Honeymoon'ing: Top 10 Things to do Before You Leave

So, I’m one of those really weird people who have a list for everything, and I don’t mean a little list that you write, I mean I have serious spreadsheet lists.  This is one of the many reasons my husband and I were meant for each other – his lists are more ridiculous than mine.  I probably still have my packing list from my honeymoon and I usually make a list for every little vacation we go on.  Part of this stems from the minimalist way in which we like to travel now and therefore I need to painstankingly plan prior to packing anything to be assured I will look cute, but still only carry one bag.  Now that we have a child, all bets are off – our car always looks like we’re moving our entire household even when we’re just going for a few days.  But, I digress, one of those lists is the list of things we like to make sure of before we go on vacation (this is a list for the long vacation, not the long weekend):

1. If going out of the country, first we check the U.S. Department of State website for any travel warnings (http://www.state.gov/travel/) and then we register our trip with them in case of natural disaster, etc. (http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/registration/registration_1186.html)  Registration at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate (in the country you are visiting) makes your presence and whereabouts known, in case it is necessary for a consular officer to contact you in an emergency. During a disaster overseas, American consular officers can assist in evacuation were that to become necessary. But they cannot assist you if they do not know where you are.
2. We make copies of passports and credit cards (front & back).  We give a set to a friend whom we can easily contact in case of emergency.  The reason for the front and back of the credit card is because the international phone number is listed on the back.  If you lose your cards in another country, the 800 number will not work, so make sure you have the international number easily accessible.  I actually keep an copy of my passport in a separate location from my actual passport in case mine is lost and I need to go to the U.S. Embassy.
3.  Stop all mail with the post office.  You can choose to pick it up when you return or have it start back up on a certain date.  Same goes for newspapers or any other regular deliveries.
4. We set automatic lights to go off periodically while we’re away.
5. While we don’t do this, I’ve read somewhere that it’s good to unplug your washing machine hoses because they break easily and can cause catasrophic flood damage if they break while you’re away.  Hmm, maybe this is something we should put on our list.
6. Take care of your pets.  If you’re putting them in a kennel make sure you have an appointment well in advance and try to drop them off the day before you’re leaving.  I know you’ll want to spend as much time with them as possible, but in the rush of packing, etc. your animal will sense your urgency and may get nervous.  A day before allows you to have a calm demeanor and they won’t notice the 1 day difference.  If you’re leaving them at home, be sure set out lots of food & water (leave the toilet bowl up just in case) and ask someone you trust to check in on them while you’re away.
7. Unplug computers and other electronic items that suck up electricity just by being plugged in.  Also, if your computers aren’t on a power strip and a storm comes through, you could potentially lose important data.
8. Clean your house before you leave.  There’s nothing better than coming home to a clean house after a long trip.
9. Don’t go grocery shopping the week before you leave.  We will forego the grocery trip (except for essentials) the week before our trip so we use as much as we can, not leaving items left to go bad.  It’s no fun coming home from a long trip, opening the refrigerator door and having to play ‘what died in my fridge and where is it?’
10. And finally, if you’re traveling to airports that you’re not familiar with and will have to make connections, I highly suggest going online and mapping out the airport.  Know your gate, the connecting gate and any other gates the airline services (in case your connecting gate changes which is quite often).  You may be saying, ‘oh, I just do that in the airplane’, but not all airports are listed and sometimes it’s nice to have the map in hand and feel confident prior to getting on any plane that you have everything under control.  Click here for a list and link to many domestic airport terminal maps:  http://www.airportterminalmaps.com/ and click here for both domestic and international terminal maps:  http://www.internationalairportguide.com/

Above all, once the planning is done, let go and have fun.  Remember that with travel comes lots of snaffus and only patience and a good sense of humor will get you through many of the troubles.  After all, it could be worse -you could still be at work rather than celebrating your marriage with your new spouse;)