Getting ready to leave

Cleaning

If you have time, clean the house. You will find it much nicer to come home to a clean house, and it makes things easier for anybody checking up on the place. Clean out the refrigerator. What you need to use up in advance, freeze, or discard depends upon the length of your trip. Raw meat should not be kept in the refrigerator for more than a few days. Most fresh produce and milk will last about a week. Eggs (uncooked in the shell) and hard cheeses can be kept for approximately a month. Many condiments, such as mustard and mayonnaise, will last for several months. If you're leaving for more than a month and your refrigerator is entirely empty, switch it off to conserve energy, clean it thoroughly with baking soda and dry it, and prop it open to prevent mold developing inside. On the other hand, if you're going to be gone for less than a month, it's usually recommended that you keep your refrigerator on. There may be things that you normally keep on the counter and should consider putting in the refrigerator or freezer to preserve them and keep them away from pests, such as onions, apples, butter, and coffee beans. Some products, such as garlic and honey, may be better preserved cool than cold, and some are sensitive to the humidity in the fridge. Empty the trash cans, especially the one for organic waste. Finding a kitchen full of flies and stinking to high heaven when you return will not be pleasant, to say the least. If you have to take the trash bins out to the curb for pick-up, and you're going to be gone longer than one pick-up cycle, then ask a neighbor or friend to put them out and bring them back in for you. Wash the dishes and put them away. If you leave them in the drying rack, they may be dusty by the time you return. If you leave the dishwasher full, it will be disgusting when you return. Wash the laundry. You may need many of these clothes for packing anyway. When you get home, you will want clean clothes rather than a pile of laundry – any damp laundry you leave at home is going to get stinky. This might also be a good time to send out bedding and household linens for dry cleaning. Many cleaners dispose of unclaimed items after a month or two, so

Household arrangements

Check your home insurance policy. You may need to tell the insurance company if you are away for a longer period (in some cases, more than one month), or they may impose conditions, such as leaving the heating on during cold weather, to prevent pipes from freezing and bursting, and to prevent moisture problems. You may need to arrange for someone to cut the grass and weed the garden. In winter, you may want to ask someone to clear any snow, or to walk across it so it looks like someone's home. Check the timer on your irrigation system, if any. You also have to care for the indoor plants if you will be away for more than a week. A thorough soaking will hold most houseplants for a week, and slow-drip bottles can extend that for up to another week or so. For longer periods, you may want to consider an automatic watering system that is designed for long-term irrigation of indoor plants. If you travel only occasionally, it's probably easier to ask a friend or neighbor to water the plants when they stop by to make sure that everything's okay. Don't forget potted plants on the patio; they will dry out faster than plants in the ground or those located inside. Some plants will be more likely to survive if moved to a less sunny place (such as from the window to the table). Contact your post office to have your mail stopped, or arrange for a trusted neighbor to collect and perhaps check it (which may be necessary anyway to get rid of junk mail). If you get some other deliveries (such as newspapers or subscription boxes) or have memberships (such as to a fitness studio), then take care of them also. Figure out how to pay your bills while you are gone. If you can, you may want to pay your basic utility and tax bills in advance. Other services, such as cable television, should be suspended on a vacation hold or cancelled completely. The companies or your bank may have standard arrangements for approving the bills in advance to get them paid on time. Many banks offer online bill payment services, which can be used to pay anyone. You may be able to get bills sent to you via e-mail, but if you'll be gone longer than a month, it's probably a good idea to have someone sort thro

Health and body care

While a farewell party or "one for the road" might be enjoyable, travel with a hangover is usually a terrible experience. If you travel between distant time zones, you can try to minimise jet lag by trying to sleep closer to what nighttime will be in your destination's time zone. However, if you intend to live in the new time zone for more than a few weeks, this is usually not necessary, as your body will ultimately adjust to the local time no matter what you do before the trip. It will be worth your while to attend to your personal grooming before you leave. Trimming your nails helps you keeping your hands and feet clean and comfortable during the first week of your journey. You might want to get a haircut before your trip, to avoid having to figure out how to get one at your destination. If you travel to a developing country, hairdressing, manicure, pedicure and spa services might however be cheap (if you have the time to spare).

Pets

If you have one or more pets, you will have to decide whether to take them with you or to leave them at home. Cats and dogs are often good travelers, although going across borders can require significant paperwork and quarantines, and you need to find lodging that accepts them (and you might not want to leave them alone until they are accustomed to the new environment). Any pets left behind for more than a night will at the very least require their water and food to be replenished, and their litterboxes to be cleaned. Most birds require attention in the morning and evening, as some of them will starve to death rather than eat when it's dark, and they can't sleep when it's light. Rabbits left behind generally need a pet sitter to visit once or twice a day for food, exercise, and a quick health check. The needs of fish and reptiles vary significantly. If the aquarium is big enough and the water starts off very clean, a goldfish can usually be left alone with no additional food for a full week, and for two weeks if it has a live plant to nibble on. Most fish need to be fed daily or near-daily and to have the water changed once a week. Ask a trustworthy friend or relative to take care of your pets, preferably in your house as pets tend to be emotionally attached to their common surroundings. You may be able to work out a deal with someone who has the same type of animals: you'll watch their dog during their trip, if they'll watch your dog during your trip. This is a typical arrangement if you have a small amount of livestock, including chickens, goats, and horses, since another backyard poultry enthusiast will already be knowledgeable about basic care for these less-common pets. Think, too, about the friend who has been talking about getting a pet, and suggest that watching yours during your trip might make a useful trial run for potential pet ownership. Don't forget to hand in your spare key! If no one is up for the task, you may have to find a pet sitter or arrange a stay at a pet hotel. Some pets are very attached to their "family", and some are very suspicious with strangers. You might ease the situation by making sure the people who will look after your pet

Local services

For a longer trip, consider stopping or suspending services:

Return books to the library, and stop any inter-library loan requests that you have placed. Most subscription services that deliver stuff to your home should be stopped. Do you have a wine club subscription? Automatic grocery deliveries or other subscriptions? What about mail-order prescription drugs? You might need to pack a larger than usual supply of your acid reflux meds, but you probab