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One Week Ahead

  • Arrange to have mail held at the post office during your trip.
  • Stop newspaper delivery.
  • Make two to three sets of photocopies of your passport, credit cards, insurance, traveler check numbers, wills -- basically any paperwork people would need if your wallet were stolen or something happened to you. (I know, but you have to be prepared.) Give one set each to a parent and/or a relative or friend, pack one set in your luggage, and leave one set in your safe deposit box.
  • If your guidebook weighs a ton, make copies of relevant pages (who needs the hotel section now?) and have them bound at your local copy shop.
  • Ask stores where you've registered to hold orders so gifts don't pile up on your doorstep, or ask a relative to collect packages.
  • Set out clothes to pack; buy what you need.
  • Make sure you have extras of everything you can't live without: migraine tablets, allergy pills, asthma inhaler, glasses or contacts, etc. Carry all medications in their original prescription bottles to avoid questions at customs.
  • Touch base with your house or cat sitter to reconfirm when they'll be coming over, hand over the keys, give them a copy of the vet's number and your contact info, etc.

Three Days Ahead

  • Reconfirm overseas flights.
  • Order champagne to be awaiting you in your hotel room.
  • Buy books and magazines for the trip.
  • Transfer the addresses of friends to whom you'll want to send postcards plus important phone numbers (house/cat sitter, doctor) into a little travel-sized notebook or journal.
  • Make arrangements for your rides to and from the airport.
  • Leave a copy of your itinerary and a set of house keys with a relative or close friend in case of emergency.
  • Check weather forecasts for your destination.
  • Change your voicemail and e-mail messages at work.
  • Prepare your house or apartment for your departure -- eat or dispose of perishable food, water plants, set timers, etc.

    One Day Ahead

    • Reconfirm flights.
    • Make sure your luggage (carry-on and checked) is labeled both on the outside and inside with your name, hotel address, and phone number.

    -- Lori Seto

    RELATED LINK: 6 tips for hot honeymoon nights!

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