Going on a Trip House Preparation Checklist Printable

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It’s the middle of summer and so many of us take vacations this time of year. To make getting ready for our trips and vacations easier, I’ve created this House Preparation checklist. It really makes getting ready for any trip less stressful (and isn’t less stress the purpose of a vacation?).

You can download your own copy of this Going on a Trip House Preparation Checklist.  I print this checklist out as soon as I know the dates of our trip or vacation.  I take a few minutes to sit down with a calendar and my checklist to plan out the dates for each task.  Some tasks can be done weeks ahead, like setting up pet care or stopping the mail, and other tasks should be accomplished the day of your departure.  Taking those few minutes to consider weekends, holidays and your own schedule, will help you select the best days to accomplish each task.

I am faithful about turning off the water to my clothes washer and dish washer.  My aunt and uncle went to the store for 2 hours and came home to a busted washer hose and thousands of dollars of clean up and floor repair.  I can only imagine the damage that would be done over days or weeks of a vacation.  Imagining the damage and headaches is enough to insure I turn off the water to those appliances every time we go on a trip.

To save on utilities and our budget, we turn the thermostat down on our hot water heater and adjust the temperature in our house.  Be sure to check what the recommended minimum or maximum temperature is for your region before you reset your thermostat.

In the 3 months after I graduated from college, I had my hotel room broken into and my car broken into.  Those 2 experiences convinced me to take steps to discourage a would-be thief (because of our many moves, we have not found it cost-effective to invest in a home security system, so these are steps that we take).  I have a timer for a lamp in our bedroom and a second timer for a lamp in our living room.  I set those timers to come on and turn off to mimic our normal schedule.  I also leave a large dog bowl of fresh water on the porch for short trips.  For longer trips, I’ll often leave a large dog toy on the porch.  A thief may not see or hear a dog in the house, but let them wonder and choose not to try my house.

I’ve found our house preparation checklist invaluable when we’re going on a trip.  Do you use a checklist to plan for your trips?

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