There always seem to be many items to deal with before leaving for an extended period. As I related a few posts back we scheduled the flight, rental car, accommodation and reserved the Toronto airport parking a few months in advance, but there are other issues to think about.
We generally divide responsibilities instead of sharing each one. The exception is money. We both decide where the money for the trip is going to come from. Once that is decided we handle our own finances. It works for us!
Itinerary: I always prepare a 'new' itinerary. Flight numbers, times, car rental company info, accommodation numbers, etc. I also put the details about the house. One of these goes to my neighbour who checks the house and copies also go to the kids and siblings with all relevant phone numbers, addresses, etc.
Clothing: This is definitely not me. Mary handles this with just a little input from me. She packs the suitcases and divides our clothing between the two bags just in case one gets lost. She packs the carry-on bag with our meds and some emergency items. Included is underwear, travel documents, etc. but we always keep our passports zipped up on our body. I always wear a jacket with an internal zipped pocket for my passport, etc. and when I'm on the street I put my wallet there as well.
Outside: I take the batteries out of the tractors and put them inside the barn where it generally stays around 40F. I give them an overnight charge for good measure and leave them on the counter.
House: I look after the house utilities. Living in the country makes preparation more involved than simply closing a condo door. I am a bit paranoid about the house (because its winter) so I shut down everything except the furnace and leave nothing plugged in to the wall sockets including radio phones, TV's or any other item that has a transformer plugged into the wall. Then I unplug the UPS power supply that powers my computer and WiFi. The next item on the list is the well pump and pressure tank. I close the outlet valve on the pressure tank and then shut the electricity off to the pump. Then I open all the taps in the house and drain the plumbing system to the basement. Next, I flush the toilets and flush some recreational antifreeze through them. I suppose that's a habit from owning a trailer. Last, I turn the thermostat down to 60F.
It may seem involved but it only takes about 30 minutes and no real effort. I was told by my insurance agent that the single biggest insurance claim with absentee homes is flooding.
1 comment:
Peter,
Great information for anyone wanting to leave their home for a period of time.
I too, am paranoid about flooding if one was away from their home for awhile.
So even in the city I turn off the water supply in and drain the pipes down to the basement if we were to be gone for several days.
I think the paranoia comes from my time in Grand Bend when my family owned a cottage.
Bud Gowan, (you will recall the clothing fellow name for years in the City) had a cottage at one point next to ours. One time I recall he was away for quite awhile, and as I recall they were living in the home year round. They came home to find a pipe had burst in the dining room ceiling and when they arrived found water running out their back door entry from the parking lot. What a terrible realization that would have been when pulling up to your home. They were under renovations for what seemed like a year or more as I recall back then.
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