Getting ready to take a vacation or travel away from home for more than a week? Invariably, we all tend to forget to do one or two things before we leave home, that we can never seem to relax about until we return. To make your travel plans stress free, here's a few things you might want to consider adding to your checklist of things to do before you go:
- Notify a trusted neighbor, relative or friend of your travel plans, including your route to travel, destination and scheduled day to return.
- Secure your home. Make sure all doors and windows are locked, including your garage, shed and any other outbuildings.
- Unplug small appliances.
- Remove any food from the fridge that will go bad before you return.
- Remove any vegetables or fruit in a fruit bowl, on the counter, or window sill. Overripe or rotting fruits and vegetables will not only begin to smell, but attract insects as well.
- Water your houseplants, garden and lawn. If you've arranged for someone to water for you while you're gone, be sure to leave a note telling them the last time you watered.
- Adjust the thermostat or turn off completely.
- Take out the trash.
- Turn off the lights or set them on timers to only come on for a brief period at night.
Taking a few moments to go through your last minute travel checklist will not only keep your home safer while you're away, it'll give you the peace of mind you need to truly enjoy your trip.
