5 Things You Are Forgetting To Do Before Vacation, But Should Remember

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Our family is in Disneyland right now. You know, a year or so ago, even with a baby, I never felt rushed or busy the week leading up to the trip. Why? Because I had time to think and plan. I am a worrier and have some anxiety, so packing started a week or two before we left, and included check lists.

Last year the Goof was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease that requires us to seek treatment before we travel. So, now, a week before travel we have a 3-4 day hospital stay. Add finals and this site to my list of to-dos, and I don’t have a ton of time to think about packing. So I end up packing the day we are leaving, if I am lucky the day before.

Sometimes we get so busy packing that we forget that there are some other things we should be doing before we go on vaation. So here are 5 things you really should be doing the week before your trip, and you are probably not. If you are doing these things, good job!

1. Hydrating. We all know how important it is to drink water during your vacation, but it is also important to drink before your vacation. You don’t want to start your vacation out dehydrated. Drinking a lot of water before your trip gives you a head start on staying hydrated. It is also a common tip to help avoid swelling during flying and long car rides. So while you are running around like a mad person, be sure to be drinking water. This one is the one I struggle a ton with.
2. Getting rest. If you are a mom or dad, we know you get the most done while the kiddos are sleeping, but be sure not to stay up all night trying to get stuff done. You don’t want to start a vacation overly tired. Worse yet, if you are like me and start to get sore throats, and headaches if you miss too much sleep, you could start your vacation off feeling sick if you don’t get enough rest.
3. Spending Time Together As A Family. It is easy to pack your day with errands and getting ready to go on vacation. Sometimes we forget that our family needs us. Yes, I know you are about to spend a whole bunch of time with your family, but it is always good to have family time every day. Besides, you don’t want to start your vacation with anybody feeling like they were ignored, hurt feelings, etc. Also don’t forget to spend time with family that is not going. Get over to see Grandma and Grandpa if they live nearby. (Maybe they will even take the kids while you run some errands.)
4. Mail Holds, Newspaper Delivery. Some people are really good about this one, but I also know a lot of people are not. We have so much to do before vacation, and with all the verifying hotels, reservations, that sometimes mail and newspapers are the last thing on our mind. However, newspapers piling up on your doorstep lets others know nobody is home. Mail being held is important if you have no locked box for the same reason. If you are like us and have a locked box, you need to hold mail so that your box doesn’t get too full.
5. Calling Your Bank/Credit Card Company. So a lot of people remember to do this if they are traveling out of the country, but even if you are just heading to the next state over, be sure to call your bank and credit card company to let them know you will be traveling. When we went to Seattle last year, my mother-in-law did not remember to do this. We were only going somewhere that was 8 hours away (drive time). Her card worked fine, until the very last day. They flagged her account. While calling your bank or credit card company can not guarantee you will not have a fraud flag placed on your card, it can help. When I worked at a credit card company, years ago, I would say about 1/2 the calls I got for cards being flagged were due to travel and were not fraud at all. Also, calling ahead makes it a lot easier/quicker to get the hold released if somehow you still do get a hold put on your card.

Is there anything you would add to this list? Are you good at remembering all of these? Let us know in the comments!

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