Female: I definitely make sure the fridge is cleaned out and the dishwasher is empty. We're in Brussels for five weeks and when we left Maidenhead, I made sure we had clean sheets, but they're folded and in a drawer with a scented dryer sheet. We're letting the bed "air" while we're away. I had meant to clean the kitchen and bathroom thoroughly before going, but it didn't work out that way, so I have those chores to look forward to on our return :-( And of course, a round of dusting all the shelves and knicknacks.

We brought our king-sized quilt with us and will wash it in a laundromat here the night before we head back so it will be nice and fresh.

We take our dog with us on vacation, so we always make sure to get her to the groomers before we leave. Can't be showing up at hotels and restaurants with a scruffy dog in tow!

Clean sheets and clean rooms ? They'll get dusty when you're away ! But to do the dishes seems a sound advice.

No. I'd like to, but I'm still packing and deciding what to take (and changing my mind) until the last minute. So there's clutter everywhere.
But I usually change the sheets the day before we leave so we'll come home to clean ones.
Also, I usually catch up on my email to friends and relatives during the week before a vacation.

Female. In recent years, traveling for me has meant moving, which means leaving an empty house behind, but when I do short trips, I do go for the thorough sweeping, mopping, make futon bed into sofa, put sheet over, close all windows and make sure things are picked up. Why? Well, because there is just nothing worse than being exhausted from a great or horrible trip and coming home to a messy house in need of attention.

funny that someone topped this last night, the night before my little trip - and yes, I was home cleaning!

Eh ? No time for that ! Usual drill e.g. for 6.30am flight (which is sadly typical) :-

evening before - go out as usual, get home, go to bed
02:00 - get up, do majority of packing
03:30 - usual getting ready drill - shower, etc
05:00 - put last minute things like hairbrush in case, close cases, leave for airport

Female-this is a funny post.. I go spastic trying to get out of the house to the airport.. First, the cages have to be cleaned and the birds fed and food ready for the bird sitter.. I've learned to have the cleaning ladies just before we leave.. I've solved our winter problem by going to a hotel the night before and making sure that day everything is washed and dried. Often I'm wiping things down as we head out the door.. Only when the front door is locked and I'm in the car.. can I relax..I love coming home to a clean house... if only for the next few days when clothes and traveling stuff is all over the place..lol.
Can hardly wait until the next trip in February, the bird sitter has been hired and we have reserved our friends to take the dog..

Yes, female pre-vacation clean freak here. Husband joins in, too. Don't know where this obsession comes from, other than the fact that when you arrive back home, no matter how short a trip, there is always unpacking to do, which makes our place dirty anyway, so I guess the pre-clean just makes it less chaotic when the unpacking happens.

We also always have people watching our cats, so maybe subconsicously we are cleaning for them? The people, that is, not the cats. Well, actually, I guess we clean for them too. We clean the boxes like minutes before we leave so they are as fresh as possible.

The one think we don't do is change the sheets. When we come home, we're so happy to see our bed that it doesn't matter if they're freshly cleaned or not. Plus, they'll be covered in cat hair anyway, so why bother? :-)

I,like most people clean my house everyday, ( much to the annoyance of my teenage kids,) I'm called a neat freak on a daily basis!

When i'm going on holiday, i do an extra blitz! Its nice to walk back into a nice clean house, its takes the edge off the sadness of your holiday being over:(

most people clean their house everyday???????? wow- they do? ;-)

really? you're kidding!
not me (no kidding)

Sure, I get the house clean before I leave. My sister comes to stay with the pets and it wouldn't be right to ask her to stay otherwise. I'm not a neat freak but I do a little daily maintenance. If I do a thorough job before I go, the house will be easy to maintain while I'm gone. I know my sister will change the sheets etc before I come home and often she cooks a little something for us and leaves it in the fridge. She's a sweetie.