Welcome to Sensible Harmony’s Vacation Week!  This is a bit different from many vacation weeks because I’m not actually taking a vacation from writing on Sensible Harmony.  Instead, this week is a kick-off celebration of the 2008 vacation season.  For the next five days, I’ll be posting ten vacation tips and two helpful vacation products each day.  I’ll also post a list of helpful vacation websites on the last day.  My hope is that we can all have smarter, more fun, and more relaxing vacations this year than ever before!

Things to Do Before Leaving on a Vacation:

1. Let your bank or credit card provider know you’ll be spending money abroad.  Many debit and credit card issuers have automatic fraud protection that kicks in when money is spent in an unusual way compared to your normal spending patterns.  Your card could be temporarily disabled after you make a few out-of-state or out-of-country purchases.  Save the hassle and call ahead.  Give your card provider a date range and area where vacation spending will occur.
2. Contact your local post office and have them temporarily suspend your mail delivery.  This is an important security measure to take because thieves might notice your mail piling up while you’re gone.  Besides that, you won’t have to bother a friend or neighbor with picking up your mail, and they might forget for a few days during your absence anyway.  Do check with your postal service a few weeks ahead because scheduling may take a few days to get started.
3. Pay ahead all bills that will be due during your vacation or within a week after.  Don’t let late payment charges pile up on forgotten bills while you’re gone.  Make sure everything is paid ahead of time, and even consider paying ahead any bills that will come due within a week or so after you get back.  That way, you’ll be less stressed when coming back home.
4. Thoroughly clean your home before leaving.  This tip sounds like a lot of extra work added on top of getting ready for a vacation, but it makes coming back home a joy.  Don’t leave dishes in the sink or trash in the trash cans.  Also consider vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, etc. a day or two before you leave.  Wash the bed sheets and pillow cases so they’ll be nice and fresh.  When you come back home, it won’t feel so much like the vacation is over!
5. Set up “to do before we leave,” “to do soon after we get back,” and “to bring” vacation lists.  A few weeks before your vacation, start making lists of everything that mustn’t be forgotten around vacation time.  On the day you’re leaving, check the “to bring” and “to do before we leave” lists to make sure you aren’t forgetting anything.  The “to do soon after we get back” list is nice to have so you don’t forget anything in that first week after coming back home.  It’s all about reducing stress.
6. Record a quick insurance video of the contents of your home, and store the video off-site.  A few days before leaving, get out the camcorder or digital camera and record an overview of every key thing that you own.  This can be very detailed or simply a quick overview.  Simply having this video at all will aid you in dealing with insurance companies should anything terrible happen while you’re gone.  Make sure to store at least one copy of the video somewhere other than your home.  A safety deposit box would be great, but a friend’s house would do in a pinch.
7. Let a trusted neighbor or friend know you’ll be gone for a while, but don’t let the whole neighborhood or world know (and don’t post it on the Internet!).  When at least someone knows where you are and when you’re coming back, they can contact you if an emergency arises.  Also, if you don’t come back on the specified date, they might get worried and check on you.  You never know when this could save your life.
8. Use free Internet or auto-club resources to investigate everywhere you’re going.  Check out hotels, car rentals, and airlines online.  Get free maps and travel advice from travel websites and auto-clubs.  Check out your local library for vacation books and magazines.  All of these resources are relatively cheap or free.
9. Take only the cards and personal information you must have.  It is a bad idea to bring anything extra that won’t be used on the trip, such as social security cards, extra credit or debit cards, membership cards, or other personal information.  If your wallet or purse is stolen, you’d be losing more cards and personal information than necessary.  Do a quick run-through of your wallet before leaving and make sure you only keep exactly what you’ll use.  However, if you will have to have a passport or other special card not normally needed in daily life, do make sure to bring them along!
10. Give your vehicle a tune-up.  If you’ll be driving a lot on your vacation, make sure your vehicle is up to the task.  Check the tires, brakes, oil, windshield wiper fluid, wiper blades, headlights, and all of the other dozens of things that might be worn, low, or out of adjustment.  A professional tune-up might be a good idea not only to save car trouble but also to potentially save gas.  A tuned-up vehicle usually consumes a bit less gas than before.

That’s all for today’s vacation tips!  Be sure to check out today’s helpful vacation products as well as tomorrow’s Vacation Week continuation.