12 Things we do Before Every Trip
Life Hacks Before Traveling
Every single time we are getting ready for a trip, we have a routine. We use a check list to make sure we set everything up properly. For example, we always want to make sure the cats have plenty of food and water, the oven is turned off, trash is taken out, etc. Mainly because we want to make sure we don't forget anything important. This list should be helpful for you on your future trips because we have forgotten some pretty big things over the years, and over time we have a more refined list to avoid forgetting something big.
1. Ask a family member (or hire a house sitter) to take care of the kitties + house. When it comes to the cats, we always take precautions because we love those little fur balls. My biggest fear is that we forget something for them each time because it's hard to remember all the times we need for the trip. Having someone come in and check on them constantly helps us not stress too much about forgetting something for them.
2. Pick up and lightly clean the house so it’s clean when we get back. When you come back from a trip, there is nothing more comforting than rolling into the shower to wash the trip off and then laying in bed in a somewhat clean house. I'm not talking 150% immaculate but if the house is clean, it really helps with feeling less scattered.
3. Water the plants a little extra, so they’re watered well in the event our house sitter forgets about them. A lot of the times, our family and friends do forget the plants which is not their fault. Not everyone knows which plants are real and truthfully, people don't know where all the plants are in the house.
4. Make sure anything that will spoil food wise, is thrown away (basically clean the fridge/kitchen out) and then make sure to take out the trash so it's not inside. This is one a lot of people forget. They come home and they realize their house smells like bad milk, bad coffee creamer, old broccoli, and so forth. We always make it a point because I can smell bad things from 3 miles away (seriously) so coming home, I do not want to smell bad food.
5. Unplug everything and make sure to turn off all appliances. Everyone's literal worst fear is that they left the oven on, but honestly how many times have you decided to use an oven the morning of your flight? Literally never, ok. Don't worry about the oven. If you have humidifier, chargers, and lights coming on throughout the house, make sure to turn it all off so you can save yourself some money when you're gone.
6. Share your itinerary with the house sitter, your family, and your best friend. That way any of them can get in if they need to check in on your plans, and ensure you made it safe. We have a long list of people on the list between Aaron and myself, and in the past we've needed help rebooking a flight so it's helpful if your family knows which flight you were supposed to take on what date.
7. Make sure to pack the snacks for the flight. We used to forget them all the time, and sometimes you get delayed, stuck and there's not any good snack options. If you know you love to have some beef jerky, a sandwich, some chips, carrots, etc. you need to make sure to add them into your carry-on so you can whip them out and enjoy when needed.
8. Don’t eat foods the day before, that could make you sick on the plane (seafood, beans, spicy, etc.) This was my biggest mistake coming back from Nashville back in October. I had salmon sushi rolls the day before we were flying back, and I got so sick at 3 AM when my flight was at 6 AM. I was the person throwing up on the plane, and it was not only embarrassing but also just plain awful. To have to use a bag to throw up in was just the worst experience of I've ever had when traveling.
9. Pack your toiletries in travel friendly containers. Often times we end up accidentally taking our favorite products in slightly large packaging because we want to take our favorite items with us. We start putting our toothpaste, moisturizer, cleanser and so forth in our existing travel friendly containers.
10. Make sure to let your credit cards you'll be traveling. One of the most awkward things is if your credit card gets declined, and not because you don't have money on it, but because you forgot to let them know you'd be in a totally new country. Of course, they're looking to protect you.
11. Make sure all the devices you’re taking are fully charged. We start charging everything the day before, because if I'm working on the plane I want to make sure my laptop, phone, iPad, etc is fully charged. Your phone obviously has to be fully charged since you will need it for a long travel day.
12. Pack some cash separate from wallets (in the unfortunate event) someone does mug you. A few of my friends who have traveled more than Aaron and I, said that a great tip is to place money in the suitcase and "hide it" elsewhere than the wallet inside the purse. In the unfortunate event that someone steals the bag or takes the wallet, it is important to still has some cash in another place so you're 1) not completely stranded and can buy some food and then attempt to figure out how to recover lost belongings.
List of items you’re most likely to forget
- Headphones
- Chargers (laptop, camera, phone, etc.)
- Reusable empty water bottle
- Set of workout clothes + shoes
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrush
- Portable charger
- Face mask (to sleep)
- Book
- Chapstick/lip balm
These are the items we seemed to forget a lot over the years, and they made the biggest difference. This checklist of to dos before we leave the house, for the airport, has proven to be super helpful for us so I thought I'd share it with you. Happy packing!
What is an important thing you always do before taking off for a trip?
