The Ultimate Vacation Checklist
Your bags are packed. Your reservations are made. You're ready to go.
But…
Did you stop the mail?
What about the thermostat? The garbage? Your prescriptions? Did you charge the portable charger—or just pack the dead portable charger?
Sometimes the hardest part of leaving for vacation isn't planning the vacation. It's remembering everything that needs to happen at home before you go.
Here's a checklist to make departure day a little less hectic.
📅 About a Week Before
Check Your Travel Documents
Don't assume everything is where you think it is.
Confirm that you have:
- Passport, if needed
- Driver's license/acceptable ID
- Cruise or tour documents
- Airline information
- Hotel reservations
- Travel insurance information
- Any required visas or other destination documents
If you're traveling internationally, check the entry requirements for your destinations one more time.
Take Care of Prescriptions
Make sure you have enough medication for the entire trip, plus a little extra in case your return is unexpectedly delayed.
Don't leave prescription refills until the night before departure.
And remember: important medications belong with you, not in checked luggage.
Make Arrangements for Home
Depending on how long you'll be gone:
- Arrange pet care
- Arrange plant care
- Stop or hold mail
- Pause newspaper deliveries
- Arrange lawn or snow service if necessary
- Let a trusted neighbor, friend or family member know you'll be away
- Make arrangements for packages that may arrive
💳 Money & Credit Cards
Make sure you have access to more than one way to pay while traveling.
- Check credit/debit card expiration dates
- Know whether your cards charge foreign transaction fees
- Have some cash if appropriate for your destination
- Make sure you know how to contact your bank/card issuer if there's a problem
- Store cards in more than one place when practical
For international travel, check whether your financial institution needs or offers a way to note upcoming travel.
📱 Get Your Technology Ready
The night before your trip isn't the ideal time to discover that you can't remember a password.
- Download your airline app
- Download your cruise line or tour app
- Download boarding passes when available
- Download maps or information you may need offline
- Check international cellular coverage if applicable
- Charge your phone
- Charge your smartwatch
- Charge your tablet/e-reader
- Charge your portable power bank
- Pack all necessary charging cables
If you're traveling internationally, figure out your phone/data plan before leaving home.
🏠 Get the House Vacation-Ready
Before you walk out the door:
- Take out the garbage
- Empty anything perishable from the refrigerator
- Run or empty the dishwasher
- Check faucets
- Unplug unnecessary small appliances
- Adjust thermostat
- Set timers or smart lights if desired
- Lock windows and doors
- Close and secure garage doors
- Water plants
- Leave appropriate instructions for anyone checking the house
If you'll be gone for an extended period, your list may be longer.
✈️ Check Your Transportation
The day before departure:
- Check your flight status
- Confirm departure airport and terminal
- Confirm transportation to the airport or cruise port
- Confirm parking reservations, if applicable
- Check airline baggage allowances
- Weigh luggage if you're close to the limit
- Verify departure time
- Decide what time you're leaving home
And if you're flying to catch a cruise, consider arriving in the cruise city at least one day before sailing whenever possible.
Flights get delayed. Cruise ships don't wait.
Do the Final Luggage Check
Before closing those suitcases:
- Identification/passport
- Prescription medications
- Wallet
- Phone
- Chargers
- Eyeglasses/contact lenses
- Travel documents
- Essential toiletries
- Comfortable shoes
- Weather-appropriate clothing
Put identification, medications, valuables and important documents in your carry-on, not your checked luggage.
🚪 The Five-Minute Door Check
Right before leaving, take five minutes and walk through the house one last time.
- Kitchen
- Appliances okay? Garbage out?
- Bathrooms
- Faucets off?
- Bedrooms
- Windows closed?
- Doors
- Locked?
- Garage
- Closed?
- Pets
- Where they're supposed to be?
- Phone
- In your hand or bag?
- Wallet
- Got it?
- Passport
- Actually saw it with your own eyes?
Good.
Now you can leave.
❤️ And Finally…
Once you've checked the important things, give yourself permission to stop worrying about what you might have forgotten.
You planned. You checked. You prepared.
Download the Before You Leave Home Checklist
Now comes the good part.
Go make some memories!