The complete pre-travel home checklist

Two weeks before you leave

Notify your bank. Many banks still flag international transactions as potentially fraudulent and block cards without notice. A quick online notification or phone call takes five minutes and prevents the scenario of a declined card at a foreign restaurant. Some banks handle this automatically for recognised travel patterns — check your bank's policy.

Check all passports for expiry. Many countries require 6 months of validity remaining on a passport beyond your return date — not your departure date. Children's passports expire after 5 years. This is not something to discover the week before travel.

Organise pet care. Whether that's a boarding facility, a pet sitter, or a neighbour with a key — confirm this in writing and leave detailed instructions. Vet contact, feeding schedule, medication if relevant, and what to do in an emergency.

Cancel or pause recurring deliveries. Milk, newspapers, grocery boxes, meal kits — any recurring delivery that will arrive and sit outside while you're gone is a signal to opportunists and a waste of money. Most can be paused online in a few minutes.

The week before

Set up your out-of-office reply. Include your return date and an alternative contact for urgent matters. Vague out-of-office messages that don't give a return date generate more follow-up emails than specific ones.

Arrange for someone to check your post. Accumulated post over two weeks is visible from the street and is a common indicator that a property is empty. A neighbour with a key to collect and hold your post costs nothing and provides significant security benefit.

Organise plant watering. Either self-watering devices (effective for 1–2 weeks), a neighbour, or moving plants to a shaded area where they'll last longer without water. Dried-out plants are a minor loss; a flooded flat from a self-watering device that failed is not.

Pay any outstanding bills. Anything due while you're away — rent, utilities, subscriptions — should either be on direct debit or paid before departure. Late payment fees and service interruptions while travelling are avoidable.

The day before

Charge all devices and power banks. Obvious, but easily forgotten in the packing rush. A dead power bank discovered at the airport is a €30 problem (buying a new one) or a problem (no backup power for the journey).

Complete online check-in. Most airlines open online check-in 24–48 hours before departure. Doing it immediately means better seat selection and one less queue at the airport.

Prepare food situation. Empty the fridge of anything that will spoil in your absence. Don't buy groceries the day before a trip. Consider leaving a bag of non-perishables for your return — coming home from a long trip to an empty fridge is demoralising.

Hide or secure valuables. Jewellery, spare cash, important documents — put them somewhere less obvious than the bedside table. A small home safe is worth the investment if you travel regularly.

The morning you leave