I will be forever grateful to my ex-neighbors in Michigan who would keep an eye on our house, our lawn, our mail for the long summers we would spend in Italy. When we returned home, there would always be fresh coffee cake in the kitchen and orange juice in the fridge. There must be a special place in heaven for them now.
Apologies for Those Fellow Travelers Who Had to Listen to the Messed Up Audio Version of this Earlier Today. I am very sorry. It sounds good now! Thank you everyone for your support in making May our biggest month ever! Cheers!
Wolters World Great video Mark. You have inspired me alot.. Im going to france in the fall, Your videos help alot.. you know ive been watching for a Long time 😊
Before I leave I put a few ice cubes in a dish and put the dish in the freezer, so I can tell if the power went out long enough for things to have thawed out. I also make sure I have at least one meal in the pantry, usually a box of pasta and a jar of sauce, so that going to the grocery store doesn't have to be my top priority when I get home. If you have a grocery store that will deliver you could also schedule a delivery for the day after you get home.
10: If your flight has online checkin 24 hours before, then check in online and select good seats as soon as you can. Print out those boarding passes too.
Yes @albedo0piint39 it will save you time. You can get to the airport a little later. Also checking in the airline mobile app is good to especially with airlines that charge you to print you boarding passes like Ryanair and Spirit.
#10: Turn the valves for the water to your toilets off. When I was 10, our family went on a short trip. When we came back, my parents opened the door to find the house full of a inch or two of water. The toilet tank cracked while we were gone and the house filled up with water. I thought it was cool (we finally had a "swimming pool") but my mother was a wreck.
In addition to the garbage, I will add cleaning out the fridge, too. Throw out the veggie and the meat that you don't end up eating, or put them in the freezer if it's okay to do so. After a week or two, they could have gone bad. All other tips are good. I have already done some of them. Keep up the good work, Mark!
We travel to Europe for a month at a time, so we started cleaning it out and unplugging before we go. And, we eat out the night before for less dishes/leftovers. :)
I love coming home to a clean house! We do it the super easy way and have a trusted pet sitter stay at the house so our dog doesn't have to kennel. She always cleans the house for us before we get back!
Thanks Bianca! We like to film outside in the country where we are instead of the "sitting in front of the webcam" or "sitting on my bed" travel videos
I’m absolutely in agreement with this. If I don’t get everything ready the night before, I can’t sleep! And you know how yuckky it is to travel when you’re tired! I like to make a list a week or so before I leave and carry it with me so I can add things I think of. Then when I pack, I just follow the list, and I know I have everything.
I have a checklist that I use (and improve) with every trip. Gives me peace of mind that I haven't forgotten anything. There are all sorts of small things you do before a trip but don't realise: it's good to have that on a list to not forget. Also: I try to be fully prepared for the trip at least a day early so I certainly agree with nr. 9. It makes travel so much more relaxed.
I always clean the house before I go on a trip or vacation. It's really really awesome coming back from a vacation after you had a great time and your house is clean it's just awesome
I always make a couple of copies of my passport and give them to my fellow traveller(s). Much easier to apply for a new passport at an embassy with a copy of the stolen or lost one, than without a copy.
ive never travelled by plain but my other most preffered way is travelling with motorcycles (i just love motorcycles) ............and i also enjoy trains , but i find everything else boring (except for planes , cause i havent tried those yet)
Really good tips. We turn the water off completely, clean the toilets, add some bleach and leave the lid up. You come home to a very clean toilet. Also turn the heat/AC way down or up not to run on an empty house. Thanks for the video.
Good tips. To prevent frozen pipes: every Fall I have my furnce checked. The morning I leave, I shut ofv the water then open taps upstairs and in the bsdement to drain the water out of the pipes. I also shut the taps at the clothes washer and dish washer. I have a small space heater in the bssement. It's controlled by a thermostat, so it only switches on if required. It can act as back up if the furnace fails.
Very good points Mark. One finesse tip I would add to number nine. Actually read your tickets, your hotel reservations online, etc. Sometimes there is something you have overlooked in the information and you have actually made a mistake on your itinerary or you get the wrong time or date stuck in your head. Along with that goes making sure that your passport, bank cards etc are up to date or not too close to expiring. These things should be done far ahead of course. Maybe that's one thing you can do. The early trip planning. From getting the idea, planning the trip, researching the prices, buying the tickets, making sure your clothing is up to date (shoes!) etc. I'd love to hear your take on the earlier stages of travel planning.
We have been SO lucky to always have amazing neighbours who would take in our mail (in Canada, you have to pay to have your mail held), water plants and garden, care for our cats etc. when we are away. And we return the favour so it works out well. They will park a car in our driveway too for additional activity. Be a good neighbour and be good to your neighbours.
Another awesome video Mark! Love the garbage/clean/laundry ideas! I always do this because it's so much easier to come back to a clean place and no garbage.
It came just in time, i am flying to Poland next week.although the house will not be empty while I'm gone still some tips are very helpful.thank you for your videos!
I always make a photo of our packed suitcases (luggage that gets checked) the night before we leave or at the airport at the latest just in case our luggage gets lost / delayed etc and we need to describe our luggage as lost. We also make sure that our names e-mail and mobile number (we do not put our Adress on that tag) are on our luggage. With that in mind we do not have completly black suitcases either. Greetings from Northern Germany and thank you & your family for your videos!
Definetly - on the other hand, when the luggage is more indivuall regarding colours etc. it might be easier to find amongst other lost/delayed luggage. At least that's what we hope. Viele Grüße & ein schönes Wochenende!
Great tips! Also I put a top sheet on TOP of the bed spread as a dust cover. Then just take that off to reveal my dust free bed! And I also turn my bathroom rugs over (upside down) to keep them from getting dusty.
Turn your water off.a friend of mine left for two weeks,when they returned the hot water pipe burst,the house was flooded and covered in mould.i know it’s a freak thing to happen but totally worth it to save having to relocate your family
To do a long time before you travel: Create packing lists! This has helped me to do my packing. I have several different lists depending on whether I will go skiing or hiking etc. Still, when I do my packing, I don't have to think "will I need this?" or "What have I forgotten?" etc, I just tick off the items from the list and I know I have everything I need! (Well, after a little update when I got home from the first or second trip using the lists at least. Now I have everything covered)
As usual, you have a bunch of great tips! As a former investigator for the USPS I would tweak it a bit. Holding you mail should be good if you are in a gated or otherwise safe neighborhood. Otherwise, you are alerting people you won't be home, this can be the same with paper delivery. I did (this would be really rare) have a case where a part time delivery person also delivered newspapers in the same area and stole financial docs knowing the resident wasn't there. Far better if you trust a neighbor to have them pick it up daily for you. Also, the USPS now has a program called informed delivery, you get a photo image of your expected mail each day. Lots of upside for you. First, only one email address allowed for each house so some ID theft criminal can't beat you to it. Second, if you really travel alot, you may see a bill you forgot to deal with and can pay electronically. Finally, you can deal with the rare instance something doesn't actually arrive.
Hope you are having lots of fun in France. My airport now has non-stop flights to CDG for the first time ever. That 6 hour flight is pretty tempting, especially with some of the promotional prices for the new service.
Which airport and which airline? I'm not sure it will be this year, but I am thinking about a trip to your side of the Atlantic. And CDG is just an hour and a half or so away by train.
Westjet to YHZ (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) Halifax is a great little city and the perfect jumping off point for visiting the Maritime provinces of Canada. You can go to Cape Breton and drive the Cabot Trail. Everyone loves PEI that goes there. The coastal scenery is fantastic throughout the region and there are lots of amazing hiking trails if you are in to that sort of thing. Though don't expect to be able to drive to other parts of North America easily from Halifax. The distances are truly staggering, especially for Europeans. For example, driving from Halifax to Toronto is similar to driving from Paris to Belgrade (though likely with easier traffic most of the way) Here are some distances to major cities from Halifax rounded to the nearest 50 km: Quebec City 1000 km Boston 1050 km Montreal 1250 km New York 1400 km Ottawa 1450 km Washington DC 1750 km Toronto 1800 km And to the West Coast: Los Angeles 5850 km Vancouver 5850 km
I have family living in SW Ontario, they are 'really close to Niagara Falls, just some 210 km away. Yes, that blew my mind away. Where I live, if I go 210 km in either direction, I'm no longer in my country... Still, a reaonably short flight (which I like, I'm not too keen on flying), a train going east (I'm a train buff, so the Océan looks interesting)... it sounds interesting. Better get a driving licence, though, at the sound of it.
Trains in Canada are expensive and terrible. The Ocean takes 22+ hours to get to Montreal, which is a 1.5 hour flight or 12 hour drive. Unless you go to a major city in Canada and plan to only visit that one city, a driver's licence in a must. If you want to get to Ontario, you are better off just flying in to Toronto. The fights are 7-8 hours instead of 5-6, but that makes less difference than you would think. Or you can get some amazing deals flying Wow Air through Iceland. Would you believe that my wife and I regularly drive 100 km to go out to dinner at a nice restaurant?
My parents live nearby. They watch my house when I'm gone. They open/close the curtains. Put the mail on the dinner table. And if my mom thinks I didn't do a good job cleaning, she does it for me.
Very helpful video and also some great ideas in the comments. My tip (more of a morning of departure thing) is go round and check you turned all the lights off. If you woke up in the dark, but leave after it’s broad day light it’s easy to miss one.
We have MS Word document that we print off before each trip... a sort of checklist... with all the things we need to take care of before we travel... Newspaper stopped... tick. Mail hold... tick. Neighbour has keys... tick. Passports...tick. ...etc...
Make a checklist well before departure and add to it things when you think of them. Check each one off when it is done. (One thing I always write it is 'Handkerchief' to remind me to carry a handkerchief with me. Otherwise, I recall my handkerchief at the boarding gate.) Good for peace of mind. A short pencil is better than a long memory.
I agree! I have a checklist even for the items I need to pack and the amount of such items and then a check list for things I need to do before leaving.
Great advice!! My dad doesn't like traveling so he usually stays home when we travel. One time we were in Florida (the very first time we went to Disney) we came back and our house (and many areas of the entire city too) were flooded because a hurricane happened. Dad moved the cars to higher ground and made sure we had somewhere to stay until we were able to repair
I felt bad when I work up this morning and all the comments about the audio. I deleted it and re rendered and tried to get it back up as soon as possible. Thank you for your support :)
Love your channel as well as your traveling tips, but if you don't mind , I would like to interject few more tips that might be useful to you and your followers; 1-Take 2 color copies of the first page of your passport, keep one with your itinerary docs and leave the other one inside the luggage that you are checking in for ease of security purposes, 2- Take a photo of your drivers license and passport right next to each other to have in your phone. 3- Attach the passport and drivers license photo and email it to yourself , just in case you lose your passport and you need to go to US embassy and get it replaced, digital photos will speed up the process by few days. 4- Take a photo of the front and back of your credit and debit cards and email it to yourself so you'll have access to your card number as well as the 800 number just in case you lose them and you need to call your card company, I hope this is helpful and thank you for your hard work, from Tehran, Iran, Peace
May I suggest purchasing some frozen dinners to have in the freezer for first night home.. Because no one wants to cook after flying and dragging luggage all day,. Alternately, freeze some of your own cooking in he week ahead of your trip.
Thanks for the tips! Last trips we did I made sure we had our neighbor check in since we couldn’t get anyone to stay at our place. Definitely love cleaning beforehand so when you get home you only have to deal with unpacking.
I always gave my wife grief for all the cleaning of the house she does before the trip. She has the same thoughts as you and now you just got her to say "see I told you". Haha, thanks Mark. Anyway, great advice as always whenever we're planning a trip we check out to see if you have some videos of the location we're heading. Although we do still check out other places you've posted videos for as well since they're great for coming up with travel ideas as well. Perhaps, someday there'll be a 5 love/hates Milwaukee?
More like tackling all of these week prior, not night before ...I make a checklist of both these types of things as well as packing list. I would add shut off water or lower hot water tank temp.
Turn off your water heater, main water valve , water pump and any unnecessary heating units. It will save either a massive chance of flood or fire and will save you money. And yes clean it is easier in the long run and it is a great feeling to come home to a clean organized house.
Seems like 4 is something you must do at least before your last night. If you're getting the manicure or pedicure, seems you should also schedule that a few days earlier xD. Great advices all of them!
One of the things I started doing was making an itenerary for trips, especially the ones where I am moving about a lot. I have been doing this for a number of years and it really makes the trip itself less stressful. That is, print out google maps of places you want to go and how to get there from the hotel, airport etc. Train schedules, bus schedules are also good to have as well. While traveling a few years back, someone commented about how amazingly organized we were with our stuff. Everything, tickets, reservations and such were in one notebook and all those maps and schedules were in another. It really made the trip go smoothly and since then, regardless of how long or short the trip actually is, I have put together an itenerary with times and dates included.
Generally, I hang up my holiday on a few key things I want to do, but book my hotels and trips on the fly. I can be stressing from time to time (too many options!), but I can be much more flexible, that way. I travel mostly by train, and I do bring my railway map and ERT (European Rail Timetable) with me, though. Even if it's just to have an idea, it's great to have something on paper, I confirm with a quick search on my phone. I book my hotels also on my smartphone, booking dot com is an easy website to navigate for that, although I use others, too. And often, I use it to see if and where there are hotels, and contact them by phone. They can keep a bigger part of it that way. Just once, I had a rookie receptionist who didn't dare to match the reduction Booking offered by himself, often, they do even better. Or you get a better room.
Thank you Mark for the tips! I'm leaving for England on Thursday night and hadn't thought about changing my sheets to come home to a nice fresh bed! All the rest are great tips too!! Great video, as usual! Cheers!!
Really helpful stuff mark. I especially agree about the trash. Spent 2 weeks in Scotland and had to move out of my house when I got home because of the stench
Great tip about the mani-pedi, wouldn't have thought have that (well I've sometimes thought of it but seemed like too much $/pampering but now I can justify it 😉). So you guys are back in France? Comme cela se passe-t-til? C'est amusant comme toujours?
With the mani pedi, for ladies I'd add in tweeze eyebrows. My mum always forgets to take her tweezers out of her bag so she's had them tossed on a number of occasions at customs. Emptying the dishwasher and clothes dryer are two other things I do and have everything photocopied an scanned onto dropbox
great videos and great advice...watched a whole bunch of them....off to Germany tomorrow and then heading towards Normandy Juno Beach....je suis canadien.
Love love love your vids, Marc!!! One suggestion: I would love to see traveling tips for within your state. I'm in California and we are taking a 5 hour drive to Tahoe tomorrow. Would love tips for closer to home! :)
I've been watching these videos of you and Europe tips, I'm going to Portugal, Barcelona and Italy and been binge watching your videos, I like that they are funny and always make me smile, they are so interesting and have really good tips, keep up with the videos, already subscribed.
There's one thing that you forgot to mention and you should actually do well ahead ... check out the layout of the airport or airports you're traveling to or through! Get familiar with the airport's layout, so you know where you're going to when you get there. You don't want your journey to start off with a nightmare by missing your connecting flight because you didn't know where to go. Now, most airports are fairly easy to navigate, but knowing how to get from point A to point B will definitely make for a better experience.
In addition to turning the water off to your toilets, if your water heater is in your house (not in the garage) turn the water off to that. My cousin's water heater decides to break while she was out of turn, flooding the bottom floor of her house. An expensive mess.
Ps tips when you have a cheap flight in Europa and during dinnertime. Everything on the plane is expensive but you arrive to late to have dinner at you destination.
Dude you guys are amazing. thinking of EVERYTHING! You are making many peoples' trips more awesome! I hope to run into you someday abroad to thank you!
I put my house on a local sheriffs watch list for the time Im gone. The first time I went to France (for a month) I didnt do that and the neighbors called the sheriff for a Quality of Life check and a Sniff test as i call it. LOL Also, do not carry your passport, ID etc in your carry on. Use a neck pouch and lanyard under your shirt, that way its always on your person. AAA has a good one. I carry two, the second has extra cash which i leave at the BnB.
Been to Loire Valley, but visited DiVinci's other home not in the country setting. At the P.O., when you request "hold mail" you can choose the option to pick it up at the post office after you're back in town. Just remember to tell the postal clerk to "mark records to resume delivery" otherwise you'll be wondering why mail isn't coming each day you're back from your trip, which happened to me. (I picked up mail after my trip assuming delivery would start again, and it didn't until I made another trip to P.O. to specifically request it.)🤔
when I'm around Europe with my american phone I find its easy and cheaper to buy a local "pay as you go" sim card. (in Poland and Czech Republic highly recommend PLAY, stores are everywhere and in every shopping mall). Buy a card with a realistic amount of Gigs more if you're going to use your phone as a GPS and stream english TV/films, Skype, WhatsApp etc ("free" hotel wifi is almost always terrible) I do all those things and use 2-4 Gigs a day max (depending if I Skype my grand-daughter... Skype is about 1 gig per hour ... she's a talker , streaming is about the same). The data is good for 30 days. BUY DATA don't worry so much about calls and txt ... you don't know anyone to call or many (but call your mom regardless of the cost ... you know she's worried). I have TMobile in USA with unlimited data you can bring your data with you but at a reduced speed (2G). You need do nothing but turn on your "roaming" and off when you get home ... same card, same data plan, same number (may wish to block calls, except mom, since its your same number, all the calls you normally get will come thru ... at a cost) in most Europe it's just T (same font and colour; its actually a European company) I don't about other providers. Buying local has gotten me 4G speeds. Use a phone shop NOT an electronics store like MediaMarkt (costs more, don't get the providers deals, and service is awful). ... anyway I'm droning on ... Thanks Mark for another great video, everywhere our paths have crossed your advice and tips have been spot on, mate. Be well.
6:49 It can be an issue within the same country. I traveled within my state and my card froze, it was a 5 hour drive; glad my phone worked and unfroze it within a few minutes but it's a hassle.
Credit cards-- take 2 - from *different* banks! (And carry them in different locations.) apart from loss/theft, One bank’s server may go down at a critical time, or one bank may get spooked at a charge (lots of reasons) and suspend your credit account till they can talk to you. Plan B is very calming! DSH.
2 notes: 1, enroll online with the US State Dept’s STEP program. Heaven forbid if something political/violent/ even a weather tragedy happens....you’ll be registered at the local US embassy and they’ll know where you are, have your emergency contact info, etc. You give them all the detailed info you have prior to your trip. And they’ll send you emergency and useful safety alerts via email if/when need be. Peace of mind. 2, I don’t recommend a pedicure right before doing lots of walking. Avid runners know what I’m talking about: don’t remove callouses right before a marathon, bc they will protect and cushion your feet.
I know. It really was great in that video. I think the camera loved Loire valley because those videos there were so crisp and I can't always get it like that which sucks :(
Yeah, I think you got lucky with that soft overcast lighting. You could use a diffuser like news journalists have: they have diffusing screens to hang above you and create softer light even on sunny days. It would be a lot of effort to travel with though!
#10 - most of this you should have taken care of in the 2 weeks leading up to your departure. That way the night before you should be packed and be good to go in the morning.
We had our mail held, but when there was a sub letter carrier, he delivered EVERYTHING. Our neighbor caught it (thankfully) and saved it at his house (checks included). We didn't buy him anything, but gave him $$, which he put into his daughter's savings account for college.
My credit card company called me for verification, when I had driven only 100 miles from my house in St. Pete to Orlando. Talk about precautions. They wouldn't let the hotel charge my card until they talked to me. So now I call everyone when I go on a trip, just to save hassle.
I use an iPhoneX, and people over in Europe are all kinds of fascinated. My last flip was a Motorola RAZR, and I've got fond memories. I once dropped it three floors onto concrete, and into water, neither on purpose, and it survived!!
I will be forever grateful to my ex-neighbors in Michigan who would keep an eye on our house, our lawn, our mail for the long summers we would spend in Italy.
When we returned home, there would always be fresh coffee cake in the kitchen and orange juice in the fridge. There must be a special place in heaven for them now.
That is so sweet!
Good neighbors are the best
Apologies for Those Fellow Travelers Who Had to Listen to the Messed Up Audio Version of this Earlier Today. I am very sorry. It sounds good now! Thank you everyone for your support in making May our biggest month ever! Cheers!
Wolters World No problem, stuff happens!!! Thanks for re uploading. 😁
Wolters World - No worries man. Your videos are worth waiting for.
Wolters World Great video Mark. You have inspired me alot.. Im going to france in the fall, Your videos help alot.. you know ive been watching for a Long time 😊
Wolters World i luv uuuurrrr vidss
I enjoy your videos but I hate how you always record from a very noisy location. It’s very annoying.
Before I leave I put a few ice cubes in a dish and put the dish in the freezer, so I can tell if the power went out long enough for things to have thawed out. I also make sure I have at least one meal in the pantry, usually a box of pasta and a jar of sauce, so that going to the grocery store doesn't have to be my top priority when I get home. If you have a grocery store that will deliver you could also schedule a delivery for the day after you get home.
10: If your flight has online checkin 24 hours before, then check in online and select good seats as soon as you can. Print out those boarding passes too.
true, batteries die... horrible horrible deaths :)
Yes @albedo0piint39 it will save you time. You can get to the airport a little later. Also checking in the airline mobile app is good to especially with airlines that charge you to print you boarding passes like Ryanair and Spirit.
#10: Turn the valves for the water to your toilets off. When I was 10, our family went on a short trip. When we came back, my parents opened the door to find the house full of a inch or two of water. The toilet tank cracked while we were gone and the house filled up with water. I thought it was cool (we finally had a "swimming pool") but my mother was a wreck.
We once had a crack in the toilet water valve. It flooded the bathroom and the adjoining bedroom. Now we turn off the water to the whole house.
In addition to the garbage, I will add cleaning out the fridge, too. Throw out the veggie and the meat that you don't end up eating, or put them in the freezer if it's okay to do so. After a week or two, they could have gone bad.
All other tips are good. I have already done some of them. Keep up the good work, Mark!
Thank you!
angechrissy we clean out the fridge too, Mark just didn't mention it in the video. 😉
We travel to Europe for a month at a time, so we started cleaning it out and unplugging before we go. And, we eat out the night before for less dishes/leftovers. :)
I love coming home to a clean house! We do it the super easy way and have a trusted pet sitter stay at the house so our dog doesn't have to kennel. She always cleans the house for us before we get back!
can i hire your house sitter? :)
If your in Oklahoma, probably!
Your channel is incredibly helpful and your method of editing is refreshing! I love how your videos are normally held outside. Keep up the great work!
Thanks Bianca! We like to film outside in the country where we are instead of the "sitting in front of the webcam" or "sitting on my bed" travel videos
I’m absolutely in agreement with this. If I don’t get everything ready the night before, I can’t sleep! And you know how yuckky it is to travel when you’re tired! I like to make a list a week or so before I leave and carry it with me so I can add things I think of. Then when I pack, I just follow the list, and I know I have everything.
Amen to that Lisa
I have a checklist that I use (and improve) with every trip. Gives me peace of mind that I haven't forgotten anything. There are all sorts of small things you do before a trip but don't realise: it's good to have that on a list to not forget.
Also: I try to be fully prepared for the trip at least a day early so I certainly agree with nr. 9. It makes travel so much more relaxed.
I always clean the house before I go on a trip or vacation. It's really really awesome coming back from a vacation after you had a great time and your house is clean it's just awesome
I always make a couple of copies of my passport and give them to my fellow traveller(s). Much easier to apply for a new passport at an embassy with a copy of the stolen or lost one, than without a copy.
I also turn off the main water line to the house.
dxxldiva I usually turn off the taps to the washer but, the whole house isn't a bad idea!
Travelling is so much fun, especially on planes. I'm not sure anyone else gets that "plane feel" when you reach the airport ready to go on holiday.
awais ahmed , hahahahaha not, really. I used to get it many years ago when I started traveling though 😂
I am so glad other people have this as well! I thought I was the only one who has a kind of high from arriving at the airport!
ive never travelled by plain but my other most preffered way is travelling with motorcycles (i just love motorcycles) ............and i also enjoy trains , but i find everything else boring (except for planes , cause i havent tried those yet)
when your irish our excitment is 'the airport bar' then the drinks in the air because you get drunk faster
That "plane feel" is better than any drug to me.
Really good tips. We turn the water off completely, clean the toilets, add some bleach and leave the lid up. You come home to a very clean toilet. Also turn the heat/AC way down or up not to run on an empty house. Thanks for the video.
Good tips. To prevent frozen pipes: every Fall I have my furnce checked. The morning I leave, I shut ofv the water then open taps upstairs and in the bsdement to drain the water out of the pipes. I also shut the taps at the clothes washer and dish washer. I have a small space heater in the bssement. It's controlled by a thermostat, so it only switches on if required. It can act as back up if the furnace fails.
If you live where it gets cold, put a wee bit of anti-freeze into the toilet bowl, after flushing and emptying the tank.
Great tips! Love coming home to a clean house dead tired from a flight and crawl into a fresh bed!
Who on earth would leave dirty dishes in the sink before leaving for 2 weeks
Very good points Mark. One finesse tip I would add to number nine. Actually read your tickets, your hotel reservations online, etc. Sometimes there is something you have overlooked in the information and you have actually made a mistake on your itinerary or you get the wrong time or date stuck in your head. Along with that goes making sure that your passport, bank cards etc are up to date or not too close to expiring. These things should be done far ahead of course.
Maybe that's one thing you can do. The early trip planning. From getting the idea, planning the trip, researching the prices, buying the tickets, making sure your clothing is up to date (shoes!) etc. I'd love to hear your take on the earlier stages of travel planning.
oh so true!!!
Very VERY important
The Anadromous Life
OMG, that’s so important! The devil is in the details.
I second that idea, I would love to see how you make your early travel plans!
Super idea ! Please do this kind of video, Mark !! And thank you for your helpful , informative, & engaging videos !!
We have been SO lucky to always have amazing neighbours who would take in our mail (in Canada, you have to pay to have your mail held), water plants and garden, care for our cats etc. when we are away. And we return the favour so it works out well. They will park a car in our driveway too for additional activity. Be a good neighbour and be good to your neighbours.
That's cool
All good suggestions. On some of them, we learned the "hard way" to do....Especially, the sheets. NOTHING better than fresh sheets when you get home.
Yep. Those clean fresh sheets are just awesome that first tired night back
Another awesome video Mark! Love the garbage/clean/laundry ideas! I always do this because it's so much easier to come back to a clean place and no garbage.
Coming home to a clean house takes the stress out of that 1st day back. Just sleep and that's it. No mess
Thanks a million for your videos!! As a globe trotter for nearly twenty years, your videos have still taught me much
GREAT tips, and not for just long trips, but for family trips
It came just in time, i am flying to Poland next week.although the house will not be empty while I'm gone still some tips are very helpful.thank you for your videos!
start now and it will be all ready for when you get home ;)
I always make a photo of our packed suitcases (luggage that gets checked) the night before we leave or at the airport at the latest just in case our luggage gets lost / delayed etc and we need to describe our luggage as lost. We also make sure that our names e-mail and mobile number (we do not put our Adress on that tag) are on our luggage. With that in mind we do not have completly black suitcases either. Greetings from Northern Germany and thank you & your family for your videos!
yeah, because they NEVER have your luggage on that poster when they say "which one looks like you"
Definetly - on the other hand, when the luggage is more indivuall regarding colours etc. it might be easier to find amongst other lost/delayed luggage. At least that's what we hope.
Viele Grüße & ein schönes Wochenende!
Good point that all of these tips are useful even if travelling a short distance, not just if you are swimming to the Galapagos islands!
which would be totally cool!!!!! :)
Mark, you are my favorite vlogger! I’m a travel junkie and always enjoy your perspective. Thanks for all you do!
Great tips! Also I put a top sheet on TOP of the bed spread as a dust cover. Then just take that off to reveal my dust free bed! And I also turn my bathroom rugs over (upside down) to keep them from getting dusty.
Turn your water off.a friend of mine left for two weeks,when they returned the hot water pipe burst,the house was flooded and covered in mould.i know it’s a freak thing to happen but totally worth it to save having to relocate your family
To do a long time before you travel: Create packing lists!
This has helped me to do my packing. I have several different lists depending on whether I will go skiing or hiking etc.
Still, when I do my packing, I don't have to think "will I need this?" or "What have I forgotten?" etc, I just tick off the items from the list and I know I have everything I need!
(Well, after a little update when I got home from the first or second trip using the lists at least. Now I have everything covered)
As usual, you have a bunch of great tips! As a former investigator for the USPS I would tweak it a bit. Holding you mail should be good if you are in a gated or otherwise safe neighborhood. Otherwise, you are alerting people you won't be home, this can be the same with paper delivery. I did (this would be really rare) have a case where a part time delivery person also delivered newspapers in the same area and stole financial docs knowing the resident wasn't there. Far better if you trust a neighbor to have them pick it up daily for you. Also, the USPS now has a program called informed delivery, you get a photo image of your expected mail each day. Lots of upside for you. First, only one email address allowed for each house so some ID theft criminal can't beat you to it. Second, if you really travel alot, you may see a bill you forgot to deal with and can pay electronically. Finally, you can deal with the rare instance something doesn't actually arrive.
I just saw that new system. Very cool. Thanks for the extra heads up. I very much appreciate it!
@@woltersworld I appreciate your videos, some of the best information for traveling I've seen! You have an awesome family as well!
@@boatlover1875 Thank you so much
The night before you leave plan a really simple meal. Pizza. No pots, pans or actual cooking.
Amen!!!
@@woltersworld you please e we wee setsr everything we were w we s
I se s so r drsé
Excellent advice, Mark! I do many of the same things, especially having everything ready the night before.
it just makes that travel day so much less stressful
Hope you are having lots of fun in France. My airport now has non-stop flights to CDG for the first time ever. That 6 hour flight is pretty tempting, especially with some of the promotional prices for the new service.
do it!!!! :)
Which airport and which airline? I'm not sure it will be this year, but I am thinking about a trip to your side of the Atlantic. And CDG is just an hour and a half or so away by train.
Westjet to YHZ (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) Halifax is a great little city and the perfect jumping off point for visiting the Maritime provinces of Canada. You can go to Cape Breton and drive the Cabot Trail. Everyone loves PEI that goes there. The coastal scenery is fantastic throughout the region and there are lots of amazing hiking trails if you are in to that sort of thing.
Though don't expect to be able to drive to other parts of North America easily from Halifax. The distances are truly staggering, especially for Europeans. For example, driving from Halifax to Toronto is similar to driving from Paris to Belgrade (though likely with easier traffic most of the way) Here are some distances to major cities from Halifax rounded to the nearest 50 km:
Quebec City 1000 km
Boston 1050 km
Montreal 1250 km
New York 1400 km
Ottawa 1450 km
Washington DC 1750 km
Toronto 1800 km
And to the West Coast:
Los Angeles 5850 km
Vancouver 5850 km
I have family living in SW Ontario, they are 'really close to Niagara Falls, just some 210 km away. Yes, that blew my mind away. Where I live, if I go 210 km in either direction, I'm no longer in my country...
Still, a reaonably short flight (which I like, I'm not too keen on flying), a train going east (I'm a train buff, so the Océan looks interesting)... it sounds interesting. Better get a driving licence, though, at the sound of it.
Trains in Canada are expensive and terrible. The Ocean takes 22+ hours to get to Montreal, which is a 1.5 hour flight or 12 hour drive. Unless you go to a major city in Canada and plan to only visit that one city, a driver's licence in a must.
If you want to get to Ontario, you are better off just flying in to Toronto. The fights are 7-8 hours instead of 5-6, but that makes less difference than you would think. Or you can get some amazing deals flying Wow Air through Iceland.
Would you believe that my wife and I regularly drive 100 km to go out to dinner at a nice restaurant?
Mark your tips are so simple but so much appreciated when you get home!!!!
that's just it, sometimes it is just the little things that can make a huge difference
My parents live nearby. They watch my house when I'm gone. They open/close the curtains. Put the mail on the dinner table. And if my mom thinks I didn't do a good job cleaning, she does it for me.
All good advice! Especially remember to throw out the garbage and do the dishes. And lock the doors and windows!
Yep
Very helpful video and also some great ideas in the comments.
My tip (more of a morning of departure thing) is go round and check you turned all the lights off. If you woke up in the dark, but leave after it’s broad day light it’s easy to miss one.
We have MS Word document that we print off before each trip... a sort of checklist... with all the things we need to take care of before we travel...
Newspaper stopped... tick.
Mail hold... tick.
Neighbour has keys... tick.
Passports...tick.
...etc...
I find these so helpful! Keep up the amazing content!
Thanks Tia!
Make a checklist well before departure and add to it things when you think of them. Check each one off when it is done. (One thing I always write it is 'Handkerchief' to remind me to carry a handkerchief with me. Otherwise, I recall my handkerchief at the boarding gate.) Good for peace of mind.
A short pencil is better than a long memory.
I agree! I have a checklist even for the items I need to pack and the amount of such items and then a check list for things I need to do before leaving.
Great advice!!
My dad doesn't like traveling so he usually stays home when we travel.
One time we were in Florida (the very first time we went to Disney) we came back and our house (and many areas of the entire city too) were flooded because a hurricane happened.
Dad moved the cars to higher ground and made sure we had somewhere to stay until we were able to repair
Great advice
I like the idea of cleaning your house before traveling. That’s what I always do 😊
Thank you for the quick re upload you guys really got it together
I felt bad when I work up this morning and all the comments about the audio. I deleted it and re rendered and tried to get it back up as soon as possible. Thank you for your support :)
Wolters World thats pretty tight man have fun exploring the world and making videos ❤️
Love your channel as well as your traveling tips, but if you don't mind , I would like to interject few more tips that might be useful to you and your followers;
1-Take 2 color copies of the first page of your passport, keep one with your itinerary docs and leave the other one inside the luggage that you are checking in for ease of security purposes,
2- Take a photo of your drivers license and passport right next to each other to have in your phone.
3- Attach the passport and drivers license photo and email it to yourself , just in case you lose your passport and you need to go to US embassy and get it replaced, digital photos will speed up the process by few days.
4- Take a photo of the front and back of your credit and debit cards and email it to yourself so you'll have access to your card number as well as the 800 number just in case you lose them and you need to call your card company,
I hope this is helpful and thank you for your hard work, from Tehran, Iran, Peace
Perfect timing! We're leaving tomorrow morning from Colorado, heading to Ireland, Wales, and England! Lots of good advice here. Thanks!
Thank you wendy
May I suggest purchasing some frozen dinners to have in the freezer for first night home.. Because no one wants to cook after flying and dragging luggage all day,. Alternately, freeze some of your own cooking in he week ahead of your trip.
Good work, Mark. We love your site.
Thanks for the tips! Last trips we did I made sure we had our neighbor check in since we couldn’t get anyone to stay at our place. Definitely love cleaning beforehand so when you get home you only have to deal with unpacking.
Yeah. Sometimes we can find people other times the neighbor stops by and waters the plants once in a while
I always gave my wife grief for all the cleaning of the house she does before the trip. She has the same thoughts as you and now you just got her to say "see I told you". Haha, thanks Mark. Anyway, great advice as always whenever we're planning a trip we check out to see if you have some videos of the location we're heading. Although we do still check out other places you've posted videos for as well since they're great for coming up with travel ideas as well. Perhaps, someday there'll be a 5 love/hates Milwaukee?
More like tackling all of these week prior, not night before ...I make a checklist of both these types of things as well as packing list. I would add shut off water or lower hot water tank temp.
its kind of like a "perfect world" scenario :)
Turn off your water heater, main water valve , water pump and any unnecessary heating units. It will save either a massive chance of flood or fire and will save you money. And yes clean it is easier in the long run and it is a great feeling to come home to a clean organized house.
Really informational, I am leaving to Honduras in a month and now I know what to tell my family before we leave.
there you go :)
Merci Mark. Have a good trip to France. Bon voyage.
Merci!
Seems like 4 is something you must do at least before your last night. If you're getting the manicure or pedicure, seems you should also schedule that a few days earlier xD.
Great advices all of them!
One of the things I started doing was making an itenerary for trips, especially the ones where I am moving about a lot. I have been doing this for a number of years and it really makes the trip itself less stressful. That is, print out google maps of places you want to go and how to get there from the hotel, airport etc. Train schedules, bus schedules are also good to have as well. While traveling a few years back, someone commented about how amazingly organized we were with our stuff. Everything, tickets, reservations and such were in one notebook and all those maps and schedules were in another. It really made the trip go smoothly and since then, regardless of how long or short the trip actually is, I have put together an itenerary with times and dates included.
Generally, I hang up my holiday on a few key things I want to do, but book my hotels and trips on the fly. I can be stressing from time to time (too many options!), but I can be much more flexible, that way. I travel mostly by train, and I do bring my railway map and ERT (European Rail Timetable) with me, though. Even if it's just to have an idea, it's great to have something on paper, I confirm with a quick search on my phone. I book my hotels also on my smartphone, booking dot com is an easy website to navigate for that, although I use others, too. And often, I use it to see if and where there are hotels, and contact them by phone. They can keep a bigger part of it that way. Just once, I had a rookie receptionist who didn't dare to match the reduction Booking offered by himself, often, they do even better. Or you get a better room.
I have everything printed as well. There are going to be times your GPS just doesn't work, phone dies, no signal, etc. Old-fashioned is best!
And send the itinerary to someone at home -- we cc our adult kids in case there are problems overseas so they can know, "oh, they left Paris already."
Thank you Mark for the tips! I'm leaving for England on Thursday night and hadn't thought about changing my sheets to come home to a nice fresh bed! All the rest are great tips too!! Great video, as usual! Cheers!!
thank you and they make that first night back home just a wee bit nicer :)
Really helpful stuff mark. I especially agree about the trash. Spent 2 weeks in Scotland and had to move out of my house when I got home because of the stench
Been there too my friend. Not a good thing to come home too... Or when the kids forgot to flush before we left. That about made me gag last summer
Thanks for the great before travel tips, Mark! Diana Batista 😊😊😊
Great tip about the mani-pedi, wouldn't have thought have that (well I've sometimes thought of it but seemed like too much $/pampering but now I can justify it 😉).
So you guys are back in France? Comme cela se passe-t-til? C'est amusant comme toujours?
At 6:23 , Le mur des je t aime in Paris , The wall of I love you s .I was there in November !
Yay! The audio is good now!
Thank you Phylis. Sorry that it messed up.
No prob - glad it was fixable. Thanks for the great videos!
Great Video 👍. Thank you for posting.
Great Info Mark, I'll refer to this video for my trip to Quebec in July!
With the mani pedi, for ladies I'd add in tweeze eyebrows. My mum always forgets to take her tweezers out of her bag so she's had them tossed on a number of occasions at customs. Emptying the dishwasher and clothes dryer are two other things I do and have everything photocopied an scanned onto dropbox
Get your day pack straight. What do you need if your luggage is lost?
undies, meds, tickets, reservations
All the more reason to fly carryon only.
When I was phoning with my mother, we decided to fly over to hungary just 2 days before. It was all very easy and I was not under stress at all.
great videos and great advice...watched a whole bunch of them....off to Germany tomorrow and then heading towards Normandy Juno Beach....je suis canadien.
Have a great trip my Canadian friend!
finally, perfect sound...
Yeah. I'm really sorry about that
I’m reading this at my destination where I arrived last night. 😂🤣😆 probably should have read it a little earlier. Ty. Next trip. Luv u guys!!!!!
You have the most awesome job in the world.
Thank you
These tips are great reminders just like all of your other videos. Thank you so much!
Love love love your vids, Marc!!! One suggestion: I would love to see traveling tips for within your state. I'm in California and we are taking a 5 hour drive to Tahoe tomorrow. Would love tips for closer to home! :)
I've been guilty of leaving dishes in the sink and food in the fridge-big mistake! Great tips (:
I've been watching these videos of you and Europe tips, I'm going to Portugal, Barcelona and Italy and been binge watching your videos, I like that they are funny and always make me smile, they are so interesting and have really good tips, keep up with the videos, already subscribed.
There's one thing that you forgot to mention and you should actually do well ahead ... check out the layout of the airport or airports you're traveling to or through! Get familiar with the airport's layout, so you know where you're going to when you get there. You don't want your journey to start off with a nightmare by missing your connecting flight because you didn't know where to go. Now, most airports are fairly easy to navigate, but knowing how to get from point A to point B will definitely make for a better experience.
In addition to turning the water off to your toilets, if your water heater is in your house (not in the garage) turn the water off to that. My cousin's water heater decides to break while she was out of turn, flooding the bottom floor of her house. An expensive mess.
Ps tips when you have a cheap flight in Europa and during dinnertime. Everything on the plane is expensive but you arrive to late to have dinner at you destination.
its like they planned it that way
Dude you guys are amazing. thinking of EVERYTHING! You are making many peoples' trips more awesome! I hope to run into you someday abroad to thank you!
I put my house on a local sheriffs watch list for the time Im gone. The first time I went to France (for a month) I didnt do that and the neighbors called the sheriff for a Quality of Life check and a Sniff test as i call it. LOL Also, do not carry your passport, ID etc in your carry on. Use a neck pouch and lanyard under your shirt, that way its always on your person. AAA has a good one. I carry two, the second has extra cash which i leave at the BnB.
Been to Loire Valley, but visited DiVinci's other home not in the country setting. At the P.O., when you request "hold mail" you can choose the option to pick it up at the post office after you're back in town. Just remember to tell the postal clerk to "mark records to resume delivery" otherwise you'll be wondering why mail isn't coming each day you're back from your trip, which happened to me. (I picked up mail after my trip assuming delivery would start again, and it didn't until I made another trip to P.O. to specifically request it.)🤔
when I'm around Europe with my american phone I find its easy and cheaper to buy a local "pay as you go" sim card. (in Poland and Czech Republic highly recommend PLAY, stores are everywhere and in every shopping mall). Buy a card with a realistic amount of Gigs more if you're going to use your phone as a GPS and stream english TV/films, Skype, WhatsApp etc ("free" hotel wifi is almost always terrible) I do all those things and use 2-4 Gigs a day max (depending if I Skype my grand-daughter... Skype is about 1 gig per hour ... she's a talker , streaming is about the same). The data is good for 30 days. BUY DATA don't worry so much about calls and txt ... you don't know anyone to call or many (but call your mom regardless of the cost ... you know she's worried). I have TMobile in USA with unlimited data you can bring your data with you but at a reduced speed (2G). You need do nothing but turn on your "roaming" and off when you get home ... same card, same data plan, same number (may wish to block calls, except mom, since its your same number, all the calls you normally get will come thru ... at a cost) in most Europe it's just T (same font and colour; its actually a European company) I don't about other providers. Buying local has gotten me 4G speeds. Use a phone shop NOT an electronics store like MediaMarkt (costs more, don't get the providers deals, and service is awful). ... anyway I'm droning on ... Thanks Mark for another great video, everywhere our paths have crossed your advice and tips have been spot on, mate. Be well.
6:49 It can be an issue within the same country. I traveled within my state and my card froze, it was a 5 hour drive; glad my phone worked and unfroze it within a few minutes but it's a hassle.
Credit cards-- take 2 - from *different* banks! (And carry them in different locations.) apart from loss/theft, One bank’s server may go down at a critical time, or one bank may get spooked at a charge (lots of reasons) and suspend your credit account till they can talk to you. Plan B is very calming! DSH.
Same thing for debit cards! Two separate accounts.
2 notes: 1, enroll online with the US State Dept’s STEP program. Heaven forbid if something political/violent/ even a weather tragedy happens....you’ll be registered at the local US embassy and they’ll know where you are, have your emergency contact info, etc. You give them all the detailed info you have prior to your trip. And they’ll send you emergency and useful safety alerts via email if/when need be. Peace of mind. 2, I don’t recommend a pedicure right before doing lots of walking. Avid runners know what I’m talking about: don’t remove callouses right before a marathon, bc they will protect and cushion your feet.
is this a new camera? it looks great
I know. It really was great in that video. I think the camera loved Loire valley because those videos there were so crisp and I can't always get it like that which sucks :(
Yeah, I think you got lucky with that soft overcast lighting. You could use a diffuser like news journalists have: they have diffusing screens to hang above you and create softer light even on sunny days. It would be a lot of effort to travel with though!
You seem pretty chill.
Most days :)
#10 - most of this you should have taken care of in the 2 weeks leading up to your departure. That way the night before you should be packed and be good to go in the morning.
5:36 Is that Val Kilmer?
All of the videos are so helpful! :) Thank you so much for the advices! Subscribed.
Enjoy your travels
Thank you Em
Great episode! Very useful info:)
Thank you
We had our mail held, but when there was a sub letter carrier, he delivered EVERYTHING. Our neighbor caught it (thankfully) and saved it at his house (checks included). We didn't buy him anything, but gave him $$, which he put into his daughter's savings account for college.
i think something like that happened to us too. not good. glad your neighbro was there
You can also do this the day before if you don’t want to stay up all night and if you have extra time
Thanks for your great videos, they're so helpful!
Thank you:)
My credit card company called me for verification, when I had driven only 100 miles from my house in St. Pete to Orlando. Talk about precautions. They wouldn't let the hotel charge my card until they talked to me. So now I call everyone when I go on a trip, just to save hassle.
Similar happened to me and ibwqs like, you don't call when I am in Japan but when I'm buying a bike for my kid near home you deny charges and call me?
Brilliant ! Thank you !
Admittedly I'm kind of a luddite', but when on vacation, I do NOT use the dang telephone...but then again, I still use the flip-phone "basic".
I use an iPhoneX, and people over in Europe are all kinds of fascinated. My last flip was a Motorola RAZR, and I've got fond memories. I once dropped it three floors onto concrete, and into water, neither on purpose, and it survived!!
My family has like the best neighbors ever they were begging to mow our grass and take care of our house when we gone lol