I know someone who came home from a short trip to find that a pipe under a sink in an upstairs bathroom had broken and water had been spewing out for days. It had filled the bathroom floor, gone over the sill and dripped and dripped down onto their first floor.

It was a huge mess and all the drywall and flooring affected had to be torn out. On the plus side, insurance did cover everything, but it was a nightmare to deal with. We always turn our water off when we go away now because of their bad experience.

My dad has OCD (real OCD) and I feel like he made this list. He also hides all our jewelry and valuables before trips too and sometimes we can't ever find them again. Don't be my dad.

I like the list but it gave me anxiety. Like, my heart is beating faster. We don't even have anything planned until summer!

Any other tips like the clean sheets one?

OP, did your great-aunt share this on FB?

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for sharing.

I would suggest checking to make sure your travel documents (passport, visa) are not expiring within 6 months.

This is the only step that you really must do. And only for international travel. Domestic travel? Just get on the plane people!

So many of these are common sense. Like eating your perishable food. NO SHIT.

Why do people make travel so difficult.

We don't do anything on that list, but something we do always in winter months is to turn off our water in the basement. That way, in case of a leak or a freeze, the water is turned off. This actually saved our house once and we do it even on weekend trips now.

This is pretty insane.

We travel at least once a week and a lot internationally, it's been YEARS since I've called my credit card company. You do not need to let them know you're traveling even if you booked the tickets on a different account.

1) Alert your credit card company.
To ensure your credit card works while you’re traveling, your credit card company needs to know your travel plans. If you’ve waited this long though, you may have to call instead of submitting an online form.

Most credit card companies don't want you to do this anymore. It isn't required or even necessary.

Thanks for sharing.

I would suggest checking to make sure your travel documents (passport, visa) are not expiring within 6 months.

Anonymous wrote:Oh my god, I would never go on vacation if I had to go all that before leaving.

Agree. These a re good tips but some seem like overkill. Bring in outdoor furniture? We leave for 2 months in the summer and I don't do that. Sure we do things like turn off the paper but not the eve of travel, you can do that anytime so I often do it when I make the reservations. I've got the day pass feature turned on in my AT&T account so no need to do that. And you can do that through the app after you arrive if you forget. I've never called the credit card company and I travel all the time for work and fun.

Oh my god, I would never go on vacation if I had to go all that before leaving.

I change the bed sheets. That way when we come back bone tired from the trip we can land on a clean bed.

11 Things You Should Do the Day Before You Leave for a Vacation ( By DANIEL BORTZ/TRAVEL + LEISURE March 24, 2018)


It’s the eve of your departure — the day before you leave for that long-overdue vacation you’ve been dreaming of for months. But before you embark on your trip, there are some important steps for you to take. Here are 11 items to cross off your to-do list before you head out.

1) Alert your credit card company.
To ensure your credit card works while you’re traveling, your credit card company needs to know your travel plans. If you’ve waited this long though, you may have to call instead of submitting an online form.

2) Contact your cell phone company.
Traveling abroad? Call your service provider to help you set up the cheapest plan for making calls, sending text messages, and accessing Internet from your smartphone. Many cell phone companies — including AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile — offer affordable day passes to U.S. customers for International talk, text, and data plans.

[ Edited by Admin to comply with copyright laws. ]