Airfare,hotel accommodations and rental cars may be the holy trinity of travel
preparation, but nailing down these aspects of your vacation is only the
beginning of the trip planning process. If you want to achieve a smooth,
headache-free trip (and who doesn't?), taking care of essential tasks like
researching activities at your destination, managing your finances and getting
your home in order is key. Don't leave home without accomplishing the following tasks!
Once you have
a travel date, your first move should be to contact your pet kennel or house
sitter (or any other trustworthy service) to guarantee availability. You may
even want to take care of this before booking
Once your
travel is booked, you should look into placing "stop" orders on any
regularly occurring deliveries or services. These may include postal mail,
newspapers, housecleaners and the like. If you want particular services to
continue (such as landscaping), consider paying in advance if this is not your
usual arrangement.
Many service
providers allow you to place stop orders online; this is particularly the case
for mail delivery and most newspapers. As most stop orders require one or two
business days' advance notice, make sure you take care of this at least three
days before you travel.
If you're
traveling domestically, be sure to hit your own bank before leaving for your
trip; that way you won't arrive short on cash and have to immediately search
for an ATM. Further, you will save on ATM fees at machines run by someone other
than your own bank. These fees cost Americans billions of dollars annually, and
can be exorbitant if you are forced to use airport or convenience store
machines. Go to your bank's Web site and map out any available ATM locations
near your destination so you are not forced to use other banks' machines.
If you're traveling overseas, the most economical
option is to visit an ATM as soon as you arrive in your destination and make a
withdrawal in the local currency. Check the Web site of the airport where
you'll be arriving to make sure it has an ATM you can use. Most international
airports have several, but if you're flying to a smaller airport in a
developing country, there's no guarantee that there will be one (or that it
will be working properly). In these cases, you may want to purchase some local
currency ahead of time. For more details, see ATM's Abroad.
Call your
bank or credit card company and let them know about your travel plans. Most
banks and credit card companies keep track of spending patterns and may
interpret an unexpected overseas purchase as credit card fraud. Your bank or
credit card company could lock your account if you use your card in another
country without notifying them.
The first
day of your trip is often lost to logistics and unfamiliar surroundings. First
you have to haul yourself and your stuff to a resting place. Then you have to
figure out exactly where you are, what attractions are nearby and how best to
use your limited time. Planning ahead will help you make the most of that first
confusing day.
You may want
to sketch out a walk near your digs, which can help you get oriented as well as
shake off travel fatigue and jet lag. Also, check out any nearby amenities --
like a rooftop lounge nearby, a balcony with a choice view or a heated pool for
maximum chill-out at the end of a harried travel day.
Similarly,
if you're going to be driving during your trip, it may be worth mapping out
that first route ahead of time. Figuring out how to get where you are going in
an unfamiliar location from a one-page map choked with advertising is risking
more than just your afternoon; you could end up driving around with the doors
locked and windows sealed in a neighborhood that is anything but tourist- or
outsider-friendly. Mapping out your first drive as though you were mapping out
an escape route will save you time and anxiety in those first stressful hours
of your trip.
While we're
talking about driving, there is one modern item that has become an essential
packing item: the cell phone earpiece. Local laws governing cell phone use
while driving vary considerably, sometimes from one municipality to the next.
Pack your cell phone earpiece in your carry-on bag and you will not find
yourself on the side of the road with a red siren whirling in your rearview
mirror.
You neverknow where you will find the "best of" in any given endeavor; for
example, two of the best guitar stores in the world can be found in Staten
Island, NY, and Carlsbad, CA. Who knew? The Seattle REI has a stunning indoor
climbing wall while Tempe, Arizona has a fantastic rowing club in the middle of
the desert. Do a little research and you might be pleasantly surprised by what
you find at your destination.
On a recent
trip to Seattle, a quick Web search on public transit produced two very
worthwhile pieces of information: 1) the public monorail system was not
working, and 2) the downtown bus system was free for the entire length of
downtown. Not surprisingly for Seattle, it rained all weekend, and those buses
proved very useful in making short trips of a few blocks, for which you would
not want to drive, but neither did you want to slog through in the rain. A bit
of research online before you leave will also allow you to check fares, print
transit maps and plan your itinerary.
Most cities
and even medium-sized towns have some kind of weekly entertainment rag, such as
Time Out New York in New York City, The Stranger in Seattle or even The Ticket
entertainment insert in Montgomery Township, PA.
These are
excellent sources for entertainment listings, reviews, city "best-of"
lists and more. It is best to check these from home, as you can then purchase
advance tickets where necessary, make restaurant reservations, etc.
The weather
is the single factor most likely to affect your trip positively or negatively,
and one of the things many people most take for granted. Of course it is going
to be warm in Key West during the spring -- but there are always exceptions to
prevailing weather patterns, especially during transitional seasons. A weather
forecast can guide your packing strategy, and failure to check the weather can
result in unprepared, unhappy and very soggy travelers.
