Summer Vacation Tips

Independence Place Blog, Cranston, RI Preparing your apartment for an upcoming trip is a smart thing to do. Read our tips about how in today's blog post.

Summer is here and Americans are hitting the road, the skies, and oceans for summer vacations. Whether you are headed to Europe for your dream vacation, setting sail on a cruise, or heading out for a long weekend in a neighboring area of Rhode Island, our tips for preparing your Independence Place apartment will come in handy.

Apartment Preparation

Adjust the thermostat to a lower temperature; sixty-eight degrees in about right. Keeping the AC on will provide enough circulating air to keep the air fresh while you are gone.

Clean your apartment before you leave. Make sure all trash is removed, the washer and dryer are empty, and the refrigerator is cleaned out. Sprinkle baking soda in the toilet just before you leave to prevent that stale-toilet water smell upon your return.

Water your plants. If you are going to be gone for a long time, make arrangements to have someone come in and water, or put them all in the bathtub, water them thoroughly and pull the shower curtain closed to hold in the moisture.

Paperwork

Call the post office (or do it online) and have your mail held while you will be gone. Suspend or cancel any deliveries that are scheduled to arrive while you are away.

Clean out your wallet or purse; only leave items you will need for your upcoming trip, and call your credit card company and bank and let them know you will be traveling so they don’t freeze your account for suspected fraudulent activity.

Use your cell phone to take pictures of important documents and papers: driver’s license, passport, eyeglass or contact prescriptions, medical prescriptions, itinerary, etc.

Home Sweet Home

Take care of dirty laundry immediately after you get home (or do it before you head home if possible). Opening a two-week-old suitcase full of smelly laundry is not a fun thing to do.

Leave something in the freezer that will be easy to thaw and cook when you get home. No one likes to cook after traveling for hours.

Change your bedding before you leave for your trip. When you get home, it will be delightful to slip between comfy, fresh sheets and sleep in your own bed in your apartment at Independence Place.

Most of all, enjoy your summer vacation! Tell us about it when you get back. What are your favorite traveling tips? Please share in the comments.