Do these 7 things before Traveling

Excited about heading out on your next adventure?  Counting the days until you leave? Before you leave for that vacation you have been planning (and can’t believe it’s finally here) there are a couple things you should do before you leave home. If you are only leaving for a weekend these 7 items won’t all apply, but if you are going to be gone for a week or more you should consider doing all these things before you leave:

1. Put a hold on your mail delivery – this can be done online at www.usps.com/holdmail/. It is simple and it’s easy. You can pick the day you would like your mail delivery to resume and the post office will deliver all the held mail to you.  You can also opt to pick your held mail up at your city’s post office.

Quick tip if you are expecting any deliveries while traveling: If the delivery cannot be postponed until you return, ask a neighbor, family member, or friend to take the package off your porch.  You don’t want a package(s) sitting on your porch for an extended period of time indicating your absence.

2. Contact your Alarm Company – if your home has a security system, you will most likely be setting your alarm when you leave for your trip. Make sure your alarm company knows you are traveling and provide information for a local contact in case of an emergency. The last thing you want is to have a power failure while you are traveling and have the police or fire department show up at your home.

3. Call you credit card company – if you are traveling (especially outside of the U.S.) many credit card companies will put a hold on your card if you don’t let them know you are traveling (because they may consider your charges from an unusual place as fraudulent activity). American Express typically won’t do this but it is best to call to be safe.

Important tip for traveling overseas – If you are traveling outside of the United States, make sure you ask your credit card company if they charge foreign transaction fees.  Many travel cards do not, but many others do.  Best to ask so you won’t be surprised when you get your statement. Foreign transaction fees can range between 1.5 to even 3% for some cards.

4. Download your airline’s app to your smartphone – I am a frequent flyer on Delta Airlines and I love their smart phone app for a number of reasons.  First, I can access my boarding pass with the app so I don’t have to worry about a paper copy.  Second, you can pay for baggage, book/change a flight, pick/change your seat, and much more. The app will also notify you of any gate changes or delays. The feature I like best (which gives me peace of mind) is that the app notifies you when your bag has been loaded onto the plane and which baggage carrousel your luggage will be on once you reach your destination.  I have also used British Airways and Air France’s app; they both offer similar information. When traveling abroad this information is extremely helpful.

5. Let your neighbors/family know you are traveling – (assuming you are friends) ask a neighbor to keep an eye on your home while you are gone. It will offer peace of mind. If you are really close to them, you may want to give them a key in case of an emergency.