Voice of Travel

So you’re leaving for your vacation in less than a day. What are a few of the last minute things that you should do?

Well, here is what I always make sure I check/do right before going away. So far it has been helpful in making sure I’m ready for the trip.

The day/night before:

First off, make sure you have everything you need! If you don’t already have a list, quickly make a list of all of the things you need (or think you’ll need) on your trip, and then go through and make sure you have all of that in your suitcase, or ready to go in your suitcase right before you leave. While clothes are obvious, don’t forget things like the charger for your cell phone, or things to keep you occupied on the airplane, or even extra memory for your digital camera.

Speaking of flying, make sure you have a printout of all of your confirmations. This goes for your flight, hotels, car rentals, or anything else that you booked ahead of time. This way if there are any issues, you can always show them your confirmation.

If you bought any tickets to use on your trip, make sure you have those as well or you’ll be stuck paying once you get there! Also, if you have any guidebooks, directions to hotels/attractions, bring these as well.

If by now you haven’t gone to the post office yet to put a hold on your mail, this would be a good time to do so. Also put a hold on your newspaper if you get it delivered daily.

This is also a good time to go to weather.com or another weather website to check out the weather of your destination. If it’s raining, bring an umbrella. Maybe you’ll want to add another long sleeve shirt, or pack a pair of shorts that originally you weren’t going to bring.

The day of the trip:

Make sure you keep your license/passport in an easy accessible if you’re going to be flying since you’ll need it first thing when you get to the airport. This way you won’t have to go looking for it once you’re at the airport.

Turn the heat/Air conditioning (depending on the time of the year) so that they won’t go on as often, since you won’t be there to enjoy it.

Go to the airlines website to make sure that your flight is still on time! You don’t want to rush to the airport to find out that your flight is now delayed by 2 hours!

Make sure you pack those few last minute things that you needed to use that morning, but must bring…like your toothbrush, hairbrush, etc. Don’t forget them!

And finally, as you leave, make sure you lock all your doors, and that all the lights are turned off.