What You Need to Take Care of Before Your Leave Home: 

I’m the type of person that needs a list. I need to write out everything so I can see it before me and know what I have to do. If you’re traveling, having a list is almost always necessary. If you’ve ever gone on vacation or a weekend trip across the country to visit a friend you know that there are about hundred things you have to do before you even leave. Although traveling is exciting, it can also be overwhelming if you don’t know what you have to do or get done before you leave. So to help you, I will give you a travel checklist so you can take care of everything that needs to get done before you go on vacation.

Make Some Plans: Before you even begin to pack that new shirt you bought for your trip, step back a moment. This travel checklist involves weeks or at least days of preparation. After you’ve figured out where you’re going and what the temperature will be like plan your itinerary. You may think you’re on vacation so you’ll go with the flow but you don’t want to end up sleeping in the hotel room all day or wandering the streets like the homeless. Just pick out a couple of things you want to do and their general location. That way you still have room to wander around town, take in some local recommendations and do some things you actually want to do.

Can I Use My Phone? Good question. Depending on where you are and what service provider you have, you may or may not be able to use your cell phone. Instead of playing russian roulette with your phone bill, call your service provider. They will tell you if you can use your phone at your destination, how much it will cost you and what your best options are.

Check Ups: If you’re not getting regular dental or health check ups, you really should be. The worst thing that can happen on vacation besides getting kidnapped, is getting sick or having a toothache. You may be able to shake it off for a couple of days but who wants to spend their vacation in pain? I sure don’t. Get your teeth check out before, so any cavities or root canals can get taken care of prior to your trip. I went to Mexico a couple of years back and had a horrible toothache. It hurt so bad I was thinking about just taking the teeth out personally the way Tom Hanks did in Castaway. A guy missing multiple teeth recommended I go to his “friend” but I declined the invitation. Needless to say I didn’t get anything done but the pain was so bothersome I left my trip early. Don’t ruin a great vacation because of a simple toothache.

Protect Your Home: You may be thinking about a thousand things before you go on a vacation but make sure you don’t forget that you have to come home at some point. Get a house sitter to watch your home to prevent anybody from taking advantage of the fact that you’re gone. Left out newspapers and full mailbox are tip offs that nobody has been home in a while. Get a home security system to alert you of any intruders or ask a neighbor to watch your place. These are just a couple of things you may want to check off before you leave on your wonderful vacation.

Try to do as much planning before you go so you can enjoy your trip. Remember to get your teeth and body checked out before you go so you are healthy and pain free. Don’t let an unexpected cavity or chipped tooth prevent you from having fun.