4 Things to do Before Vacation to Make Coming Home Easier

If you are taking a long trip, you need to not only plan the vacation itself but also keep in mind a few things to do before vacation to make coming home easier. My family just returned home last night from a 2 week vacation. We rented a car, packed up WAY too much stuff, and spent two weeks driving from state to state visiting an assortment of friends and family. It was an extremely fun vacation but it also took a lot of planning, organization and probably too much money! Now that I’m home again, I realize that so much time and energy went into planning the vacation itself that I forgot to plan for the day we returned HOME from vacation! I thought I would share a few ideas with you for things I should have done before I left but didn’t because I am SO not organized enough! Maybe writing them down will help me remember to do them the next time we head out on vacation!

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4 Things to do Before Vacation to Make Coming Home Easier

4 Things to do Before Vacation to Make Coming Home Easier

1. Clean the house:  I know, I know…planning a vacation is so time-consuming there is no time to vacuum or change the sheets. However, coming home late last night, I was shocked at the pigsty I had left behind. Now I not only have to deal with loads of mail and laundry and unpacking I also have to clean my house. This is one of those things to do before vacation that your kids can help you with. Keep them out from underfoot by having them tackle the housework.

2. Unplug the electronics:  I realized after I left for vacation that I had left the computers and TVs plugged in. Not only did I have to worry about lightning and electrical surges but I wasted a TON of energy while I wasn’t even home. Unplugging everything you possibly can on vacation will give you peace of mind and save you money on your electrical bill. After the high cost of your family vacation, a few pennies saved will be a big help!

3. Put a few drops of bleach in the toilets:  This one probably sounds weird, right? However, I was gone for two weeks in the middle of summer. We raised the temperature in the house so the air conditioner didn’t have to work quite so hard. We came home to mosquito larvae in the toilet! Is that not the grossest thing ever? Next time I am leaving a bit of bleach in the bowl to kill unwanted guests.

4.  Store a few frozen meals in the freezer: We had zero food in the house when we returned home from vacation. And with a day full of car rental returns, laundry, and errands I didn’t get to the grocery store until late in the afternoon. Which means that for breakfast and lunch we ate whatever we could scrounge from the pantry. Not really a balanced meal and after the amount of junk we ate on vacation I really wish I had put a casserole or a few leftovers in the freezer before we left.

It amazes me how relaxing a vacation can be but how stressful they are to plan and recover from. I could have made my vacation recovery a lot easier if I had just been a bit more organized a few weeks ago. I will definitely be keeping in mind these things to do before vacation the next time we travel. I definitely recommend putting these travel tips on your vacation checklist before heading out of town!

What would YOU add to this vacation checklist?

If you are heading out on vacation, check out this post on how to protect your identity while on vacation!

Protecting yourself from Identity theft while on vacation

 

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4 thoughts on “4 Things to do Before Vacation to Make Coming Home Easier”

  1. Love the tip about freezer meals!! Nothing like coming home to nothing in the house to eat! We have a house sitter that we pay to stay at the house. It’s a family friend that we trust. House is kept up, plants watered, dogs get to stay at the house.

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  2. Love the bleach idea. My tips are to make sure all the trash is collected and taken out. To set timers on the lamps. To leave plants in the sink with a very slow drip going. And I leave my computer plugged in because I have a backup running and it wasn’t done before I left. (Inevitably, the power went out while we were gone and it was shut off. But the backup was done before that happened.)

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  3. Well, if you know in advance when you’re gone, you could try to let your house to somebody from f.i. Europe. Leave a friendly note ans some cash and ask them to do some shopping. You’ll gain money, your place will probably be kept very clean, you’ll have food when you return. It’s done quite a lot.

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  4. Those are all great tips, thanks for sharing. I don’t like it when I come home and there’s no healthy food available to eat either. I’ll have to remember to unplug the electronics. I don’t want to waste money.

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