What are your pre-trip "rituals"? About This Page:

[thenewsmiths]

Regardless of our destination, there are certain things that I want to get done before leaving home. Feel free to add yours - I'm sure I've forgotten something important.

At home:
- clean the house and change the sheets so we come back having less to do
- get a pedicure or at least paint my toenails
- haircut within 2 weeks of leaving. My hair is spoiled by soft water here and the less of it there is to act weird because of hard water in a hotel, the better.
- get my eyebrows waxed
- Repack my carry-on bag about 45 times

On the plane and in the hotel:
- wipe down everything with a Clorox wipe. Toddlers find a way to touch everything.

[Thomhazel]

We pack the cars the night before we leave and I check everything before we do it. As we drive away we get to the end of the high street before I do an emergency stop and check tickets, passports, etc then we can go.

[Coreada]

I'm with you on the packing and repacking. My biggest ritual, I guess, is snuggling all my furkids and assuring them we'll be back soon. The cats are happy enough to see us come back, but the rats go out of their little rattie minds with delight to see their humans again. I also make sure I've left adequate instructions for the petsitter and contact info so she can call us anytime if there's a problem. I post it on our front door, so it's a good last minute double check thing.

[chezp]

We always get as much washing done as we can before we go, so we don't have much to do before we get back and we always try and get a haircut (and colour for me ) a week or so before we go.

[Nova]

Besides cleaning the house I like to plug in some lights to automatically go on at dark and off in the morning, so lights are on in the house. Also like to put freashners in the toilet bowls, and be sure there is no trash in any cans. Make sure someone takes the garbage down so we dont come home to it scattered from the racoons, or bear. I also do the pack, repack, take out put in I am going to try to not pack for the next trip till a month before the trip.

[MichaelF]

We have timers on some of our light switches and I always make sure they are set to come on at the right time. I always do this before we walk out the door.

[mike56]

All trash out, dishes cleaned, beds made. petsitter instructions out , doors locked, enough food bought for animals, haircuts done, passports-cash-tickets-adr's in carry ons-house key taken, all toiletries-clothes packed two weeks in advance

[Tigger71]

Rundown the freezer stock (in case of power outs while we are gone), spotless house, fresh sheets and towels out for our return, we also have the lights and a radio on timers, check all the windows are keylocked (about 50 times I check this)! Put new chlorine drum on pool mixer, mow lawn and wash windows (I really want it to look like we are home). I cut the kid's hair, DH goes to the barber, I pack our oldest tennis shoes so we can buy new ones, relabel the suitcases, triple check the passports are in date and re-confirm the travel details, exchange some Aussie cash for foreign currency and overpay the credit card just to make sure! I try to make sure in the previous month that I am only buying essential items if I go shopping and I schedule any bills to be paid automatically before I go.
When we go away in January each year I make sure the kid's new school item are all ready for the new school year starting a few days after our return. I have now just realised my youngest child has a uniform change and the shop does not open until 30 Jan!!! Oops! I did try to be organised but FAILED.

[yalibrarian]

You mean besides obsessively checking to make sure you put the package info in the car--and then getting five miles down the road and discovering no big brown envelope??? Oh, yeah, we did that this year, when my husband "helped" me pack the car. It was fun tossing the whole packed car into the parking lot of a gas station (yes, it was in there, just not where I had put it originally). At least we didn't make it to Florida without our reservation info. I know our crack TA could have gotten it fixed for us, but still. Who needs the hassle?

So I'm going back to putting everything directly into my PassPorter and then into the glove box as they are received. And checking it twice. Three times, maybe...

[pago]

I usually am the last one up on the night before a trip. I clean the house and finish laundry. Then I walk around the house unplugging those things not needed, check the doors and make sure the fish feeder is working.

If it is summer, I fill two liter bottles with water and then stick them in the soil of all my flower pots so that they self water while I am away.

[thenewsmiths]

Another one I thought of is to clear all unnecessary apps from my phone and clear out the photos.

ETA: I just realized that Photo Stream will only hold 1000 pictures. I suppose I should clean that out too.

[Tink1769]

We clean pics off our phones and cameras, charge all electronics and pack chargers, move all necessities to travel purse and wallet, notify house sitter, put trash at the curb, flush all toilets, in winter we lower the heat and in summer we shut off the AC, adjust water sprinklers, lock all windows and doors, stop mail delivery, order photo pass, order groceries to be delivered to resort, buy Disney gift cards, wrap Tinker Bell gifts, pre-buy snacks and wine and pack them, get a new game or ap for the children's electronics, buy new books for everyone to read on the trip, set out DVR, and figure out how to surprise the children for the seventh time

[Tink1769]

Oh - and buy pins and Leggo Minifigs in advance to trade in the parks.

[sk8mom6]

Do the laundry, pack like a fiend, load the car the night before. Then we usually have to get up at 3 am to drive to the airport listening to Disney road mix after stopping for cappuccinos at Sheetz. Have breakfasts at the airport.

[pinkerbell]

We always call the credit card company to put a travel notification on our account so we don't have any problems using the card on our trip.