The ‘HowToGYST’ Holiday Checklist — Don’t Vacation Without It!

I recently spent two nights “glamping”, and we’ve a longer family holiday coming up soon, so I’ve been thinking about the kinds of things I need to do and pack before leaving the house for any extended period. If you’ve a break coming up, and hopefully you do, I’ve compiled a handy holiday checklist with some helpful hints and tips so you can actually relax, safe in the knowledge that you haven’t forgotten anything.

Holiday checklist. Glamping. — Running (cold) water and one electrical outlet is about as glamorous as camping gets

I’ll break it up into time-frames so all your bases are covered and you’re not frantically running around at the last minute trying to remember where your passport is. (And, while we’re on the subject, make sure it’s in date before traveling. You’ll usually need a new one if it expires within 6 months of your trip so don’t assume you’re safe to travel during the summer if your passport expires before the end of the year. Best to double and triple check.)

Holiday checklist for the week leading up to the trip:

Write your list of things to pack. Do it now. Leaving it ’til the last minute makes it more likely you’ll forget something. (Towards the end of this post, I’ve included a list of some of the more common things to pack. ‘Cause I’m super ~~anal~~ helpful like that.)

If your house will be completely empty for the duration, let the post office know you’ll be away and how long for so that 1. You don’t come home to a mountain of mail, and 2. If anything arrives that needs to be signed-for, they’ll know to hang onto it for an extra few days instead of returning to sender. Ditto any other frequent deliveries, like newspapers and milk. (Do people still get those delivered?)

Holiday checklist. Milk. — According to Culture Cheese Magazine, they do

Laundry. Start washing clothes now. You don’t want to be throwing a load on the night before you go, hoping they’ll dry in time. (I hope you’re reading this, darling husband.)

If you’re going to have a house-sitter while you’re away, get that confirmed now and hand over the spare set of keys. (It’s also very helpful for the sitter to have a list of emergency contact numbers, as well as a brief description of how things work and how to shut things off if needed, like water and gas.)

If you don’t have a sitter, still let someone know where you’ll be staying and how you can be contacted.

If you have pets and they’re staying behind, organise for their care.

Start using up all the perishable food in the house. Now’s not the time to be grocery shopping, and you don’t want to come home to manky lumps of mould.

While it’s not the time for grocery shopping, it is the time for making sure you’re stocked up on other necessities you’ll be bringing with you. These include toiletries, suncreams, insect repellants, and medication.

Get your jabs if you’re going somewhere that requires them.

If your bills aren’t done by direct debit, you’ll want to make sure they’re all paid and up to date before you leave. If a bill is due while you’re away, contact the company now to arrange early payment so you don’t run into arrears.

While you’re on the phone, call your bank to let them know you’ll be away too. That way, they won’t freeze your credit card when you suddenly use it for a purchase elsewhere. (I learned this the hard way when my bank’s fraud section was alerted to a large transaction in a medical practice on the other side of the world after I required emergency dental treatment while on holidays. The result? My card was declined when I tried to pay for my hotel room, and I then racked up even more charges in transatlantic phone calls to my bank.)

Exchange some cash into the currency of your destination, if needed. Personally, I just use my card when abroad, but there are times when you may need a small amount of cash, for example, for tipping, for paying for transactions where cards are not accepted or you haven’t reached the minimum spend, or if something happens to your card and you temporarily lose access to your account (as per my tale of woe above).

Arrange and confirm transport and reservations. That includes taxis, buses, trains, parking, rental car, hotels, campsites, or whatever else you’ll need to get to your destination safe and sound. (If you’re flying, I’m assuming your flights are booked already.)

If applicable, print all tickets and boarding passes, and check in online, taking the time to double check that all the information is correct. Now’s the time to spot a mistake and rectify it, not when you’re already on your way.

Print the addresses and directions for any places you’ll be staying or needing to get to. You can’t always rely on a good phone signal or a long battery life. Also, if you get lost, it’s great to be able to show someone where you’re looking for, instead of trying to parlais the ol’ Francais.

Holiday checklist for the day before your trip:

Charge up all electronics (phones, laptops, tablets, camcorders, eReaders… Anything you’ll be bringing with you.)

Load a few books and/or films onto your devices.

If you’re terribly important and in high demand, set up an out-of-office email and/or voicemail.

Order a grocery shop to be delivered (if you can) on the day of your return. You’ll be glad to have a box of cereal and a fresh pint of milk arrive at your door instead of having to face a traffic jam while jet-lagged.

Holiday checklist for a few hours before departure:

Throw away any food that won’t last the length of your trip.

Empty all bins. You don’t want that stench seeping into every atom of your home.

Scrub and flush all the toilets. For the same reason as above.

Run the dishwasher. Who wants to come home to a pile of dirty dishes?

Switch off and plug out all electrical outlets (except your fridge and freezer if you’ll need those running) and close all the doors. You don’t want a fire breaking out and, in the unfortunate event that it does, you’ll want to slow its progress as much as possible.

If you live in an extreme-weather climate, you’ll want to set your air conditioner so that your home stays cool or your pipes don’t freeze, whichever is applicable.

Change the bedclothes. There’s nothing like coming home to fresh sheets.

Pack those last-minute items, like chargers, toothbrushes, wallets, and phones.

Make sure all entry points are locked and secured. Close curtains and blinds.

Make like Santa and check that list twice!

And that’s you packed and out the door.

But, because I’m super nice, I’m going to include a list of the most common things people pack for their holidays so you can add them to your list if they apply to you. (The first 4 are things I bring with me any time I’m leaving the house to go anywhere, even if it’s just to the shop up the road.) Here goes:

Keys (‘cause there’s no point in going away and then not being able to get back)

Phone

Wallet (with proper currency, but thin out the cards — you won’t need several bank cards and store loyalty cards while away, and they’re not things you’re gonna wanna lose)

ID (passport, drivers licence, whatevs)

Medication and vitamins (make sure you’ve enough to last you the entire length of the trip. Bring them in your carry-on if they’re important, and make sure to keep them in the original packaging with proper labels)

Chargers

Travel adaptor

Contact numbers for where you’ll be staying, your bank and credit card company, travel agent, and any other important numbers (maybe keep a physical copy in case your phone doesn’t play nice)

Toiletries (you’ll know what’s enough for you, but don’t go mad — most accommodation sites have stuff you can use, and you can always just go buy something if you need it)