13 Things to Do in Your Home Before You Leave on a Trip

A few days before you go

Hold the mail

If you’re leaving for a long period of time, hold the mail. You can do that online by visiting the USPS website.

Make a plan for bills

Either pay your bills in advance or plan to pay them on the road by setting up online invoices and bill pay.

Hide a key outside

Take a minute to hide a spare key somewhere outside, or leave it with a neighbor.

Lock your windows

Go around and make sure all of your windows are locked.

Do laundry and start packing

A few days before your trip, get some laundry done and plan to put the clean clothes directly into your bags or suitcase. It’s a good idea to leave a few clean outfits behind too, so you’ll have something to wear when you return.

Food prep

Plan out your meals. If you have time, do some prep work before you go so you can spend less time cooking and more time enjoying yourself.

On the day you plan to leave

Change the thermostat

If you’re not going to be in your house for a few days, you can adjust the temperature a bit to save energy and money. How far should you set it away from the regular temperature? It really depends on where you live and what season it is.

In the summer, take it up five degrees higher than you usually keep it, but not above 80.

In the winter, keep it at least five degrees cooler, but don’t go lower than 60.

If you have a smart thermostat, you can adjust the temperature remotely before you return, too.

Close your window blinds

Whether you have curtains or blinds, before you go, close them up. It’s a good idea for two reasons: it helps regulate temperature and keeps prying eyes from peeking inside.

Put lights on a timer

As an added safety measure, you can put a few lights on a timer. Buy a timer on Amazon or any big-box store and set it up to program the lights to go on and off at a certain time.

Check the fridge

If you’re going away for a long weekend, the food in your fridge will be fine. But if you’ll be gone for more than a week, go through the fridge, check expiration dates, and toss anything that will go bad.

Leave your washer door open

To prevent mold and mildew from building up, leave your washer and dryer doors open a crack.

Take the garbage out

One of the last things you should do is take out the garbage. If garbage day is soon, you can pull it to the curb. If not, ask a neighbor to help you out.

Close and lock all doors

On your way out, close and lock all of yours. Don’t forget to lock your back door, too.

Don’t forget to check out these roadside safety tips and all of our Premium RV videos.