Preparing for my trip to Asia- 1 week to go!

It is absolutely amazing how things that often seem so far in the distance have a way of creeping up on you. My scheduled departure for my trip to Hong Kong, Cambodia and Indonesia is February 3^rd– 5 work days away!

This is my current list of things to do:

(this is a real list- I use Google Keep for most of my lists)

• Get travel insurance
  • I did shop around for travel insurance more than I usually do since I wanted more than just Emergency Medical. I looked at Blue Cross, Travel Cuts Globetrotter Insurance, and RBC. In the end I went with RBC and bought it in the branch in person (I could have bought it online too).
• Make a copy of your travel insurance and give it to a family member or friend, and give them some way of getting ahold of you
  • It is good practice to make a copy of your travel insurance and some contact information for a person close to you. If an emergency did occur they would be able to help from their end.
• Sort out any kind of phone things – will talk about my SIM card for travelling soon!
  • This might mean loading money onto the phone you will use abroad, or pausing your current phone service for while you are away.
• Going to the travel health clinic should have been done awhile ago but sort out any last-minute prescriptions etc.
  • Fill any prescriptions for everyday medication you might have to take with you, and also any special travel-health related medical specific to your destination
• Sort out any kind of visas or eVisas
  • It will be too late to get a visa from an embassy, hopefully this was done already. Many countries are going to eVisas which are done online. Better sooner rather than later.
• Any pre-trip grooming (hair, eyebrows, waxing, pedicures…)
  • Some people do self grooming or relaxation procedures while they are away as part of their holiday. But take care of anything you want done beforehand.
• Get any foreign cash that you need
  • Smaller banks may have to order in foreign cash but most big banks in large cities will have the main currencies available all the time. Get any more cash you might need.
• Pay your credit cards or arrange the payments
  • I have never used this service before, but tomorrow I am going to arrange my credit cards to withdraw the correct amount on their own (Automatic Payments)
• Clean out the fridge
  • This is a great incentive to come home to a clean and not-reeking fridge
• Book any final items that you would rather do from home
  • I have two days to book accommodation for and I would rather do that from home, not to worry about it while I am travelling
• Begin laundry
  • The things that you wear all the time will be washed before you go, but start washing items that you won’t wear until you leave
• Wear in any new shoes you may have bought
  • I have had the bad experience of huge sores on my ankles from wearing new shoes for the first time while I am away. A good way to start is to wear a few pairs of socks in them while you walk around the house to loosen them up and not start any soar spots.
• Meet up with friends before leaving
  • See any last-minute people before you leave!
• Make arrangements about not being there (tell landlord, move car)
  • Since I will be away for 3 weeks I tell people that might need to contact me, like my landlord. I will also be making arrangements so that my car won’t be left alone unattended for 3 weeks.

This list is definitely going to grow, alter, and eventually hopefully shrink before I go, but this is where I am one week pre-trip!

What are your pre-trip rituals?