Guest Author - Kimberly Misra

There’s so much to do before leaving for vacation. It’s helpful to have a list of everything that has to get done before you head out the door. Feel free to use this list as a starting point for making your own.

1, Make an itinerary. A general list of what you and the kids would like to do is helpful in planning your trip and will help you prioritize your days.

2. Arrange for pet care. Call the kennel or make arrangements with a pet sitter to care for your pets while you’re away.

3. Confirm reservations. Check in with your airline (you can usually do this 24 hours in advance), confirm your car rental, and make sure you have your hotel confirmation number.

4. Make reservations for extras. You may want to make reservations for sightseeing tours, whale watches, or dinner at a popular restaurant prior to your trip.

5. Visit the bank or ATM. You can use a credit or debit card most anywhere these days, but cash it still a must. While you’re at it, make sure you have plenty of single bills for tipping.

6. Water plants. If you’ll be gone longer than a week, consider getting someone to check your plants while you’re away. For outdoor plants, a sprinkler set on a timer is a great convenience.

7. Trim the kids nails.

8. Do laundry. Try to get all laundry caught up before you pack. This way everyone will have everything they need and nothing will be moldering in a hamper while you’re gone.

8. Do a quick pickup of the whole house. It’s more relaxing to come home to a neat house.

9. Pack snacks. Bring a variety of healthy snacks for your car or plane trip. Bring extras in case of delays.

10. Give out your contact information. Make sure at least one other person knows your itinerary, flight, and hotel information in case of an emergency.

11. Label luggage. Make a quick label on your computer listing your name, cell phone number, flight info, hotel name, and dates of travel.

12. Check the weather at your destination. It’ll help to fine tune your packing.

13. Clean out your car. Give it a good vacuum and it won’t be quite as dirty when you arrive back home.

14. Pay any bills that will be due while you’re away.

15. Charge stuff. Get out your MP3 players, laptops, cameras, IPods, cell phones, etc. and charge them. This is a great job for your teenager.

16. Stop mail delivery. You can do it online or by phone. Don’t forget your newspaper subscriptions.

17. Empty all trashcans and clean out the refrigerator.

18. Do one last check. Scan your packing list to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything critical. Make sure all doors and windows are locked and faucets and lights are shut off.

19. Weigh your suitcases. This way you can redistribute the contents if any are overweight (check individual airline requirements weight restrictions).

20. Pack the car the night before. Even if you don’t think you’ll be rushed in the morning, do as much as you can the night before to allow time for the unforeseen to occur.