10 things to double-check before a trip

There are always things I forget.  I don’t mean to, but when there are so many details of the trip to remember, you’re bound to forget something.  There are some things that you can forget that aren’t that big of a deal (like a toothbrush).  There are some things, however, you’ll want to double-check.

Don’t forget to double-check…

1. Your hotel and sightseeing reservation dates.  I’m guilty of reserving a hotel for the wrong night, or a sightseeing tour for four for the wrong date.  If I had checked before I showed up to check-in, would have saved myself a huge headache.
2. Your flight details.  Flights now a days constantly change the times of arrival and departure.  We had one flight that got us in so late we had to literally run to the rental car agency before it closed 5 minutes after landing.  A poor couple next to us had a car rental from another company and they had already closed.  If I had known how close I was cutting it, I may have found a room near the hotel for a night and picked up the car the next morning.
3. Notifying your credit card companies.  The last thing you want is for your credit card company to disable your card for fraud when you’re about to pay for dinner in a foreign country.  We had one card, even though we spoke to them and they knew it wasn’t fraud, that wouldn’t be activated for 24 hours after that.  Make sure to notify the companies of your travel plans!  
4. Your electronics, especially your camera.  We have forgotten our camera entirely.  We have also forgotten just the charger, which basically makes the camera unusable.  We have forgotten extra batteries.  You name it.  This has meant purchasing a camera in Vatican City (highway robbery!) and finding an electronic shop for our specific charger in London.  Now, we always double, double-check.
5. Your underwear and socks.  Such a small thing, but sometimes you can pack all your other essentials and get there and realize you have no underwear!  What a nightmare.  You can get away with wearing the same pair of pants the whole trip… but don’t think you want to wear the same pair of underwear.
6. Your eyeglasses, sunglasses and contacts.  These are things that I typically carry in my purse or work bag, so when I’m repacking items for a trip, they’re easy to leave behind.  I can’t tell you how many times I forget a pair of sunglasses.  When you leave early in the morning and don’t think about it, you only discover you don’t have the once you’re leaving the Miami airport and the sun is burning your eyes.  I don’t wear contacts, but I know my husband has forgotten both contacts or solution.  I’m sure it’s redundant to mention this, but forgetting your actual eyeglasses is a huge problem.  You can’t just replace those at CVS.
7. Your medications, first-aid and speciality items.  Anything that you can’t replace easily or things that you need immediate access to in this category.  Of course you can find band aids and ibuprofen anywhere, but if you’re on the airplane for 10 hours, you might not want to wait until you find a CVS.  If there are any medications or special creams that you use at home, bring them.  You can always put them in little bags or small containers, but it’s better to have them with you than risk searching around for it when you get somewhere.  (And ladies, this includes tampons!)
8. Your phone charger.  Nowadays, these are getting easier to replace, but it can be nuisance.  Since we use our phones for almost everything, you really don’t want to forget it.
9. Your identifications, passes and cards.  You definitely don’t want to forget your passport, but also any other ID cards or passes you need.  For example a National Park Pass or tickets to a concert that you had to print off ahead of time.  If you have insurance cards you need to show the rental car agency.. think through any cards you may need so you are sure to not forget them.
10. Your guidebooks.  I try to always put my guidebook in my purse, because this seems to be an item that slips my mind when I’m thinking of all the other essential items.  Make sure to put these front and center so you’re sure to pack them.

There are plenty of other things to double-check, but these seem to be the ones I forget most regularly.  How about you?  What do you tend to forget if you don’t double-check?