got a pre-vacation to-do checklist?

[wannabe]

we're taking off this friday for our long-awaited european vacation.  we'll be gone for two weeks, and aside from these things i can't think of what else i need to do:

*  hold the mail
*  board the dog
*  suspend housecleaners
*  booked airport transportation

i think i'm overthinking this, but is there anything else i'm not thinking of?  i'm totally the girl who tries to plan shit ahead of time, thinking i'm all good, and then when it's too late i smack my forehead and go "OH FUCK I FORGOT TO [insert random task here]!!"

help meeeeeeee.

[jr009j]

Notify your credit card companies that you will be abroad so your cards don get shut down for weird charges.

[papie]

Passports?
Do you have flowers/plants that need watering?
Newspapers?

[pinkflats]

Jun 4, 2013 14:18:51 GMT -5 jr009j said:

Notify your credit card companies that you will be abroad so your cards don get shut down for weird charges.

Definitely! We have issues with this when we travel domestically, so I would definitely pre-notify to travel abroad.

[LLL]

alert the bank/credit card company
park your car in your garage
will you need someone to take care of houseplants? mow your lawn?
I would get one of those travelex currency cards so you can pay for a cab or whatever to get you from the airport to your first hotel the rates will be cheaper than doing it at the airport and you can use it same as cash
check passports
call health insurance company to see if they cover you while abroad

[Deleted]

In addition to the credit card thing, call your bank and get the name of the affiliated European bank (there will prob be one unless you go to a tiny bank). This helped me avoid fees while in Europe in college (I still had to pay fees to get cash but it wasn't nearly as much as it would have been, basically just ATM fees). That was also nice b/c the conversion was done for me, lol!

[Deleted]

water plants

bill pay

tell credit card companies (not Amex, they don't care) and ATM card issuer that you will be traveling

clean anything you won't use abroad (except for enough American cash for to/from/at airport) out of wallet

clean up house and do laundry so you don't come home to a disaster

change to international plan on cell phone, if necessary

do you have all of the adapters/converters you need?

[Deleted]

H

[wannabe]

good lord, you guys.

when i called chase to have them put the travel notice on our account, she asked me which countries we'd be visiting.

me: "we're going to england, france, and italy."
her: "okay, let me put that in the system."

*long pause*

her: "um, england isn't coming up in my dropdown box. is there another country you'd like for me to try?"

*cue my confused puppy headlock*

me: "uh...united kingdom? great britain?"
her: "oh, i didn't even think of that!"

i weep for society.

[dana2006]

Get a timer for your lights.

Do you have someone to pick up your mail?

[Jalapeñomel]

Have someone come by to check on your house. close the blinds, set a timer for lights.

[open24hours]

Clean out any items in your fridge and pantry that might spoil while you are gone. Coming home to moldy oranges is not fun. I know this from experience.

[Deleted]

Unplug computer, tv, anything else that could get fried in a storm.

Send your travel itinerary to a friend/family member

turn off water to your washing machine and dish washer.

[lightbulbsun]

Clear out your fridge
Turn off your water heater
Turn off a/c

[mbcdefg]

Make a checklist of everything you need to pack

Scan your passports, tickets, whatever, and email it to yourself so that you can access it just in case.

Look up the location of the American Embassy.

When you lock up all the doors/windows right before you leave, make sure someone else in the family is watching you. That way, if you can't remember whether or not you locked the door, someone can confirm that you did.

If you bought new clothes or shoes for the trip, try them out beforehand.

Have small bills on hand for cab fare, tips, etc.

[wannabe]

These are all great tips, everybody! Thank you!

[starlily]

Jun 4, 2013 14:24:27 GMT -5 kevin arnold said:

I usually make sure I have 2 photocopies of my passport, ID and credit cards (front and back), keep one in my luggage separate from my wallet and passport and leave one copy back home with someone I trust. That way if anything is lost or stolen you have the credit card #s with you to call and cancel. This may seem like overkill, but it's a simple step that makes me feel better safe than sorry.

I do this too. I also leave a detailed itinerary with a friend or family member with flight info, hotel names, dates, and phone numbers.

[chickadee77]

Most of mine have been listed. I would add a few of small things:

Make sure ALL trash and recycling are out, after cleaning fridge
Set thermostats appropriately for being out of town
If you have bills coming due and aren't sure of your internet access abroad, pre-pay them if possible
Make sure your laundry is done and dry, so when you return (if you're not doing laundry whilst travelling), you have clean clothes and stuff hasn't been stinking in the hamper

[Deleted]

Jun 4, 2013 14:24:27 GMT -5 kevin arnold said:

Call your wireless phone provider to add on international package/data, etc if you don't have that as part of your plan.

This. I had my phone activated for international use (about $15 for the month) so I had the ability to place a call in an emergency.

[Moe]

You're going to have so much fun!!!!!!! I'm so excited.