This is a new thing I'm going to add to my pre-vacation routine: put a cube of ice in a little dish in the freezer and put a quarter on it. If there's prolonged power outage, the quarter will be at the bottom of the dish when I get back, and I'd known the foods in the freezer are no longer good.

I always buy a half gallon of ultra pasteurized milk when we go on our three-week vacation in the summer so when we get back (usually late) there's milk in the house.

Anonymous wrote:I tend to do alot of cleaning before we leave. It feels good to come back to a semi clean house. I even try to get rid of most of the food in the refrigerator.
BUT, one year, I ran the dishwasher when we left. Don't do this. The junk that spits out from the dishwashing needs to be washed away in the sink. Don't leave crumbs or any type of foo exposed anywhere in the house. In fact, close up the sink hole.
When we got back, there were maggots! all over the sink! Totally Gross! most disgusting thing. I guess the flies somehow find their way into the house and started laying their eggs. OMG.

Yuck! That "junk" is from the stuff in your garbage disposal. You need to run the disposable regularly and especially before you run your dishwasher. There should be nothing spitting out.

I always notify the Visa people when I travel internationally. They confirm that they have done it.

Amex doesn't care where in the world you charge things. Only problem is lots of places don't take Amex.

Re the credit cards that do not need you to Notify about travel Plans.... Some of the larger companies/banks use the geolocation of your phone (the cell phone number you have on file or have called them from consistently.) They have intel that your phone is traveling” (or not traveling) and assume you are with it.... Using your card.

— employed in Mobile IT at large financial institution

Copy passport, credit cards, insurance cards, drivers license, tickets, etc. Both sides of all documents. Leave it with a trusted family member or friend. Better yet, subscribe to an encrypted master password manager and make sure all relevant information is entered. We use 1password.

Tip for travel to other countries lasting more than a week: get a sim card and a limited plan from a local service provider after you arrive in another country. Remove your own sim card. This is FAR cheaper than buying a burner phone or using the international services of a US provider. Like Verizon.

Some credit cards want notification, some don't.

My bank put a hold on my debit card when they screwed up and didn't put through the European travel notification correctly. This was last summer in Lucerne. Know your PIN on at least one credit card for emergency cash advances.

Take two different credit cards if possible. In Kenya I had problems using American Express.

-Adjust your thermostat so that you aren't wasting energy while you are away

-If you have a water-in-door refrigerator, empty out the ice bucket if you are going away for a while. Without frequent use, the ice can melt/settle in a way that causes drips and leaks.

-Make sure you have enough clean clothes/underwear/pajamas left at home for everyone to have something to wear the night/day after you get home; you'll need a few hours at least to get on top of laundry.

-Have your grocery list made or make it on the way home so that someone can get to the grocery soon after getting back.

-Have something in the freezer to pull out for dinner, or plan on pickup up take-out. The worst is looking at your spouse like, what's for dinner?

Anonymous wrote:I tend to do alot of cleaning before we leave. It feels good to come back to a semi clean house. I even try to get rid of most of the food in the refrigerator.
BUT, one year, I ran the dishwasher when we left. Don't do this. The junk that spits out from the dishwashing needs to be washed away in the sink. Don't leave crumbs or any type of foo exposed anywhere in the house. In fact, close up the sink hole.
When we got back, there were maggots! all over the sink! Totally Gross! most disgusting thing. I guess the flies somehow find their way into the house and started laying their eggs. OMG.

What "junk that spits out from the dishwasher" are you talking about?

I tend to do alot of cleaning before we leave. It feels good to come back to a semi clean house. I even try to get rid of most of the food in the refrigerator.
BUT, one year, I ran the dishwasher when we left. Don't do this. The junk that spits out from the dishwashing needs to be washed away in the sink. Don't leave crumbs or any type of foo exposed anywhere in the house. In fact, close up the sink hole.
When we got back, there were maggots! all over the sink! Totally Gross! most disgusting thing. I guess the flies somehow find their way into the house and started laying their eggs. OMG.

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

+100

I wasted my time reading this post

Many of these, especially things like vaccinations or passports, can or should be done a lot more than one day in advance. You can do the mail hold in advance by entering your travel dates online. I eat or freeze most perishables over the few days leading up to travel.

My actual last-day list:
Empty the fridge of any final perishables
Order groceries for delivery the day we get back
Check the thermostat, close any vents that don’t need to be open
Water houseplants
Double check which airport we are flying out of and arrange transportation if we aren’t driving

Most of this only applies to trips of 10+ days. Week or less, I don’t put much extra thought into.

I change sheets, wash towels, run the dishwasher, take out the trash. I travel weekly 6 months out of the year.

I leave a to-do list on the frig for my return. I'm often in a fog when I come back. And helps me not to think about it on vacation.