List makers unite! This travel checklist is for you. It’s also for those of you who do not make lists but also don’t like to be totally stressed out leading up to a big vacation. It’s for us all!
The second your vacation is planned you just want to focus on relaxing on a beach with a drink and your kids nearby. (Or, at a supervised on-site children’s club. Whatever.) Alas, there are a few things you do need to get accomplished before your time away can begin.
Need some travel inspiration? How about a family trip to PARIS, FRANCE?
Complete this travel checklist before your trip to make coming back home a little bit easier and more enjoyable. And you’ll have less to stress about during your trip too. Think about it. Do you really want to get off a long plane ride with a airsick kid only to come home and find dirty dishes in the sink, an unmade bed, and the laundry pile a mile high? Let’s try that again shall we? Here is your travel checklist to accomplish a day or two before your trip.
5 Essential Items for a Travel Checklist
1. Pay Your Bills, Yo
Don’t forget to pay your bills due during your trip! Try using a bill pay service to have them paid automatically. For those that still pay via check or phone, make sure you check due dates before you leave. Better to be safe than sorry, especially if you don’t want a late fee.
2. Book A Pet Sitter
Make sure your pets are taken care of! If they aren’t coming with you, have someone stop by while you are gone. A neighbor or friend can make sure that your cats have a clean water bowl and enough food or take your puppy on a walk. I don’t have pets, but I know most pets are like family. Make sure they feel comfortable and loved while you are away.
3. Wash and Put Away Your Laundry
This is an easy task for those that have the time to do so. But ain’t nobody got time for that! Cleaning your laundry and putting it away should be on your travel checklist. It will just make you feel better to have it done. Plus, you don’t want to be out of clean underwear because you used all of them on your trip!
For those who are too busy, check out your local laundromat. Some places such as Athens Commerce Laundromat offers a wash, fold and dry service to help you out! At the laundromat, they offer a variety of popular washers and their fold services can meet your individual or business needs. Their turnaround time is less than 24 hours for an average load of laundry too. Need it the same day? Drop it off in the morning and it’ll be ready to be picked up a few hours later. Having your laundry clean, folded and neatly packaged for you to pick up is such a game changer for those that feel as if they don’t have enough time. You can also schedule to have this service done as well.
4. Clean Out That Fridge
When it comes to your fridge, you want to make sure nothing spoils or rots while you are away. There is nothing worse than having rotten food in your fridge and trying to get the smell out weeks later. I would suggest trying to eat and cook what you can before you leave.
5. Turn Off Any Electronics
This may not seem like a big deal to some but if you slept in by mistake, you may have forgotten to turn off your flat iron, the crock pot that was making your overnight french toast casserole for breakfast or any other appliance that may need your attention. Again, it’s better to be safe than sorry. If you are really nervous you forgot something and already left, call a neighbor to stop by and check. You can also unplug electronics to save on electricity. (Did you know electricity is being used even if the appliance is not turned on?)
This travel checklist includes the items you don’t always think about leading up to a vacation. You don’t need to wonder if you forgot to turn something off or worry about a bill that wasn’t paid. If you don’t get something done, it may add up to stress and frustration. I’m sure there are some other tips so make sure that you have your travel checklist ready to go a few days or weeks prior to the trip. Go ahead and get them crossed off. Then have a FANTASTIC time on a vacation that you deserve to be on.
