Does anyone have a good before you go list?

No I do not, otherwise I would not have forgotten my little stash of Euro coins on the last trip. Would have come in very handy at the Autobahn rest stop.

Doesn't matter if I have a list. There's always something I miss or leave behind.
My wife packs a week ahead of our leaving--and she still leaves out needed things. And she's very organized even.

I understand the nerves (the excitement part is good ). In my earlier travel days, I used the One Pack website. I don't follow a list much anymore, but it is worth looking at theirs to see if it suits you.
https://www.onebag.com/
Someone did post an extensive list in the 'Packing' forum....including all the things around the house to consider. I almost fell off my chair with the extensiveness of it. If I had read it when starting to travel overseas, I might never have gone.....pretty daunting.....but most likely realistic for some.
The more successful ones are ones people design for themselves. Sometimes even making a list helps with the nerves. Some use excel spreadsheets, some a printed list with notes added that they copy and use every trip. For some time I would mark up the old One Bag list of what I packed, and when I got home what I used or needed. But every trip needed different things and now I am comfortable with my decisions....but then I 'pack' mentally or physically for months prior to travel.
Take a look over in the Packing forum to see what is there to add to your info.

Susan, you're talking about a list of things to take care of, before travel, not a packing list, correct? I know there have been a few threads on the subject, but it would be a difficult Search.

I usually have a notebook and start jotting things down a few months out so I don't forget - things like - put the newspaper on hold; make sure to have the timers set for the lights; let trusted neighbours know we're going away so if they see anything wonky happening to check it out (and to collect the weekly flyer packet off of our driveway); make sure perishables are gone out of the fridge; if you're going away for any length of time when your lawn is gonna be growing, you might want to arrange someone to mow it for you; put the mail on hold or have someone collect it for you; I used to contact the credit card companies to let them know we were going away, but I don't think I need to do that with 2 out of the 3 we have now; unplug/turn off things - like the computer, coffee machine, microwave; we put outdoor things like the bbq and chairs and umbrella away in the garage - if you have something like a gazebo, you might want to take the cover off (we lost the whole gazebo once in a wind storm - the cover was too firmly attached and twisted the whole gazebo).

...I know there are other things but that's what comes to mind off the top of my head...

I forgot how poor the search function is on this website. If I have a few minutes I'll try to find the list I referenced above. It covered more than 'packing'.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/2-weeks-left-what-should-i-be-doing

Have you tried making one master list that you can use over and over (maybe you need two templates depending on the type of travel you're doing - e.g. relatively easy travel vs. more physical trekking/outdoors travel, for example)? I think the best approach is really specific to each person because, ultimately, it needs to work best for you and your needs. A simple, comprehensive Excel spreadsheet should probably cover items like protecting your home while you're away (decreasing all liability, which may include shutting the water off or putting on "vacation mode"), dumping the trash, emptying fridge, pausing mail and newspaper delivery, notifying credit card/ debit card companies of your travel plans, making sure pets are taken care of, leaving instructions to family/friends with contact info in case of emergency, and of course packing all the things that you won't be able to replace or easily get overseas. I also make a long to-do list before traveling to make sure other things (personal and professional) are taken care of before the trip so I don't have to think about them again.

In addition to a packing list I also have a To Do at the Last Minute list.
Clean out the frig,
Put a post-it on the frig door with the cat's Vet name & number,
one last time to mow the front lawn,
make sure all windows and back door are locked,
the day of departure, just before going out the door, flush the potty

The one thing I do that doesn't seem to be on a lot of peoples' lists, is to shut off the main water valve. A leak of any kind while you're gone would be a major disaster.

Thanks, Stan & Agnes – I had just added turning off the water to the house in my "Last Minute" checklist, as my parents recently had a pipe burst while they were home, and it was a major disaster. Great reminder! We turned it off for our recent trip to the South, and will do it for our trip to France in a few days.

...shut off the main water valve.... Ok, if you don't have a lawn irrigation tied into your water system. Also, be sure your hot water system is completely turned off. The biggest threat for water leakage is the hot water tank so you do not want that to run dry should a leak occur. If you don't turn off the main line, then consider closing the valves to your washing machine and perhaps your toilets and especially the line to your refrig.

Here's mine. Yeah, I know the feeling of "What have I forgotten?????" It's usually something so obvious you haven't put it on the list.

Nancy

B4 Italy --- Things to Do

air conditioners --- turn off all of them
basement toilet --- put water in
bills ---- pay, maybe pre-pay or put on auto-pay
books --- two disposable, five on phone
car --- car-rental voucher, driver's license, international driver's permit
cards --- notify bank & credit cards, email their phone numbers to ourselves
dishwasher --- try not to leave it running
disposal --- run it
DVR --- delete many recordings, look 2 weeks ahead & set recordings
email itinerary to people + ourselves, re-confirm accommodations
euros --- take the leftovers from last time
flights --- check for changes, check in + print tickets (seat changes?), e-ticket
fridge --- clean out
fridge --- remember to take trip snacks
fridge --- use up perishables, freeze some, freeze bread for return
garage door --- disable/lock door
garbage --- empty from bathrooms and bedrooms
garbage --- take out
haircut --- book early enough
Hazel to sitters (the dog)
heat ---- turn down in winter
knife --- remove from pocket if flying!
library books --- return, put holds on pause
lights on timers
mail --- put hold on mail
map --- paper map to each accommodation
medication --- need vacation waiver for having enough med? pack copy of prescriptions
money --- 2 debit cards & a credit card with a PIN, PayPal passwords
movies – check airplane's, download one back-up
mow lawn or shovel snow
mowing lawn or shoveling snow --- find someone
pack 2 days B4
passports --- photograph with phones & email to each other, also paper copies
passwords --- make tiny, coded cheatsheet
phones & laptops & their chargers
photos --- delete from camera & phone to make room, photograph guidebook + docs with phone
practice pack
print up documents, itinerary, reservations, maps
rabbit traps --- disable
recycling --- take out
Silvia (the coffee-maker) --- turn off
taxi --- order night before
travel plans --- email to family
TSA --- now wants bags of powders and food easy to access
valuables --- hide stuff & note on calendar exactly where it is
washing machine --- should be empty
water garden and/or pots
watering --- find someone to water plants
wipes ---hand & Lysol
ziploc bag --- liquids

...shut off the main water valve.... Ok, if you don't have a lawn irrigation tied into your water system.

Frank, A very valid point. Not sure if that is you situation or not. If so there may be a fairly simply fix. Have the main water supply line split into two lines. One feeding the house and one feeding the irrigation system. Have a shut off valve on each line so the one to the house can be turned off while leaving the irrigation system turned on. An added benefit is that the line to the irrigation system can be turned off and the system drained during the winter. That should help avoid damage to the system due to freezing temperatures. This might not work in every case as it will depend how the water lines for the house and system are laid out. Just a suggestion for those who may find it helpful.

Here’s the answers I got last fall. We made our master list with this help from Forum members:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/before-you-head-to-the-airport-don-t-forget-to

We have separate packing lists that work for city, or hiking, warm or cool climates and a prep list/house list. I keep these in plastic folders in the travel drawer.

Nancyscherer8, I love your list. I'm going to copy it, remove any items that don't apply to me (don't own my home, no dog, etc) and then make a companion list rearranged by when to do each item - starting with 1 month before trip up to and including the day of departure.

If fall or winter, get a flu shot. I just added that to my list.

We turned our hot water off before a trip to Paris in 2017, got home from airport at 11pm and no hot water for shower. That was miserable. We don’t turn it off anymore but i do agree it’s a good idea if you don’t need a shower as soon as you get home.

Come on Susan -- the average hot water should recover in 30 to 45 minutes. Surely you can wait that long.

One item depending on where you live: I pre-load an Amazon Prime Fresh order in my queue. Then when our flight lands back home in our city, I trigger it to deliver in the next two hours. It’s so nice to not need to go out to the grocery store after we’ve taken an airport shuttle home, and I can plan ahead while seeing what’s in my pantry.

I love the Amazon Prime food idea!

dishwasher --- try not to leave it running

leave the door open, is what I would add

I have a master list in Excel for Things to do around the house.

I also add what non-monthly bills come up in my usual travel months (car ins-Sept, POBox rental-May).

Twice I have found water leaks when I was putting out peppermint essential oil for mouse deterrent on the AM of departure. Once just I was leaving so was able to have my brother see to getting the leak fixed. Last year we were all traveling and as we were ready to walk out the door to the airport I opened a closet and saw a hole in the ceiling surrounded by mold. I quickly decided it was under the kitchen sink and no one would be running water for the next month so I quietly shut the door without telling anyone and we went on our merry way. NOW if all of us are traveling, I have on my reminders to look in closets and utility rooms one month ahead!!!

We get a house sitter. They can take care of all the at home stuff and even eat our leftovers. LOL! When we had pets, they took care of them as well. We liked the outcome and peace of mind so much we have continued to get sitters now that the cat has passed away.

I do put two or three meals of soups in the freezer so I can just defrost something for dinner for a few days when we get home. I am hopelessly jet lagged and can barely function for 4 or 5 days after a long trip. No Amazon Prime Fresh in our little town. 😕

THANK YOU for all of these great suggestions! Some of the suggestions I hadn't thought of, so this is great! I am indeed speaking of things to do before you leave and not packing. I made a master packing list a few years ago and tweak that. So now I am going to make a master to do list so I don't have to think about it next time. You all are WONDERFUL!!!

I'm in full panic mode before our upcoming trip, and this thread is not helping. I followed the link that Bets supplied, and it definitely is not helping. I do have a "to do before we go" list, and about one third of the items on it will remain undone.

I find myself reaching for the list regularly, not to check items off, but to add even more things as I think of them.

We don't have pets, so that's okay. We take four newspapers, and the odds of all of them actually being stopped on request are slim. Can't turn off the water, because someone needs to water our plants, and some workmen will be coming to do some painting. Our house is almost 100 years old, and much of the plumbing is original. We will turn off the water to the toilet, because it definitely leaks. I just hope I remember to take out the trash and empty the compost bucket.

And breathe. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Ohhhhmmmmm......

Frank, ours does not heat up in 45 min, especially not for two showers. If it did, we would have waited.

Fill the bird feeders.

"valuables --- hide stuff & note on calendar exactly where it is"

Nancy, this is genius! So many times I've come home and been unable to remember where I hid something. Once I inexplicably locked the downstairs freezer and hid that key somewhere. I guess I thought our teenage cat sitter might steal frozen steaks!?

Susan,

As someone else mentioned, I have a month-by-month pre-trip checklist formatted on an Excel spreadsheet, with many of the same items as the list posted by Nancy above. I also include items like renew car insurance, arrange pet & home sitter, etc.

The list changes a bit every year according to circumstances at the time and what time of the year the trip is taking place. I use red & green colour coding in the left hand column to indicate which items have been completed. If the left hand column is all green, everything is done and I'm good to go.

I also format a second page on the spreadsheet for keeping track of bill payment information. I use my credit union's "scheduled payments" facility to arrange payments of the usual monthly bills. That way I don't even have to think about bills or take time to pay them during the holiday.

You can laugh if you want:

Remember

Money belt
Contact for phone and debit/credit cards for England, including contactless capone
Day pack and check to see what will fit
Phone chargers and plug adapter
Meds
Hand sanitizer and wipes
2 small boxes detergent (washing machine in apartment)
Bar soap
Rain coats
Passports (and paper copies)
Plane tickets
Other tickets--train, sites, hotels, tours
mini one-page fact sheets about various sites
Print out itinerary and confirmation numbers. Post duplicate copies in luggage.

Thank you again for all of the great suggestions. I do have several Excel docs (google sheets) going, but they are for all our various trips. I then forget to update them when I get back, I also need to go in and do a master one b/c trying to go in and find all of them is nuts.

I am going to try Trello, my new found project management website (that is free) that I am in love with, and see what I come up with there. I will link to it if I end up liking the end product.