas, and check the fluid levels and air pressure.
__Turn your refrigerator at its lowest setting.
__Put fresh light bulbs in your lights and set the automatic light timers. Set your radio timers as well.
__Turn your water heater to its lowest setting.
__Set your thermostats for comfort of your pets and plants and to protect your electronics.
__Lock all doors and windows, including the basement and garage.
__If you do not have a surge protector, unplug the electronic items that may be adversely affected if there’s a storm.
__Leave the garage door down while you’re loading the luggage into your car.
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