1.
Put fresh sheets on the bed and replace the bathroom towels before you leave. That's way, your own room won't seen
like a comedown from the hotel you just left.
2. Pay due bills so you don't come home to a dark, hot house, with no electricity, water, telephone, or cable. Pre-pay credit cards and mobile phone accounts if you're planning on going far or spending a lot to avoid any inconveniences resulting from cut lines or overdrawn cards.
3. Warn friends and family that you'll be away - a mass email will do - so they don't wonder where you've disappeared to or forward you too many silly e-mail jokes, which may fill up your in box and that you'll have to spend time deleting later.
4. Toss out leftovers and perishables so the smell of spoiled food won't be the first thing to greet you when you open the fridge. Chill a bottle of a
favorite drink to toast your return.
5. Take out the trash and recycling before you leave, because nothing smells worse than a full trashcan that's been baking indoors for days on end.
6. Water houseplants, making sure to fully saturate the soil. Once you've gone, the small ones will dry out the quickest, so maximize moisture by creating a mini greenhouse effect: Place them in plastic grocery bags, tie shut, and puncture the top of the plastic so air can flow freely. Direct sunlight will parch the soil faster, so move the bags from their sunny window to a shadier spot, like a bathtub or sink. For larger plants, which usually need less watering, give them a good dousing, then close nearby shades to block light. Your plant should now do fine without you for at least a week.
7. Figure out Monday morning outfits for yourself and the kids and set them aside, so you're not scrambling (or heaven forbid, doing laundry at dawn) because no one has a thing to wear to school or work the next day.
8. Make laundry easier to do when you're packing to come home by sorting dirty clothes into the bags provided by the hotel ( or bring your own if you're camping or staying with friends ). Your systems: Separate bags for lights, darks, and delicates. Also, take a long a stain pre-treater stick like stain be gone at Handyman, to dab on spots as you go (it works up to a week before laundering) as well as a few large zip-top bags to protect dry clothes from wet swimsuits.
9. Pack smart on the return trip, and put anything you might need the minute you get back, like a jacket or makeup, near the top layer of your suitcase. That way, you won't have to rummage furiously for a lipstick, and your bags won't be in disarray until you can finally put everything away.
10. Get lunch or dinner the first day back by stashing your family's favorite takeout menu in the car or saving the number in your cell phone so you can order food while you're still on the road.