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All your bags are packed; you’re ready to go! Hold on a minute there Mr. Denver – hopefully, you’ve remembered to take care of these easily overlooked tasks prior to takeoff. Below we’ve compiled a list of tasks to complete prior to departure. We’ve broken it into sections based on how far in advance you should complete each task so you’re not overwhelmed last-minute.

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Table of Contents

Don’t Forget to Do These Tasks Before Your Next Trip!

One Month or More Prior

Purchase travel insurance and insure your expensive gear.
Arrange for a house-sitter if you need one.
If you have pets, arrange care either with a house sitter or a kennel service.
Inform your bank and credit card companies of your travel dates and destinations. Sometimes, unexpected travel can trigger their fraud department to put a hold on your accounts if they believe your information might be compromised.
If you have a house alarm, notify the monitoring company of your travel dates as well as who to contact while you are away.
Activate your cell phone travel plan, if necessary. Or, purchase a Skyroam Solis which gives you 4G coverage in over 130 countries.

Less Than One Month Prior

Put a hold on your mail and/or newspaper delivery service (does anyone even get the paper anymore?).
Schedule your bill payments.
Refill your prescriptions if you’ll run out during your trip.
Schedule shuttle to and from the airport. (Uber and Lyft now have a scheduling service!)

One Week Prior

Leave itinerary with family in the event of an emergency.
Have the address of your lodging readily available if you’re traveling internationally; you’ll need it to complete the customs form before entry to the country you’ll be visiting.
Make a copy of your passport to keep in your purse/wallet in case it’s lost or stolen. A digital photo on your phone is also good.
Take a picture of luggage you’re checking with the airline in case it’s lost.

One Day Prior

Check-in to your flight 24-hours prior to take-off.
Set timers for lights so your house doesn’t appear vacant. Or, install a Bluetooth light switch that you can control with your phone and set timers.
Tidy-up your house, do the dishes, and clean your bathrooms – nothing beats coming home to a clean house.
Empty your refrigerator of perishables.
Take out the garbage.
Charge your electronics’ batteries so they’re ready for use on your trip.

Minutes Prior

Close and lock all doors and windows.
Turn off your air conditioner and heater. The Nest Thermostat is great for this so you can turn the AC/heater back on the day you’re headed home from the destination you are still in that way your home is at the temperature you want when you get home.
Most importantly, check that you have your passport in one of your travel bags – without it you aren’t going ANYWHERE!

As you can see, there’s an exhaustive number of essential tasks to consider in preparation for travel. For this reason, we suggest setting notifications in your phone’s calendar and create a checklist, so you don’t forget. Knowing you have these things taken care of will bring you peace-of-mind, so you can focus on enjoying your trip to the fullest.

So what things do you do to prep for travel? Feel free to let us know if you think we missed something by commenting below or sending us an email.

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