Leaving on a vacation always gets a lot of planning in advance. You have to find plain tickets, accommodation, things to see, read reviews, check the weather and so on. The things you should do with what you leave behind when you go are always on the second place and you find yourself, on a last minute, trying to settle and prepare everything for your leaving. Usually people call a friend or a relative to ask for small favours such as checking on the house once in a while, watering the plants, feeding the pets, but what if you live far away from the dear ones and you don’t quite trust anybody with your home and belongings? We have here a few tips to help you get everything in order before you go, so you can have a nice vacation without worrying about what could happen.
Unplug and turn everything off
Nothing can be more unsettling than worrying about water or gas leaks or a short-circuit. Let’s be honest, accidents can happen. It’s a total mood killer when you come back home and all you want to do is throw yourself on the bed, but you find a flooded kitchen or bathroom or even the entire house, no electrical power or some of your electronics broken and the worst is the smell of gas.
To avoid leaks and floods, especially if you live in a flat, turn your water supply off. This will also save you the trouble of having to deal with your angry neighbours because the water managed to damage their walls and ceilings.
Electrical short-circuits can happen, it’s not something out of the ordinary and not a very big deal. But it can damage the electrical system from your house, if you don’t have a good fuse panel that can turn off electricity on a circuit when something happens. It can also damage your electronics. Just make sure you unplug everything before you leave. And if you combine electricity with the water from the flooding because of the water leaks, you will get a real nightmare. However, you should not unplug your fridge, because you may find everything spoiled in there and the smell won’t be roses. Also, you should leave your main heat power in as well, because if it’s cold outside, you may want to come back to a warm house.
Gas leaks are the most dangerous, because everything can blow up just by switching on the lights and you could even get intoxicated if your nose is blocked and you can’t feel the smell. Just make sure you turned it off and the cooker doesn’t whistle.
Taking care of pets
You can always take your pet with you on vacation, but some hotels do not allow pets inside, so you will find yourself in the situation that you have to leave your furry friend behind. It’s a very complicated matter because this can be very stressful for the little companions. You can choose what to do in this case, because you have some solutions. For example, you can send your dog to a neighbour, hire a pet sitter or, the best solution many choose, send him to a kennel or a pet hotel. But you have to prepare him for this, because it’s not going to be easy for him being away from you surrounded by strangers that he does not trust. Besides, he won’t be able to understand exactly what happened and may develop separation anxiety.
Dog boarding facilities offer a lot of services and they are the best choice if your dog has some special needs, because they have everything that they need. They have specialized personnel, veterinarians, and it the best choice you can make if your dog is friendly and sociable. They can easily adapt to staying in a kennel especially if you bring them their favourite toy. Some of these facilities even have surveillance cameras, so you can watch your dog wherever you are. You can find a lot of suggestions regarding what kind of kennels will fit your dog’s needs. It’s not advised to leave them there for a very long time, because being away from you for so long and not having your affection will be very hard on them. But before taking your dog to boarding, you should take him to the vet first for check ups and vaccinations and, the most important, book it in advance.
You can also hire a pet sitter, so you won’t have to move the dog from home. That person could be anyone you know or even a professional in the area. Yes, like in the baby-sitting industry, there are professional pet sitters. You could tell them what’s your pet’s perks, what he likes or doesn’t like, what habits he has, you can hand them a schedule for his routine and so on. The best part of this is that your pet will sleep in his own bet and it can help with a possible separation anxiety.
Whatever you decide to do concerning the given situation of having to leave your beloved pet behind, make sure you get your pet acquainted to the future care takers and situations, go together and visit the kennel, or invite the pet sitter over for bonding and last, but not least, spend as much time as you can with your furry friend.
Think about your comfort after you arrive back home
Usually after a period of time of not being used, a house starts to smell, because of different situations. Make sure you clean it before you leave just to be reassured you won’t come back to an unbarring smell. Also, clean your fridge and only leave in food that can stay for longer than 2-3 days, such as canned food, jars and so on. Leave a precooked meal in the freezer so that you can just warm it up and enjoy your relaxation after a long exhausting trip. If the weather is cold or hot get a thermostat and set it to a decent temperature, so that when you arrive home you won’t be uncomfortable. Usually it’s enough to change it a few degrees lower for cold weather or higher for hot weather and this way you can save up some money on your electricity bill.
