Run the dishwasher, water the plants, rinse the coffee pot, take out the trash.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think MPD is going to do extra stops around my house.

Really. This is not Mayberry.

Cards with chips no longer require travel advisories. The chip lets them know you're actually using your card. That said, we often still do it if we're going somewhere known to harbor a lot of credit card theft - Miami, for example, HUGE trigger.

I plan meals for the days before a long trip so we eat up everything in the fridge.

I plan what I'm going to wear, and withhold an outfit or two so I don't have to do laundry and can pack the day before.

I freeze some milk or buy cream (long fridge life) so we have that for coffee the morning after we return.

And I think about what we'll eat when we get back. Spaghetti is an easy one - frozen sauce, frozen bread, pasta. More often, we pick up a pizza or chicken and salad from the grocery store on our way home from the airport.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

?? My cards require this. Which ones don't?

I do all this all the time and it's not hard nor is it stessfull. We do 4 big vacations a year.

The last few times I have traveled abroad and called my credit card company they have told me it was no longer necessary.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Depends where you are going. My credit card company denies charges from places as diverse as Switzerland and Costa Rica if I don’t give them a heads-up. Ironically, this is with an airline credit card. It also ha pens with my credit union credit card.

I have USAA, and I do notify them of international travel--you can call or they have an online form. Once, someone stole my card number and used it in Mexico, and they denied the charges and alerted me. I don't want to be travelling and have my card denied!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Depends where you are going. My credit card company denies charges from places as diverse as Switzerland and Costa Rica if I don’t give them a heads-up. Ironically, this is with an airline credit card. It also ha pens with my credit union credit card.

Really? I traveled last month to Australia, Ethiopia, Israel and Denver. Zero denials. I haven't had a cc denied overseas in a decade.

It still denied the truly fraudulent charges that occurred when I traveled to Atlanta though. hah

The country itself doesn't really matter, it's your personal pattern of use.
Last year, I visited my sister in Miami. I didn't bother calling my credit card company because it wasn't international travel. I used one credit card at BWI, to get the rental car, and at a restaurant in South Beach the first day. No problems.
Second day, I used a different credit card at the mall near her house. Because there was no indication of how I go to Miami as far as the card knew, and because I wasn't in a typical touristy area, that one got identified as fraudulent and got declined. Had I called ahead and told them I'd be in Miami I wouldn't have had a problem.
So better safe than sorry.

Fridge
Dishes
Trash
Electrics
Check window locks
Heat & hot water heater
Get mail held

Does this make me a minimalist?

I try to remember to take a copy of my eyeglasses prescription in case they break while I am away.

We are one of those unfortunate people who experienced a second story washing machine freakout while we were gone for two days. It was apparently caused by the power going out and coming back on. Now we always unhook the washing machine.

Since we turn the heat down in the winter when we leave, we open any cabinet doors that have pipes in them.

copy passport and switch off main water

I would add-photo copy the front and back of cards in your wallet and email the photo to yourself. This is handy if wallet is stolen, you will have the numbers for all the cards to cancel. Same for passport.

Manage storage on your phone (backup old photos and delete)

i do all this with out thinking it is just second nature