Last minute To Do's?

So far...

• Print off confirmations
• Charge iPods, etc
• Double check passport
• Confirm flights and Hotel
• Do online Check-in
• Start unplugging things...

Relax, relax, relax, relax...

Tom., If only I could take that advice as well.... I haven't slept in days.. I keep adding to the "to-do" , and "do not forget" list....
UGH!!!
Plus one child just came home with another report due before we leave... (the nervous twitch will start soon...haha)

But this is also part of the fun... the excitement, anticipation. I will certainly fall asleep on the plane, I will be exhausted and no more things to plan.. Just experiences to enjoy from that point..

Have a great time Chris!!!!!

PS/ the last minute to do list:

make sure you cancel paper, deal with mail, call credit card companies, alert police that you wont be home.. some towns have drive by lists they do, empty fridge of things that will gross you out when you return and run to the dump, make sure there is a dinner or two in the freezer for the return, and for me bring pets and my favorite plant to the care takers, and clean bathrooms and put new sheets on the bed.. (I hate to come home to a dirty house)

My list is still growing...

Turn hot water heater down, turn off main water cut-off to house or at least turn off water hose to washing machine, unplug everything, especially computers and televisions and turn off your answer machine.

Chris - I agree with all of the above and also important for me is to have copies of all credit cards, passports, confirmations easily accessible - with a friend or relative you can contact in case something happens.

One of the most wonderful moments of the trip is when you are seated on the plane and can finally breathe a sigh of relief! Have fun -mw

Make sure you pay all your bills that will come due while you are gone. I generally go for 4-5 weeks, so that is a big job for me.

Thanks, all! Great suggestions so far. Yep, got bills paid, and paid ahead, got someone to watch the house. Doing the last minute prep things.

Has anybody seen my iPod? :( /cry hehe

Thanks for all the help!

Do i have my ATM/ CC and ID?

Make sure I've got the flight times right (this is after getting the 24 hour clock wrong one time and arriving at the airport as my plane was taking off!!).

Sure glad I am going alone and will have someone @ home to watch the house. Sounds like too much for me to handle. But, still 4 months before my trip and I have a corner in house that is piling up with stuff to take.

Have a great trip.

Thanks Tony. Maggie, Michelle. Yup. got all the cards and ID, except one missing visa CC. Great idea on flight times! :) Tony - us to. We actually took two full 18 gallon crates of stuff we're -not- going to take out to the garage. heh

I FOUND MY IPOD! WOOT! :)

Hi Chris. If your mail box is not huge, ask the Post Office to hold all your mail for you, while you are away. When you return to your home, go to the Post Office to get your mail. When you are at the airport, your Airline boarding pass must be on your person when you walk through the Airport Security scanner. An other To Do : Have a good long sleep the night before your flight to Europe.

Brianna suggested "turn off main water cut-off to house." I'd be careful with that because we did it once with bad results. Without pressure behind it water froze in the ice maker input line and required a repair person when we returned. Or, what if the hot water tank leaked or hot water was drained without new water entering the heater it'd burn out an element. But thanks for the question; these are good reminders for our one-month-away trip.

Call the airline before you leave the house and check for delays. You usually don't find out until you get to the airport, but it's still worth it.

Empty the compost bin. ick.

turn heat/air off.

Turn hot water to vacation setting.

put post-it on your door reminding you to turn hot water back up when you get back.

Let your neighbors know how to reach you in case of emergency.

Thanks Linda, Galen, Ron! We got lucky in that a friend of ours needed a place to stay will her husband is working out here... and we needed someone to watch the house, so worked out really well! She just called three days ago.

Good point about the compost bin Linda, we would have missed that. LOL Luckily we moved the compost pile this week, and redid everything. phew. :)

Left info for the neighbors!

2hr til we leave! Hooray! :)

Probably too late for Chris, but maybe good for other readers:

A few days ahead, I start piling up everything I need/want to take on the dining room table, sorted into 3 groups: checked luggage, carry-on, and to be worn (yes, I put out the clothes too).

I also make a list of last-minute to-do's (turn off, close, cancel, etc) and cross them off with a magic marker as I do them.

That's what saved me on my last trip, when I did the 24-hour "oops" and realized at 5 pm that I was flying THAT night to Beijing and not the NEXT night. I was not the last person to board the flight, but I came pretty close. I had everything I needed/wanted for a 5-week trip to 4 countries on 2 continents with mid-winter and mid-summer climates. Sometimes anal-retentive is good.

Lastly, I have the packing list and to-do list, along with instructions for the cat-sitter, on the computer, so I can update for the next time, rather than start from scratch.