Getting ready for a vacation…

Book cat/lizard sitter and dog boarding
Schedule wax, manicure, pedicure
Shop for any needed clothing, etc
Set OOO message
Make work coverage plan
Turn on vacation schedule for a/c, lights, etc.
Vacation hold on mail
Let neighbors know we're out of town
Reschedule cleaning service to come right before we leave rather than while we're gone

I'm sure there's lots more but those are the things that come to mind.

Pack my bag. Paint my toenails, shave my legs. Ask my sister to come feed the cats. Plug the lamp in to a timer that will come on in the evening. Scoop cat litter, clean out fridge and take out garbages the day before I leave.

Do the laundry and dishes.
Pack for myself, my mom, and the dogs.
If it is wintertime, turn off the water to the house, drain the pipes, and turn off the hot water heater to minimize the risk of a pipe freezing, bursting, and flooding the house while we are gone.
Clean out the fridge.
Take the trash to the "convenience center," aka, dump.
Get gas for the car, make sure it doesn't need any maintenance.
Put in a hold mail request.

I have a Tripit itinerary that I share with my family so they know my flight numbers, hotels, what we are doing, etc.

I also do a google doc of details, like how to get to different places, things I might want to see, all sorts of info that I gather from reddit/tripadvisor, etc, even here! 

I save all of my hotel, flights, tour confirmations in a folder on my computer. 

When someone asks where I stayed years ago in a city, or info about it I can pull that info up very quickly and give them the info I have.

I do 99.99% of the travel preparation for us.

Next stop-Grand Canyon and Sonoma this weekend, short 4 days--my kids have those pesky jobs to get back to.

In June almost a week in Europe which started with getting tix to see Bruce Springsteen (for the umpteenth time), this time in Prague, then doing several cities in Austria, then Hungary including the mountains there and ending with a wedding in Scotland (that I will only know two people).

I also have a "mile-long" get-ready list that I have tweaked over the years.  

I gotta have a list... I have trouble packing until the last minute because I have a fear that I may need something I have already packed and I will forget to re-pack it! (I had that same fear X 1000 when we last moved homes 19 years ago).

I’m so fortunate my son still lives at home. He is a pleasure to be around and I’m savoring this bonus time. I’m also beyond grateful that we (my guy and I) can travel like crazy people and our home and elderly family dog are safe and cared for. There is no one in the world who loves and takes better care of our dog. She’s 12/13 and my son dotes on her. Son is in the “working hard” era of apprenticeship, so he gets little time off, and spends most of it chilling locally. Somehow I raised a townie lol

I decide what time I need to leave the house, and I pack last minute.

The end 😊

It depends a bit on the vacation - how long I’m going away for and why.

Beach week - pack essentials and go. DH does all our travel reservations. We tend to play it by ear what to do, see and eat. Book mani and pedi for a day or two before departure.

Sightseeing trip, 1-2 weeks - again, DH takes care of travel and accomodation. I research things to do and see and book in advance if it seems necessary. I have packing lists including medications and electronics (last year I forgot my Apple Watch charger when we went to Venice!) All plans go into TripIt. Sightseeing schedules might change, depending on weather and other circumstances, but at least it’s a list of plans.

Home to visit family - usually a longer trip, but less advance planning in what I’m going to do. Check all medications at least a week out, so I can get new scripts if needed. Contact my cleaner to let her know I’m away - she needs to bring the key if I’m not there. I have both summer and winter packing lists, which get updated regularly. Contact people I want to catch up either and let them know I’ll be in town. Organise an eSIM for while I’m there, though often I’ll do that on arrival.

Oh, one I forgot - since DH and I often travel by ourselves and leave our young adult kids in Houston, I created a Google “just in case” doc with instructions for what to do/who to call if we perish in a fiery crash somewhere. Morbid, but feels necessary. I check to make sure it’s up to date before we leave.

It depends. If we are traveling somewhere where I cant easily get to a store, I make a packing list on a huge easel pad, color-coded by person, with a column for things used by multiple people (sunscreen, for example).

If we are going somewhere with shopping nearby, I just pack from memory.

I arrange someone to water the outdoor plants if it is that season, we will heavily water the indoor plants and then fill the watering bulbs we have in them.

I let a neighbor know we will be gone and who they could expect to see at the house while we are gone.

I have lists for every type of vacation. I couldn't live without them. I know I would forget stuff.

I always go shopping because I never have anything to wear! 🤣

I always print off a day by day itinerary or a calendar that I can have in front of me. I’m old school!