Before you leave: Pre-trip travel TIPS
Before you leave: Pre-Trip travel TIPS
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Before you leave: Pre-Trip travel Tips: Clear space on your phone.
Save the photos on your phone to the computer and make room for more! There is nothing more disturbing that realizing your phone is full when you have SO many more photos to take!
This can happen when you least expect it! Once while in Canada I was struck by the beauty. I expected lovely views because I had research the trip carefully but my breath was truly taken away when we arrived. It seemed every single direction I looked was just picture perfect. I took so many photos that I ran down the batteries in my phone, my camera and my video camera in ONE day! LOL! So…. not only do you need to clear space you need battery charging equipment like this! When will your breath be taken away? Be ready!
Before you leave: Pre-trip travel Tips: Go to the bank.
Get small bills in the local currency.
You’ll need them to buy the a drink or pay to use the bathroom! (Yes, you have to pay to go!) You will small bills right away to tip or get a soda. Be ready!
At my bank I can order ‘large bills’ or ‘small bills’ and I always go for the small. You don’t use crazy large bills at home so don’t plan on using them when you vacation.
Don’t leave home without a safe way to carry your money. I never leave home without this money belt!
You don’t want them to turn it off because they think it was stolen! Give them the dates you’ll be traveling and your destination. If you have the new chip cards, this isn’t necessary but I always call to give them the information anyway.
RFID technology is an important way to keep your finances safe. These little sleeves are inexpensive and give you so much peace of mind.
Special jewelry and documents you usually leave at home will be safer at the bank. Rest easy knowing things are secure.
If you choose to leave your valuables at home, be sure to leave them in an unusual place.
Where do crooks look first for your valuables?
1) Master bedroom 2) Master closet and 3) Freezer
Check out these really clever spots to hide cash! Have the peace of mind that things are safe.
Before you leave: Pre-Trip travel Tips: Trial run
*Wash things in the sink and make sure they drive over night. Do they dry without wrinkles or does it look like a used tissue during allergy season?
*Make sure your suitcase weighs less than 50 pounds! Pack and weigh! I like to make sure we are well under the 50 pound weight so we can bring souvenirs back! We use a luggage scale to double check before we leave the house so there are no surprises when we get to the airport. A luggage scale pays for itself over and over again as you avoid hassle and fees!
Get more packing tips!
Before you leave: Pre-Trip travel Tips: Cash is king!
Be sure to have extra cash along. Tuck some extra in your sock or sew some in behind a patch. Make it only for an emergency. How about this cool hairbrush safe? How clever!
Before you leave: Pre-Trip travel Tips: Prepare the kids.
Prepared kids are happy and easy to travel with! Be sure to get them ready.
*Read how to get them physically ready for a trip.
*Learn about your trip before you go – destination specific reading lists :
Canada, Italy, London, Hawaii, New York, and Paris
*Take things to do on the road! Download your destination ebook here: Austin, Canada, London, Nassau, New York, Spain, Louvre, Vatican City, France, Prado, Galleria Borghese, Rome.
Ebooks make it fun and easy for the kids! Take a look at this example FREE!
Download the Louvre e-book is FREE this month! Print and enjoy!
Before you leave: Pre-trip Tips: Prepare the house.
*Put lights on timers so the house looks ‘lived in’. Crooks watch your house to see if anyone is home.
*Arrange house care duties: Who will mow the lawn? Pick up the mail? Water the plants?
Before you leave: Pre-trip Tips: Prepare the pets.
Remember the furry family members!
Who will take care of the fur babies? Pet sitter? Kennel?
Write up notes about food and medicine and play time. Keeping a similar schedule for pets makes your absence less stressful for them. Favorite food and blankets will make your pet feel more comfortable while you are gone.
Read more tips for preparing to leave your pets!
How to Get Ready to Leave Pets While You are on Vacation
Be prepared and have fun! The Educational Tourist can plan the trip of your dreams!
The Educational Tourist has paired up with the Pixie Dust Queen for all things Disney! Laura, the Pixie Dust Queen, plans all things Disney and her planning is 100% FREE!
Happy travels,
Natalie, The Educational Tourist
These are some good tips. We always forget to clear out our phones and always have trouble with them being too full while we are abroad. Great tips about the card too, last time David came back from somewhere his card was blocked for using it in two countries in one day!
Very helpful tip. Though they look small but if overlooked then they becomes big problem. Switching off Gas main switch and geysers are also very important
small bills! yes! especially coming from america where everyone only uses credit cards i have no cash on me ever. but basically everywhere else in the world is still about cash. then I always run into the problem of never having taxi money cause of it
That tip about clothing is amazing! haha. It’s so simple and I can’t believe I never thought of it before. I also always forget to clear my phone. Great tips!
I always take care of pre travel planning. Like you have mentioned, cash is the most important. You never know what might happen during travel. I always keep my cash distributed across my bags, suitcases, clothes and wallet, just in case…
These are some really helpful tips, some of which often gets sidelined but turn out to be a pain in the *** on returning.One should always have their stash hidden in multiple places providing ample backup if anything goes wrong. And I agree, priority should be to carry notes of lower denomination which are used more often.
Talking about bills in small currency, for non Americans like me it’s useful to have 1 / 5 / 10 / 20 dollar bills (and small Euro notes) as these will be recognized all over the world (whereas my pounds won’t be). Transferring the photos to the computer (or cloud) is probably an activity the kids can do in seconds, compared to adults taking a longer time! My favourite tip is the washing tip because I hate washing whilst traveling. Checking how clothes dry in advance is brilliant forward thinking.
Great tips for going away on trips! I couldn’t agree more how important having cash is. I don’t usually rely on credit cards because of the exchange rates so I always make sure to bring more than enough when I’m traveling overseas. A great reminder on putting valuables in the safety deposit box. We always thought home is safe, but nowhere can be safer than the bank!
These are really important and useful tips, I always take care of the gas, electricity and water before I leave the house.Thanks for sharing this amazing tips
It’s so important to have cash when traveling, I used to go and get cash at an atm when I got there but that just takes longer for ur taxi and costs more from the overseas atm. A lot more.