No matter where you will be vacationing, you should have first aid supplies with you at all times. Get travel-sized versions of antibacterial ointment, sterile bandages, sunscreen, motion sickness medication and gauze to carry with you in case of injury. Other emergency items include a prepaid phone card, a list of the emergency phone numbers in the area and your health insurance cards.
Things happen on vacation, but if you carry enough convenience items then you are prepared for issues. Bring items such as sanitary wipes, toothpaste, toothbrush, sanitizing hand cleaner, shaving utensils, travel alarm clock, a small notepad and a pen in case you need to write something down.
Remember to bring your airline tickets, your travel itinerary with your confirmation numbers for hotels and car rentals, travel guides for the area you will be visiting and a convenient carrying pack to put it all in. For international travel remember to bring your passports and any information that the hotel you will be staying at instructed you to bring.
Bring enough clothing appropriate to the climate you will be visiting. Add two extra changes of clothes just in case. Also bring essential items in case the weather changes on you, such as a heavy shirt, a light jacket, long pants and gloves. The weather can be hard to predict, so be as prepared for weather changes as possible.
Have your mail held by the post office until you return. Ask someone you trust to go by your home each day to see if any packages were left on your door and pick up your newspaper each day. Do not allow newspapers to pile up as they indicate to criminals that you are not home. Do not tell anyone except for close friends that you will be gone so as to not encourage a break-in.
Contact the American embassy in the country you will be visiting to ask what arrangements you will need to make to travel safely to a foreign country. Contact the hotel you will be staying in to ask if there is any information they need from you, or any information they need to provide you so that you can travel from the airport to the hotel without incident.
Be sure to either board your pets with a professional kennel, or have someone you trust stop in to care for your pets each day. Call your pet care provider at least every other day to check on your pets.
Put your lights on timers to give the impression that someone is home. Make sure you include your outside lights as well.
Give someone you trust the contact information for where you will be staying and a copy of your travel itinerary. This allows you to be contacted in case of an emergency. It also can help to raise suspicion if you have not returned home according to your itinerary. Your friends or family can contact the authorities if you have not come home on time.
