I’m about to head out on tour today and there are a lot of things to consider when leaving on an extended amount of time. Preparing for tour not only means getting your gear in order but you also have to prepare your belongings that will be left behind. By that, I mean, your vehicle, your home, your insurance, your bills, etc. All these things have to be taken care of when you’re not around.
My current tour starts with a 7 week stint in Cancun, Mexico. That means I had to freight off all my gear to the company that would then pack it into a shipping container and then that one container would be shipped off to Mexico. Once all that was done I had to prepare for all my stuff to be okay while I was gone: my house, my bills, my car, etc.
The first thing I did was handled my car insurance. It doesn’t make any sense to pay for full coverage when your car is going to be sitting at your house for 3 and a half months. However, it does make sense to keep comprehensive coverage in case someone decides to vandalize your car while you’re gone.
So I called up my insurance company and told them that I’d be leaving the country for a few months. I gave them the dates that I’d be leaving and when I’d return. They then marked that down and took off all coverage to my vehicle except comprehensive coverage. So instead of paying over a hundred dollars a month for full coverage I’d just be paying around 23 dollars a month. They even sent me a check since I had already paid for the full month but would only be using full coverage for half the month.
The next thing I had to do was call my bank to let them know that I’d be out of the country. They need to know this so they don’t think your card is stolen. They’ll also be able to answer any of your questions about how to use your credit or debit card while out of the country. They need to know the time you’ll be gone so they can place some kind of note on your account so they won’t freak out when they start getting foreign charges.
Alright, the bank and the insurance is taken care of. Well, I also have an Amazon.com seller account where I sell books and comics online. I don’t want to have to keep canceling orders when I’m gone so I had to remember to temporarily disable my seller account for the time that I’d be gone.
I also noticed that my vehicle’s inspection sticker would be expiring in the time that I’d be gone. It’s these type of things you have to consider when leaving for an extended amount of time. I don’t want to get back and have to drive my vehicle with an expired inspection sticker. So take care of any type of documentation that will expire while you’re away.
Now I have to clean my house from top to bottom the day before I leave. I don’t want any type of gunk to gather and fester while I’m abroad. This means I had to clean everything. Get under that microwave, clean up any spilled sugar, make sure the cabinets don’t have any food that will expire, throw out anything that will go bad in your fridge, etc.
The house should be clean before you leave. You don’t want to get back home and have your kitchen smell funky cause you forgot to dump the garbage under your sink.
Just before you leave you should also unplug any appliances that don’t need to be on. Leave your fridge water heater on though. Your water heater should be left on so that the water does get yucky. However, you should remember to turn off the water supply to your washing machine and dishwasher. The last thing you want is to get home and see your house was flooded because a gasket leaked or something came loose under the sink.
Of course you should also arrange to have your mail picked up or placed on hold at the post office. If you don’t have anyone to pick up your mail you can go to the post office and tell them to hold your mail delivery for a certain amount of time. That way mail won’t stack up in your mailbox. A packed mailbox is a good sign that you’re not at home and your home would be a great choice for a break-in.
While on the subject of bills make sure you can pay all your bills online or that you can have your bank schedule payments to your bill companies. My bank can write checks to my utility company since they still haven’t entered the modern era and don’t accept online payments. Also, make sure your direct deposit info for you bank is still current and correct.
If you have a yard you should also have it arranged to be mowed. These are just a couple of tell-tale signs that you’re away on vacation or something and anyone that wants to break into your house will know that now is the good time.
Of course this is just a small list of things to consider while you go away for an extended amount of time. I didn’t cover what you would need for the road or how to prepare your gear for going on tour but, instead, how to prepare your home and personal accounts while you’re gone.
