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Personal Pre-Trip Checklist

Group leaders with crazy schedules can head for Nashville one month, the French Riviera the next and Kenya the month after that. Those in charge of other travelers not only have to deal with packing their own bag, but field questions from travelers, confirm travel plans and deal with other last-minute issues.

So many calls from members and flights here to there can make forgetting to lock the door a real possibility. To avoid this, use this checklist before each trip that leaves your house empty for more than two days.

One Week Before

1.) Turn in library books.

2.) Find new books/podcasts/movies for the flight.

3.) Leave neighbor with a key and ask them to grab the mail.

4.) Arrange someone to take care of pets and plants.

5.) Obtain any money needed, such as foreign currency and small bills for tips.

6.) Notify credit card and bank of travel.

7.) Make copies of your passport or ID.

8.) Refill your prescriptions.

9.) Leave an itinerary with numbers to call with family and neighbor.

10.) Set up an email away message to run during your trip.

Day Before

1.) Mow your lawn

2.) Close your shades

3.) Clean out refrigerator

4.) Raise temperature in the refrigerator

5.) Alert home security system of your trip

6.) Charge any phone, tablet or laptop you are taking.

Night or Morning Before

1.) Maker sure the windows, doors, shed and garage is locked

2.) Unplug electronic devices

3.) Use a plug-in timer to set some lights to timers

4.) Turn off water and gas

5.) Turn off or turn down air conditioning

6.) Wash final dishes and clean out sink

7.) Take out trash

8.) Set home security alarm

To use this list on your next trip, download our checklist here. You can also find a useful checklist from SimpliSafe here or another from Smarter Travel here.