How do you spend your "last day?"

1. Calling my bank and Amex.
2. Buying memory cards for camera.
3. Buying medication for a travelling tummy, as well as headaches and hay fever.
4. Checking the size of any carry on liquids, and buying a baby tube of toothpaste.
5. Buying gifts if I'm meeting or staying with friends.
6. Online checkin and print out boarding pass.
7. Telling all and sundry I'm going on a wonderful trip in order to make them insanely jealous.
   

Last 24 hours?

Laundry, pack, pick up last minute items.
Refining and double checking my out the door check list. It's the very last thing I do before leaving home. Things like turn off water to washing machine, passport and wallet are in my carry on.

Edit to add: online check in

Aside from being mildly OCD about checking several times to make sure I've got my passport exactly where it should be, I'm usually pretty "zen calm" the day before a trip. If there's any last-minute scrambling, it usually has to do with making sure I've reached out to co-workers, boss, clients and gotten them everything they might need before I get on a plane, otherwise, they are S.O.L. until I return because I'm not going to be checking work email or voicemail while I'm on vacation.

For me it differs depending on if I am working the day before or not.

Our most recent trip had us flying out April 19th. Since I had Easter Monday off, I did 95% of the packing that day, some house cleaning, and painted my toenails. On the Tuesday the only thing I had left to do after work was go for a wax (I know, TMI - but you did ask).

I will never work the day of a night flight again - I find it takes the shine off the holiday.

A few years ago I had four days off prior to leaving and it actually had me more on edge. I left too much to the last minute, and found the four days stressful.

Nonetheless I look forward that first post retirement trip where I don't have to consider the return to work shuffle!

I'm fortunate enough to be retired. I've been in charge of the trip planning and able to stay organized as we approach the finish line. My poor, younger wife is still working (more than) full-time and has been totally swamped and stressed for weeks. She spent Mothers Day weekend at her laptop on the dining table. Just hoping she can relax once we leave home tomorrow.

My last day I usually spend at a hotel in the city of my departure - this time San Antonio. I get a jump on the "vacationing" a day early. We have a nice dinner and then make our way to the airport the next morning.

The day before the day before is another story. I:

• Finish packing
• Clean the house
• Get the laundry done
• Clean out the fridge
• Gather the bags to a central location
• check my list of last minute details

I love Christi's idea of spending the night before departure at a hotel.

Last 24 hours: check-in online, print boarding passes, move suitcase to the door, charge up electronics, sleep. Morning of departure: pack electronics, take out trash, wait for ride to work (Take Your Suitcase to Work Day), update password and out-of-office messages, goodbyes to colleagues, leave for airport with ride from a friend at work.

Our flight to Europe departs in early evening, so we have most of the day. We like to have all the "list" stuff ( calling the bank, cleaning the house, laundry, preliminary packing, etc.) done by the previous day. On departure day, we like to get up and do our regular morning exercise routine---important for our health and sanity. After lunch we do the final packing, go over checklists, and then head to the airport around 3pm.

I did a modified version of Kristi great plan..
Drove part of the way to ohare ..spent 36 hours at the house of a dear friend. Topped off my 3 ounce bottles w her shampoo and body wash...wrote a couple of birthday cards, etc.... and then she dropped me at ohare this let me concentrate on finishing up work and getting the house ready for the cat sitters pass throughs... and take the last couple of days to re check toiletries and fill my pill packs

Sometimes I work, sometimes it's a weekend day and that's preferable, last-minute packing and changes at a leisurely pace. Aside from the usual things like bill paying and checking in, I spend extra time with my 2 cats--I miss them terribly when I travel.

I have to work (hard) up to the evening before the day I leave but other than that, I plan on doing nothing but eat dinner, relax and get a good night's sleep. I make sure everything is completely done and ready to go the day before my last day at home. Having nothing to do for my trip that last day makes a big difference for me. Have a wonderful time stoutfella!

I try and have a bad nights sleep which is typical. That way I'm more likely to sleep on the plane.

Doing very little. We have everything planned and done at least 2 weeks ahead of time. We normally are done packing 3 days before departure, except for very few personal items. So, generally, we try to get some relax time in the day and night before departure.

Paul

cleaning the house and putting everything away so that home is neat upon return.

We usually have someone staying at our house to watch our dogs, so I make a list of emergency contacts, sign a couple of checks (just in case), make sure any recurring services are done or held till we return, clean, and make sure it will easy to find things they may need. I do usually continue to work that day, but will work at home and not really be tied to the computer all day, just finishing up any last minute things. I will be 99% packed by then, but a few things will have to go in the suitcase after I've used them on getaway day (hairbrush, toothbrush, a few makeup items). Then I pace until time to head for the airport. We'll be going early this time to take advantage of our pre-departure Sky Club admission. 21 days and counting. :D

Cleaning the house - vacuuming, change the bed, washing laundry and dishes, setting the timers on the lights...try to convince my husband to pack his darn bag already...and thumb-twiddling...mostly when we fly over, we fly into London and our flight is at 11pm...only takes 45 min to get to the airport, so we usually don't leave until about 8pm...so I have all day to do things around the house (and hubby as well if we fly on a weekend)...packing and weighing and repacking and weighing and distributing the weight between the carry on and the personal size...repacking...weighing...can I get those granola bars in there...repacking... ;)

...then have our regular supper at 5pm, then curse time for going so slow between 6 and 8pm...

Hope you have a great trip!

Doing odds and ends regarding chores, within a period to five hours before heading out to the airport, making sure what goes into what pocket. The prescription meds are packed away as a carry -on. Get to the SFO four hours prior to departure.

Because we are retired and there is an eight hour difference , we spend the last couple of days time shifting about three or four hours by trying to follow an eating and sleeping schedule closer to our destination's time schedule. The last two days are primarily running the check list and cleaning up loose ends. On day of travel we try to match the time at our destination.

I take the day off from work and make sure that everything has been taken care of. Generally the bank has been notified, the vet has been notified I will be away, my cat sitter is set and family notified. I make sure that all my documents and credit/debit card info has been scanned and emailed to me in case of a problem. The house is clean, water to washing machine turned off and laundry and dishes done.

By then I am all packed , the house clean and my mail stopped. So I relax and watch a good movie. Then because my flight leaves SFO in the afternoon, I get to the airport way to early.

I always have to wok the day before a trip so I try to have all the packing done a few days before, but there are always last minute items. My husband is the one home on the afternoon before the trip so he is usually cleaning and taking care of last minute details (Thanks honey!) I try to treat myself to a pedicure the evening before we depart. My feet deserve the pampering before they hit the cobblestone!

45 minutes to boarding! We arrived and parked at ORD and breezed through check-in and security. Leisurely lunch. Just waiting now. See you all on the other side. Cheers!

Have a great flight and a fantastic time!

I pack my bag and usually head to the airport hotel. I stay there because I almost always have an early morning flight to where I catch the plane to Europe -- and it's like vacations starts a day early!

What I do starting the week before my trips start is:
- Begin clearing out the refrigerator and whatever fresh fruits, breads, etc I have laying around. Eat all the perishables I can, put the remainders either in the freezer or throw away what doesn't freeze.
- Stop mail. Although it doesn't really seem to do anything since we have the group roadside mailboxes instead of individual ones at the house so I still come home to a mailbox stuffed with mail even when I request to pick up the mail at the post office.
- Stop the newspaper. I get online access to the full paper in pdf format so it's almost like the real thing.
- Make sure I have someone lined up to mow the yard/scrape the snow while I am not there. At least it appears someone is home.
- Arrange transport to the airport. Hate leaving my car that long.
- Pile up what I am taking with me in the spare room as much as possible.

What I do two days before leaving:
- Laundry.

- Double check my travel notifications are all in place with credit/debit card companies.
- Re notify friends and family of my trip as required.

Buon viaggio, stoutfella! Can't wait for your trip report!

1 Confirm flight.
2. Finish packing
3. Weed
4. Give tour to house sitter
5. Empty refrigerator
6. Clean
7 Go to bed early

Not so much the last day, but in addition to the many suggestions, we start a week or two ahead adjusting our sleep patterns, going to bed earlier, and getting up earlier; getting up very early on the day of travel. We also have a short list of critical items needing to go; then those needing to be done before going. Key is keep the list only to the critical, everything else slide, if you try to include everything, you will go crazy.

Since I have usually finished packing a few days before the trip, I usually spend the day before my trip obsessing over my cats. I clean their food and water bowls and make sure the pet sitter knows the dates we are going to be gone.

I try to get everything done a few days ahead, so my last day can be calm and relaxing. Tomorrow we leave for Paris. My bag was packed and my checklist was nearly completed. I spent the morning feeling fairly smug about my organizational skills. Shortly after noon, it was time to check in online for our flights. Screen comes up saying that I can't check in online because I've ordered "special services" at the airport. No. After a one-hour long phone call with Delta, the clerk tells me that he has corrected the problem and that I can check in. I should have insisted that he stay on the line. We were booked PDX-MSP-CDG, but now the clerk has booked MSP-CDG twice and has cancelled our return flight from CDG. After a half hour phone call with Delta, our flight home has been restored, but we lost our seat reservations and the clerk insisted that I'd have to select seats at the airport . The clerk also said that the price I originally booked is no longer available, but said they wouldn't charge me the additional amount, as if they were doing me a favor! Phone call number three was to make another effort at booking seats and, after fifteen minutes, I was successful. I'm beyond exhausted and very unhappy with Delta, but we're heading for Paris tomorrow 😊. (Just for information, I checked my itinerary regularly for any changes and I booked directly with the airline.)

Wow, Nancy! Glad you got it straightened out. Last day for me was taken up with waiting for credit card replacement to arrive via FedEx (the cc's database had been compromised); it did. So did my new ATM card, which I did not know was being replaced by a chip card.

@Nancy, great work getting it all sorted out --SO annoying when you did all the right things at the right time and some unknown entity at the airline messes it all up!!
My last day is usually quiet --just checking in 24 hours in advance. Except for one trip where I had forgotten to check my Schwab ATM card until the last week and ... Surprise! It had expired! So we were waiting FedEx to deliver the replacement card on a Monday for a Tuesday morning flight (later realized that I could have asked for Saturday delivery for an additional fee but much less angst.) We have our to-do list spaced out over the last few weeks before a trip.