Your Pre-Vacation Checklist

You’ve booked your vacation and now the time to leave has arrived. Here are some tips to make sure everything goes smoothly.

First, it’s a good idea to make a checklist of the things you need to do — and bring with you — in the days leading up to your trip. Don’t forget to include items like medications and travel documents. Then you can go through it quickly one last time before you head out the door.

Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere in the world these days but to be able to use them easily, contact your bank or credit card company to let them know about your travel plans, including when and where you’re going. It’s essential whether you’re traveling in the United States or abroad. The last thing you want when paying for dinner is to find that a hold has been placed on your card because you’re in an unfamiliar location.

Make sure you have multiple copies of essential documents — your COVID vaccine card, as well as your passport if necessary. You should take one copy with you and leave one with a friend or family member. Also, think about buying a plastic holder for your vaccine card, to make sure it doesn’t get torn or crumpled. As another layer of protection, take a photo of the card and keep it on your smartphone. You can also check to see whether your state has a vaccine app that lists the dates when you received your shots.

You’ll probably remember the big things but it’s easy to overlook some of the smaller items, like accessories for your electronic devices — chargers and flash drives, extra batteries and memory cards for your camera. If you’re traveling outside the United States, check to see whether you’ll need a power adaptor.

To make sure piled-up mail won’t be visible while you’re away from home, arrange for a friend or family member to pick it up or have it held at the post office.

Airlines generally allow passengers to check in online 24 hours in advance. Printing out your boarding pass will save time, so you can head to the security checkpoint more quickly.

On your travel day, do a quick inspection around your home to make sure that doors, windows and gates are locked, everything in the yard is secured or put away, heating and cooling systems are on the right setting and a lamp with a timer is turned on. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends unplugging appliances that continue to draw power even when they’re not in use, including hair dryers and electric shavers, coffee makers, toasters, computers and printers. Take one last look at your checklist and make sure you’ve packed everything you’ll need.

Finally, you want the day of your trip to be as stress-free as possible, so give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport.

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