This is a Useful & Free Pre-Travel Checklist for Families

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Every time I travel, I think about all the things I need to get done before we go. It’s more than just putting together a packing list. Once you have the trip booked, think about what has to happen at home before you go. I’ve put together a pre-travel checklist that’s useful for traveling families.

This pre-travel checklist is in no particular timeline order. Instead, I organized this by where these things happen so you can go from room to room before you go to make sure everything is done.

In the Digital World

• Buy Travel Insurance – See why we use travel insurance for road trips.
• Hold the Mail
• Hold the Papers
• Check into Your Flight
• Alert your banks – some banks may freeze your card if you’re making charges out of the area. In fact, we’ve had a card frozen due to excessive gas purchases while on a road trip.

In the Kitchen

• Grocery shop for healthy snacks to travel with. Check out Healthy Snacks here.
• Clean out the fridge and pantry
• Run the dishwasher
• Unplug small appliances
• Set up grocery delivery or a meal kit delivery for your destination or your return. We’ve used Dinnerly in the past to have a meal plan with groceries delivered. Click here to get $20 off for Dinnerly Use my code AFENO10X2MENW
• Take out the trash

In the Living Room

• Adjust the thermostat – consider getting a programmable thermostat like a Nest
• Set lights on Autotimers – check out these smart plugs that you can control from anywhere.
• Unplug Televisions

In the Bedrooms & Bathrooms

• Check your prescriptions – do you have enough medicine to get you through.
• Wash Sheets and Make Beds – It’s nice to come home to a clean house.

In the Office

• Make document copies. Make copies of passports, credit cards, driver’s licenses, birth certificates.
• Print confirmations, or better yet put them in an app on your phone. Read these travel app recommendations.
• Create a care plan for animals. Do you have pets? Will someone take care of them or are you boarding them? Make sure they have a care plan for the animals.
• Create a house-sitters guide – if someone is coming to house sit and water your plants, let them know what you expect.
• Charge electronics
• Check and Charge camera batteries
• Unplug computers

Outside

• Mow the lawn
• Lock the Garage/Shed/Barn
• Take the trash to the curb
• Lock the doors. Check to be sure back doors and windows are locked.

For the Flight or Road Trip

• Create your music playlist
• Download Audiobooks or check books out from the library
• Download movies to devices or your car DVD player.

Related: Why Travelers need Amazon Prime

In Your Car

• Restock first aid kit. Click here to see what you need in your first aid kit
• Get the vehicle checked if traveling by car. Check oil, fluids, tires.
• Wash and vacuum the car
• Plan Activities and Entertainment for the kids – click here to create a road trip binder.

 

Want the free printable for the Pre-Travel Checklist? Click here.