Before you leave on vacation there are 5 things to do to make sure you will be able to travel and come home with no extra stress. The following are things I do to ensure I have no stress while I’m traveling and what I do to make sure I have no stress when I come home (can’t you tell I hate stress?)

I think it’s a drag when you come home and because you didn’t take care of a few household things.  This isn’t an exhaustive list, just a few things I noticed I did before I left for my last trip.

I have another post with almost the same title but those are actually different tips (except for the last one).  Those are 5 things to do before you leave but if you compare the two lists, you will see they are different and depending on where you are going, not all of the tips will be things you will have to do.

1. Check weather

• There may be last minute changes in your destination so check the weather the night before you leave to make sure what you have packed is still relevant.

2. stop mail

• You don’t want your mailbox to be overflowing while you are gone, and nothing says, “I’m not home!” more than a stuffed mailbox. You can schedule your mail

3. print essential documents

• most people rely on their tablets or smartphones for their essential documents. I NEVER do that. Batteries die, internet service can be interrupted and then when you need your information you can’t find it. I print out my confirmations and anything else I need for my trip so that I will be prepared.

4. Clean your house

• Have you ever come home from a trip and walked into a dirty house? It doesn’t make me feel good AT ALL so I make sure that my house is clean when I leave.

5. Clean out refrigerator

• Have you ever come home and your refrigerator stinks? I have. And it stinks! (See what I did there?) Anything that may be rotten when you come back needs to be thrown out or given away.

What do you do before you leave for vacation?