Checklist: What to Do Before You Go
 

Hi --

Detail-oriented frequent traveler here. There's an excellent packing list posted on this forum, adding my list of what to do to prepare for a trip.

Additional information, hyperlinks to resources and a printable pdf available here: http://bit.ly/15Eic8H

11 MONTHS OUT

□ Book international flights, if using frequent flyer miles
□ Claim your seat, if allowed

6 TO 11 MONTHS OUT

□ Book international flights if not using miles
□ Book hotels. The best ones fill quickly

2 TO 6 MONTHS OUT

□ Order your passport and visa, if necessary
□ Obtain vaccinations and medications (some vaccinations are administered in a series and must be initiated months in advance)
□ Book your in-country/in-continent destination-to-destination flights
□ Book a driver, if appropriate
□ Schedule your petsitter or nanny (their schedule may fill-up quickly during holidays)
□ Make restaurant reservations

ONE MONTH OUT

□ Order a hard copy map of your destination at Amazon and/or upload city/country specific apps
□ Confirm flight, ground transportation, accommodation and restaurant arrangements and reservations
□ If you’ve booked through a travel consolidator, verify your reservation directly with your hotel
□ Book tickets to major attractions online
□ Request certificates for hotels booked with points, if necessary

ONE WEEK OUT

□ Purchase trip insurance, if appropriate
□ Ensure you have the correct converter adapter for the country(ies) you’ll visit
□ Scan your vital passport pages and email the file to yourself and one or two contacts. Print a copy to store in your checked bag
□ Organize your itinerary; email the document to yourself and one or two contacts.
□ Buy snacks (I don’t travel anywhere without KIND bars and nuts)
□ Notify your credit card companies that you will be traveling to a foreign country
□ Withdraw cash
□ Confirm arrangements with petsitters, nannies, housesitters, post offices, newspaper delivery, etc.
□ Obtain an international driver’s license if you will be renting a car abroad (go to the American Automobile Association for a list of locations to obtain a license). (By the way, you still need to bring your state-issued driver’s license)
□ Register your trip with the U.S. Department of State Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. Recording information on your trip allows the Department of State to assist you in case of an emergency and provide travel updates
□ Plot places that you want to visit (stores, restaurants, museums, etc.) on your hard-copy map
□ Determine your communication strategyTWO NIGHTS OUT

TWO NIGHTS OUT

□ Pack
□ Notify trusted neighbors of your trip
□ Download plenty of podcasts, books, movies and songs
□ Get a manicure, pedicure, wax, shave, tan, take a laxative, etc.
□ Begin Malarone if you’ll be entering a mosquito zone in the next two days
□ Prepare at work

ONE NIGHT OUT

□ Double-check what you’ve packed against your packing checklist
□ Call your airlines (or look them up online) to confirm the status of your flight(s) and know your departure terminal. If you can book your seat only 24 hours out, claim your seat. Check in
□ Order a taxi to the airport, if appropriate
□ Remove and secure unnecessary items (excess credit cards, bank cards, etc.) from your wallet
□ Lock-up valuables (jewelry, credit cards, checkbooks, keys you don’t need to carry, etc.) if people will enter your premises while you are away
□ Charge your electronics
□ Water plants, fill pet food and water bowls
□ Tag your luggage
□ Set your alarm. Double-check it
□ Leave out instructions and payment for petsitters, housesitters

DAY OF TRAVEL

□ Make mental notes when you turn off your appliances and lock your doors so you don’t drive yourself crazy wondering if you did it later
□ Adjust your thermostat
□ Close blinds, shades, etc.
□ Keep your keys and medications in your carry-on!

If the trip insurance includes cancellation it needs to be taken out when you make your first purchase for the trip.
A week before travel is way too late. Why not buy it months ahead if that is when you are booking things?
Also check if your health insurance covers you abroad so you know if you need that as part of your insurance package. Never travel without health insurance.

Yeah. Thats quite a list :-)

LOL, or there is my usual way.

Get up one day and decide you want to go somewhere. Go online and book a flight to A. Usually no more than a week in advance. Once flight is booked, buy travel insurance online. Total time required, an hour or two.

Day before departure, ask your neighbour to watch the place for a while and pack your bag. Make sure you have 3 things. Passport, e-ticket and credit/debit cards. You're good to go.

If I forget the thermostat, I call my neighbour to go in and set it. If I forget a jacket, I buy one.

Travel can be as complicated or as simple as you choose to make it. I prefer the KISS method.

Should also have mentioned that I have 'sprung' trips on my wife quite a few times. She never complains and in fact when it has been a while since I surprised her, has said to me, 'Don't forget, I only need 2 hours to get ready, so don't let that hold you back'.

For example, a few years ago I told her one evening that we were leaving the following morning for a quick break. All she asked was what weather to pack for (it was in February). I said, 'Switzerland'. A 5 day Valentines break in Geneva with a day trip to Gstaad was what we did.

For a first time or infrequent traveller your list is fine Esme, but after a while, it's no different than saying, 'let's hop in the car and go to a hotel in a city for a few days'. There really is little difference other than needing a valid passport.

My list:

1. Keep passport current.
2. Married a guy who doesn't mind if I travel without him (he hates to travel).
3. Buy trips/tickets/hotel rooms cheap.
4. Hope my leave request goes through at work.
5. Keep a "travel bag" with my essentials- eye mask, vitamin C, magazines, etc.
6. See ya!

Um, not to pry, but what's with the taking a laxative 2 nights prior to traveling? I'm confused.

My guess would be it has to do with all the stress generated by being an anal retentive who needs to go through all this preparation Hobbert. ;-)

My favourite clue to whether someone is anal-retentive or not, is they need to look up 'anal-retentive' to see whether it has a hyphen or not.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/anal-retentive

I think the bit about taking a laxative is a kind of Easter egg for anyone who read that far.

Just as some people enjoy the planning process as much as the vacation itself (not uncommon on these boards!), some enjoy meticulous preparations in advance, I guess. You're either a packing list person or you're not...

Also stop your mail

Dulciusexasperis, I believe you're on to something!

I consider myself a rather organized person, but compared to this list, I am apparently flying by the seat of my pants :) But then everybody should do what works for them.

Some of the things on the list are actually very good advice. Other items are complete nonsense.

Why would I want to "Get a manicure, pedicure, wax, shave, tan, take a laxative, etc."? It's a trip, not a date.

And I agree with hetismij2 that trip insurance "needs to be taken out when you make your first purchase for the trip".

There are also a few things that are only for people from the US. I can't see any reason for a European travelling in Europe to register with the "U.S. Department of State Smart Traveler Enrollment Program". I doubt they'd let me if I tried, anyway.

I missed the State Department regisration. That's amusing. I suppose it would make sense (if you were an American) if you planned to hike across Iraq or Afghanistan or something.

Come to that, it would maybe make sense if you planned to walk around New York City at night.

How about the item by Hobbert.
"4. Hope my leave request goes through at work."

Kind of a sad commentary on how people perceive who is in control of their life. You have to ask for PERMISSION to go?

Here's how it works Hobbert. You work for money each day. At the end of each day if you have produced enough to satisfy the person paying you, you're even. Neither owes the other anything. YOU decide if you want to work another day and the person decides if they need you to work for another day. If you both agree, that's fine.

If you think anything extends beyond that, just watch how fast someone gets 'laid off' or 'fired' when they are no longer needed.

I never worked for anyone else in my life. I worked for ME and always understood what the contract was. When I wanted to travel, I simply told whoever I was working WITH that I was going.

No offense intended Hobbert, just a comment on how many people MIS-perceive the work contract.

Dulciusexasperis- that's great for you but it doesn't fly in my field, public safety. We have minimum staffing requirements and if a certain number of people are already off, my leave request doesn't get approved. Now, I can shift trade and that's pretty easy to do since I'm on a shift people like. Unless you're planning to pay my mortgage, I'm showing up to work. I don't misunderstand my work contract. It's quite clear. I need them and they need me. In 10 years, I've had leave refused only a handful of times. My requests are reasonable, done as far in advance as possible, and I work hard when I'm there. Nobody's taking advantage of anyone, in my opinion.

Back to travel! I have one more thing to add- leave my itinerary with a trusted person at home.

Umm, what you do for a living is irrelevant Hobbert. If you worked with any company you could say the same things. You need to fit in with others and have a mortgage to pay. I understand that.

My comments were more about a mindset. Things like, 'the work ethic' were invented by the leisure class to keep the working class in line. It's a philosophical issue.

Taking what you say to it's logical conclusion, you believe if you TOLD your EMPLOYER when you were going to travel, you would lose your job, lose your house, lose your spouse, your kids would starve and you'd turn into an alcoholic and homeless person.

In fact that is hardly likely to happen but the fear of it happening keeps most people right where they are. Subservient.

dulciusexasperis: It's not a philosophical issue if you need that job to survive. Especially if you have other people (children, maybe) who depend on you for food and a place to live.

There has to be limits, of course. I wouldn't stay at a job where I was physically or sexually abused. But I'm a single woman without children or a mortgage. If I absoultely had to, I could move back in with my parents, but I'd hate losing my independence.

I wouldn't risk losing my job over something minor or silly. It's not work ethic. It's the fact that I'm an adult and would hate to live on charity, even if it's my parents' charity.

And now we've really left the original topic.

<<Things like, 'the work ethic' were invented by the leisure class to keep the working class in line. It's a philosophical issue.>>

BS

I have a job. Therefore I have to apply for vacation/ time off in advance. There's nothing philosophical about it.

Why in the world would you "confirm your flight" "one month out"?

Confirming the flight one month out makes sense. We booked seats on an Emirates flight months ago, based on the nominated aircraft. Emirates are now using a different aircraft, with a different seating configuration. We changed our seat selection, taking advantage of the different aircraft.

Maybe this is not so much "confirmation" as just being across what is happening.

Nah, it's pretty simple. I like my job and I understand what I need to do to keep it. Showing up is pretty important. Gosh, I'd love to have a job where I could just say, "hey guys, I'll be out next month, see ya in April!" but it's just not realistic. And, yes, my field does matter. It means that work doesn't wait til I get back- if I'm not there and we don't have minimum staffing, my coworkers have to work harder and that's not cool. Oops, guess that's my pesky work ethic :)

Hiring in my field takes about 9 months- I can't play fast and loose with my mortgage for 9 months but it's great that you can. I hope to pay off my house early and be less tied to a job. Until then, I think I'll play by the rules.

Interestingly, I do register my trip with the State Dept. I don't really care if the government knows where I'm going (I'm not that interesting) and if I die overseas, my family can be notified. Morbid, yes, but stuff happens!