20 tasks you should do in the days and hours leading up to your trip

The day before leaving on vacation can often be associated with stress. With the countdown well and truly on, the added pressure can cause you to forget simple things like packing your passport or turning off electrical appliances.

To make sure that you have no regrets once you close the front door behind you, take the time to employ a few simple tips and tricks. This way, you will be well and truly ready to transition into vacay mode.

Confirm reservations

To avoid any potential dramas, make a point to confirm your reservations before you leave home. By doing this early on, you have time to work out alternative arrangements if a hotel or a car service doesn’t have your booking on hand for one reason or another.

Check your passport and visa

The next thing to look into is your passport and visa. Chances are that you have already confirmed the status of your passport and visa. At this point, simply double check that visa requirements for the places you are visiting haven’t changed.

Tell the bank you are travelling abroad

There are instances where the bank will block a card if they find activity to be abnormal. To avoid a potentially bad situation while overseas, inform the bank ahead of time about your trip plans.

Pay bills in advance

Whether we are staying at home or in a resort, the bills keep on coming. To avoid paying late fees, look to pre-pay any bills that are due while you are away. You could also schedule deposits, but just make sure you have enough funds in the nominated account.

Cancel any subscriptions

From magazine and newspaper subscriptions to music and movie streaming services, a lot of household budget is used on these subscriptions. Rather than having bills pile up while you're away or the front lawn littered with newspapers, put your memberships on hold until you return.

Clean out your wallet

While we all start out with the best intentions, sometimes our wallets can be a vessel for shoving junk such as business cards and receipts. To ensure you are travelling as light as possible, look to clean out your wallet, leaving only the most important items.

Set up your international sim

When travelling overseas there are an array of different options when it comes to using a phone. You can change or upgrade your phone plan to allow for international roaming. Make sure to do some research about call limits and fees before landing overseas as purchasing an international travel sim may be more viable. Don’t forget to give family and friends your new number.

Check the weather

There is nothing worse than being too cold or too hot. To ensure you are comfortable in transit and in your final destination, check the weather. This way, you can wear the appropriate layers and avoid having to battle the elements.

Bring outdoor furniture indoors

On the homefront, there are a few activities you need to undertake to prepare your home for your departure. One such activity is bringing any outdoor furniture inside. On one hand, you are removing temptation from thieves, on the other hand, you are also reducing the number of things you have to worry about being damaged while you’re away.

Throw away food perishables

There is nothing worse than arriving home after a long flight to a house that smells like something has died. To avoid this scenario, look in your fridge and your fruit bowl, throwing out anything that has an expiry date that falls before you arrive home.

Empty the trash

After emptying out the contents of your kitchen, don’t forget to empty the trash. Otherwise, all your hard work of emptying the house could go to waste, with perishables slowly disintegrating in your indoor bin…

Wash the dishes

While washing the dishes might seem like adding an unnecessary job to an already growing list of pre-travel tasks, you will be thankful when you arrive home to a clean house. After your last meal, load the dishwasher or hand wash the few dishes you used.

Pack some snacks

Overseas travel is often an event in itself. To help you through the journey, look to pack some snacks. You could take something healthy and of course, your favourite not so healthy snacks to give you energy throughout your journey.

Set light timers

When leaving home it’s natural for your mind to wonder about protection from thieves. One way to discourage thieves is by setting light timers. By having lights both inside and outside the house go off and on at regular intervals, it gives the appearance to outsiders that the home is occupied.

Unplug electronics

From saving money on power to preventing a fire from breaking out, unplugging electronics and switching off the power points is a great task to do just before you leave. This way you can also have peace of mind that you didn’t leave the iron on.

Final lock of doors and windows

To help protect your home from thieves, it’s also important to look at the doors and windows surrounding your home. By doing a perimeter check you can see that all the locks are in order.

Pack last minute toiletries

Toiletries should always be the last thing you pack. This way, you can have your final shower or bath before your departure and then put your toiletry bag into your suitcase. You can also put some non-essential medication in your toiletries bag.

Read our article on what to pack in your carry-on luggage for more tips.

Weigh the luggage

Now that the toiletries are in your suitcase, do a preliminary weigh in. With plenty of time to spare, you can pack some extra belongings, or, more likely that not, remove a few items to make sure your bag meets the airline’s weight requirements.

Learn our tips on how to pack light for a holiday.

Leave copies of your itinerary and travel insurance documents with loved ones

If you have someone coming to check your home and water your plants, consider leaving a copy of your itinerary and travel insurance documents with them. In the event of something serious happening unexpectedly, these documents could come in handy.
Add your loved one or next of kin as an emergency contact so they have permission to manage your travel insurance policy on your behalf. You can do this by getting a quote and then adding the emergency contact when you buy the policy.

Tell people you are going away

Before jetting off on an adventure it’s always good to let a few people know that you are going away. You could choose to let close friends know and maybe even a trusted neighbour. This way, you can avoid a search party looking for you and you can also have people paying close attention to your home. 

Jetting off on your next adventure

Everyone loves to go on holidays. Between planning the holiday, booking activities and researching different places to eat, it can feel like you’ll never set foot on the plane. 

With a clear list of tasks pre take-off, you can ensure that you have everything in place at home to enjoy your adventure, whether that adventure is in another state or another country. Read our travel guides to learn more practical tips about health, safety, weather, activities, and how to navigate your destination.