Four Unique Travel Hacks to Try Before You Leave Town

The dog walker is hired, the bills are set to auto-pay, and your credit card company knows to expect foreign charges. Your pre-travel to-do list is almost complete, and the dangling carrot of vacation is starting to feel close.

Though you have a routine in place to cover the basics, what if you could take your travel prep to the next level? In this post, we will spotlight some fun and creative ways to prepare to leave town. Whether it's a weekend getaway to a destination wedding or taking that bucket list trip overseas, use these pre-vacation hacks to set yourself up for an amazing travel experience.

Number One: Set the Tone

The week before your trip, set aside an evening for a movie night intended to spark inspiration and curiosity about your destination. You can run the full gambit of genres, there are no wrong answers when it comes to choosing a movie - as long as it gets you excited about your trip!

Before jet-setting to Singapore, you can keep it lighthearted and opt for the hilarious, feel-good flick Crazy Rich Asians. If you want to go a more authentic route, choose a foreign film that was made by the people who call your destination home. Perhaps you're heading to Copenhagen, in which case, the award-winning Another Round is bound to make you feel things.

Number Two: Have Future You’s Back

This next hack is for the foodies! It is a self-care practice that we are certain will serve you well. We know how exhausting it is to come home after travel. Tired and hungry, you open the fridge only to remember that you valiantly cleaned it out before you left. If only you could have seen this coming...

Before leaving town, cook and freeze a batch of your favorite soup. When the groggy post-vacation version of you makes it back home, it is going to mean the world. Coming home after a long day of travel is a good feeling, but then finding homemade soup from your past self? There’s nothing better.

Want to kick the self-care up a notch? Wash your sheets! Sleeping in your own bed after traveling is a well-known luxury, but that bed having clean sheets? Magic.

Number Three: Set Up Eyes at Home

We know the importance of peace of mind during travel (that's why we created our Anti-Theft Collection!). It’s near impossible to immerse yourself in an experience when you’re worried about what’s going on back home.

Before you take off, we recommend setting up an at-home camera or two. When the need arises to check in on things, you can do so from anywhere. Rather than fretting over whether or not you told the housesitter to water the plant in the back room, you can check on it from afar. From confirming the arrival of a package to catching the culprit that’s stealing your garden veggies (you gotta hand it to those innovative squirrels), having eyes on your home is becoming a must.

You deserve to feel it’s okay to turn your attention toward the pleasure, joy and wonder that travel brings! The peace of mind that comes with having at-home cameras will help you settle into the here and now of your travel experience.

Our favorite camera for home use is the Wyze Cam v3. This state-of-the-art home security camera is affordable, user-friendly, and designed for both indoor and outdoor use.

Number Four: Find an Unmissable!

Do you know about the Sherpani Unmissables? Our unique travel guides offer one “unmissable” travel experience for destinations around the globe. We started the Unmissables as a way to provide travelers with a singular, tangible recommendation that won’t overwhelm their agenda. Our ever-growing library of Unmissables might just lead you to your next favorite travel memory.

If we haven’t gotten around to writing an Unmissable for your destination (yet!), you can find one yourself! The best way to do this is to ask the following question to a friend who has already visited your destination: “If I was only going to be in Portugal for a day, what is the one thing I need to make sure to do?"

Though they might be tempted to flood you with recommendations, make it clear you are only looking for one. The challenge of choosing a singular experience guarantees a carefully selected answer. Now you know you have a recommendation that provided a top memory for the traveler who came before.

These four pre-trip hacks are meant to bring some fun into the mix of last-minute errands and loose ends that are required before travel. If you’re able to indulge in these any of these ideas, we know they’ll make your travel experience even better.

Do you have another creative way to prepare to leave town? We’d love to hear it!

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By women for women, the Sherpani Travel Blog talks about all things travel (& all things Sherpani!). Explore topics like solo travel, destination guides, women's travel safety, personal essays, and much more! This is a space to amplify female voices and celebrate our belief that travel restores the human spirit.