{"id":48106,"date":"2015-06-11T14:48:07","date_gmt":"2015-06-11T19:48:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=48106"},"modified":"2024-06-28T10:28:18","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T15:28:18","slug":"39-things-to-do-before-leaving-on-vacation-a-handy-dandy-checklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/leisure\/39-things-to-do-before-leaving-on-vacation-a-handy-dandy-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"39 Things to Do Before Leaving on Vacation: A Handy Dandy Checklist"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-48111 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2015\/06\/system.jpg\" alt=\"Vintage 1950s travel family.\" width=\"550\" height=\"388\" srcset=\"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2015\/06\/system.jpg 550w, https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2015\/06\/system-320x226.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As I\u2019m writing this, the McKay family is about to head off for our annual family vacation.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a surprising number of to-dos that need to be crossed off before heading out for any trip, and prior to every vacation, I generate the same mental checklist of things that need to be taken care of. But every single time, I procrastinate, try to cram too many tasks into the morning of our trip, and end up forgetting things to do and items to pack.<\/p>\n<p>So taking a lesson from the post I wrote on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/articles\/the-power-of-checklists\/\">the power of checklists<\/a>, I finally decided to create a pre-travel checklist to get all my ducks in a row.<\/p>\n<p>I figured others might find it helpful to either copy or remix it for their own travel use. I hope you find it useful and please add your own suggestions in the comments!<\/p>\n<h3><u>Leaving for Vacation Checklist<\/u><\/h3>\n<h3>A Week to 48 Hours Before:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Put a hold on the delivery of your mail, or ask someone to collect it for you (same goes for any packages that might be coming your way)<\/li>\n<li>Put a hold on the delivery of your newspapers<\/li>\n<li>Arrange pet sitter or kennel stay<\/li>\n<li>Pay bills<\/li>\n<li>Check toiletry\/gear\/clothes supply &#8212; buy new items as needed<\/li>\n<li>Load up on reading material &#8212; buy magazines and books, check out books from library, download books on Kindle\/iPad<\/li>\n<li>Order and pick-up a refill on your medication if it\u2019ll run out while you\u2019re on your trip<\/li>\n<li>Let friends and family know about travel itinerary<\/li>\n<li>Arrange for a ride to the airport, or reserve a parking spot (if your airport is big enough for that to be needed &#8212; not the case here in Tulsa!)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>The Day Before:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Throw away perishable food items from fridge, as well as any fruit\/veggies that might go bad while you\u2019re away<\/li>\n<li>Notify alarm company that you\u2019ll be away<\/li>\n<li>Get all laundry done (including bed sheets &#8212; nothing better than coming home to fresh sheets!)<\/li>\n<li>Check-in for flight online and print off boarding passes<\/li>\n<li>Print off driving directions (yeah, you can look these up on your phone, but there are plenty of times when your digital map of choice doesn\u2019t work properly)<\/li>\n<li>Write down\/print off destination addresses<\/li>\n<li>Check weather of destination<\/li>\n<li>Confirm hotel reservations<\/li>\n<li>Confirm rental car reservations<\/li>\n<li>Program phone numbers you\u2019ll need into phone<\/li>\n<li>Download apps, music, and movies\/shows for yourself and the kids<\/li>\n<li>Set up email away message<\/li>\n<li>Fully charge phone\/tablet\/laptop<\/li>\n<li>Withdraw cash and change it for single dollar bills&nbsp;in case you need to tip shuttle drivers, skycaps, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/articles\/how-to-use-valet-parking-without-looking-like-an-idiot\/\">hotel valets<\/a>, etc.<\/li>\n<li>Call bank to let them know you\u2019re traveling<\/li>\n<li>Run the dishwasher<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/living\/leisure\/how-to-pack-a-bag-when-traveling\/\">Pack everything<\/a> (minus what you\u2019ll be using on travel day) in your suitcase and carry-on bag<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Morning of Departure:<\/h3>\n<p><em>Note: If you have a very early flight, some of these things should be done the night before. Just grab a protein bar and head out the door.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pack dopp kit after getting ready for the day<\/li>\n<li>Make sure all doors and windows are shut and locked<\/li>\n<li>Make sure the garbage disposable is clear of food scraps<\/li>\n<li>Take out last bag of trash to garbage can<\/li>\n<li>Wash any dishes you used for breakfast by hand and put away (really, protein bars are the way to go)<\/li>\n<li>Turn off lights and turn on timer for lights<\/li>\n<li>Unplug electronics<\/li>\n<li>Water house plants<\/li>\n<li>Set thermostat for away temperature (upper 70s in summer, upper 50s in winter &#8212; the rule of thumb is 4 degrees off of what your normal temperature is)<\/li>\n<li>Close blinds and curtains<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/articles\/how-to-fly-with-your-firearm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Double-check bags\/clothing for loose ammunition<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Be sure your EDC is TSA compliant; pack into suitcase the forbidden items that you normally carry on your person (pocket knife, gun, etc.)<\/li>\n<li>Double check that you have IDs and itinerary packed in carry-on bag<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Check for items you often use right up until leaving, and end up forgetting:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Medicine<\/li>\n<li>Sunglasses<\/li>\n<li>Wallet<\/li>\n<li>Phone<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Suggested Packing Checklists<\/span><\/h3>\n<h3>Dopp Kit:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Travel bottle of shampoo<\/li>\n<li>Bar of your favorite soap<\/li>\n<li>Deodorant<\/li>\n<li>Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss<\/li>\n<li>Shaving supplies: razor, brush, and cream<\/li>\n<li>Nail clippers<\/li>\n<li>Lip balm<\/li>\n<li>Band aids<\/li>\n<li>Safety pins<\/li>\n<li>Aspirin or Tylenol<\/li>\n<li>Lint roller<\/li>\n<li>$20 bill<\/li>\n<li>Extra pair of contact lenses<\/li>\n<li>Cologne<\/li>\n<li>Medications<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Carry-on:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Itinerary<\/li>\n<li>Smartphone power cords and adapter<\/li>\n<li>Paperback book\/magazines<\/li>\n<li>Tablet\/laptop and power cords<\/li>\n<li>Paper copy of driving directions<\/li>\n<li>A change of clean underwear<\/li>\n<li>Pens\/pencils<\/li>\n<li>Notebooks<\/li>\n<li>Headphones<\/li>\n<li>Snacks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Baby\/Toddler Bag:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Diapers<\/li>\n<li>Diaper disposal bags<\/li>\n<li>Wipes<\/li>\n<li>Snacks<\/li>\n<li>Books (way, way more than you might think you\u2019ll need &#8212; they\u2019ll go through \u2018em quick)<\/li>\n<li>Small toys<\/li>\n<li>Bottle\/cup with built-in straw (sucking will help pop their ears)<\/li>\n<li>Benadryl and\/or Tylenol (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/articles\/the-complete-guide-to-flying-with-babies-and-toddlers-while-avoiding-a-defcon-1-meltdown\/#medication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">see here for proper dosing<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Toddler headphones<\/li>\n<li>Tablet with downloaded movies\/shows<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>For more tips on traveling with babies and toddlers, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/articles\/the-complete-guide-to-flying-with-babies-and-toddlers-while-avoiding-a-defcon-1-meltdown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">check out this post<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/\/2015\/06\/Leaving-for-Vacation-Checklist.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Click here to download a PDF of these checklists.<\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As I\u2019m writing this, the McKay family is about to head off for our annual family vacation. There\u2019s a surprising number of to-dos that need to be crossed off before heading out for any trip, and prior to every vacation, I generate the same mental checklist of things that need to be taken care of. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48111,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,218,42273],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-48106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-leisure","category-living"],"featured_image_urls":{"large":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2015\/06\/system-538x280.jpg","reactor-320":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2015\/06\/system-320x226.jpg","rpwe-thumbnail":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2015\/06\/system-45x45.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48106"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":140998,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48106\/revisions\/140998"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48106"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=48106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}