Something For Everyone . . .

If you’ll leave town for more than a few days . . .

You may want to do three things before you leave; turn off your main water valve, use a checklist, and leave a lamp on.

I have a checklist we use, I’ve posted it below for you.

If you’ll be gone more than a day or two, and the outdoor temperature could get below freezing, you can protect your home from burst pipes.  If the power fails while you’re away, or the furnace stops, or the ice maker springs a leak, or the hot water heater tank leaks or bursts (all of these things happen), you could suffer dramatic damage from water leaking, which could freeze if there’s no heat, making a real mess.  Even if it doesn’t freeze, that’s no way to return from a relaxing vacation.

Your homeowner’s insurance policy will probably fix the mess (eventually), but you’re better off not needing it.  Some water damage cannot be fixed.  Returning home late at night to find six inches of ice on the floor, or ice pulling down a ceiling or wall is nasty.  Especially if the ice is blocking the front door shut.

Easy way out?  Turn off the main water valve just before you leave. Any adult can do this.

If your home is heated with a boiler (you have steam or water-filled radiators or baseboards for heat), it needs to top off its water supply occasionally; if you turn off the main water valve, leave it open a little bit so the boiler can get make-up water.  Or, just leave it alone (main supply valve is open).

If you pump water from your own well, you should have a circuit breaker dedicated to the water pump; just switch it off.

While you’re gone, there won’t be any water available for bathing, toilets, watering the plants or pets, etc. if you have a housekeeper or plant/pet-sitter come by.

Find your main water shutoff. It’s good to know where it is, anyway, just in case you spring a leak while you’re at home. You should test it long in advance — no surprises.  Look for your water meter and find the pipe that leads to the earth or the house from the meter.  The main shutoff valve will be found very nearby. There may be one on each side of the meter — use whichever one is easiest.  In a condo or apartment, it may be near the hot water heater.  Try it now to make sure it actually works — if you can’t shut the valve off, you no longer have a shut-off valve and won’t be able to turn off the water in an emergency.  The handle may turn only a quarter-turn, or it may spin around many times.  Test your results by opening a faucet.

Just before you walk out the door to catch that plane, turn off the main water valve.

DO NOT DRAIN THE HOT WATER TANK at the tap at its bottom or its burner will fry it, but you could turn the water heater thermostat to the “Vacation” setting to save a few bucks.  If you’re really fastidious, also turn on a faucet in the lowest sink you have and gravity will drain most of the pipes.  A pipe with water in it can still burst if it freezes, but no water will flow if you’ve turned it off.  It’s still expensive and clumsy to tear open walls and floors to fix a broken pipe.

If you leave town during cold weather and the power or furnace fails, etc.,  at least you won’t have water damage.

Next, before you walk out the door, find a light to turn on (a bathroom is best, but any room that blocks prying eyes is good).  Thieves casing your home may see that you’re not shoveling walks or moving cars, but they can’t be sure there isn’t someone still awake with a lamp on who can call the police if they break in.  It’s easier to rob a darkened house down the block.  Some people leave a radio or TV playing — same idea.

Phone cards. We found that phone rates in Mexico, for example, using the phone in the hotel room to call home are $10 a minute.  A 5-minute call home to tell everybody you’re OK will cost $50.  The advice was to buy a phone card and use it at a pay phone for a much more reasonable rate.  Many hotels have a toll-free number so you can ask about similar fees, or just send an email.

See the travel checklist below.

Charlie Gosh

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Learn a simple trick to take advantage of the next recession . . .  http://www.charliegosh.com/?p=97

If you’d like to copy, paste, edit and save your own copy of this list, follow the steps below.

Basically, you’ll highlight the list, copy the list, then find a place to paste, edit, and store your customized version. This method works almost everywhere on any PC, so it’s a handy tool to practice and learn.

1. Highlight the list (left-click-and-drag your mouse over the entire list).  If you have trouble with that, try the keyboard combination CTRL-A instead to highlight All, but you’ll get my entire blog entry. Just delete later what you don’t want using the highlight to cover many, many lines, then hit the delete button one time.

2. Right-click the highlighted area. You’ll get a small menu. Left-click on Copy.

3. Click your Windows Start button, then click Run, type the word   notepad in the box and click the OK button.

(If you can’t find the Run choice on your Start Menu, press the Windows-R key combination.  The Windows key has a 4-piece flag on it, usually near the bottom left of your keyboard; press Windows and the R key both at the same time and release them.  If both of these methods seem too difficult, just launch Microsoft Word or your favorite word processor, or even compose a blank email to yourself.)

4. Notepad will open. Right-click inside the blank writing area to get a small menu, then left-click on Paste.

5. The list should now be in Notepad (or Word, or in an email you’ll send to yourself).  Edit it as you like.

6. Click File, Save As, choose a folder you will remember (your Desktop is handy) and choose a filename (TravelList, for example) then click the Save button.

7. Your new version should be an icon on your Desktop (or send it to your email Inbox).  Double-click that icon to open, click File, Print to print a copy or two.  Edit as you see fit, then save your new version.  Email a copy to yourself and you can get to it from anywhere.

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I use this list by first crossing off each item I know I won’t need, then cross off each item as it’s completed.  Once an entire line is crossed off, I draw a vertical bar at the beginning of that line, then connect the bars as each line is finished.  I can see in a flash if a line does not have every item crossed off by looking at the growing vertical bar in the left margin.

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NO carry-on liquids over 100 ml / 3 oz., and put them in one quart-size baggie.

Liquids or sprays in luggage in sealed baggie to handle leaks.

Take a bottle of water, empty prior to security, fill before getting on the plane.

No sharp objects at airport security, or they keep them.

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airline tickets/choose seats, hotel confirmation, car rental, limo/shuttle reservations

luggage, luggage locks, business cards, carry-on bags, check dry cleaners, empty car trunk

binoculars, contact lenses & solution, eye drops, glasses, medication, vitamins, gels, sprays

cameras (empty the old photos), tripod, memory cards, batteries, battery charger, cables

headphones, CD player, MP3 player, DVD player, cables, power supplies

magazines, books, CD’s, notebook, DVD’s, toys, keys

foreign AC power adapters, tell neighbor we’ll be away

tour books, maps, directions, check TripAdvisor.com for advice

air tickets, cruise tickets, hotel confirmations, car rental/limo, passports/pens/carrying case

cash, call banks for international ATM/credit card use & rates, phone card

gas in car, oil change, return/get library books, airport limo, parking coupon

check weather reports, check cellphone coverages, porch/bathroom lamp, nightlights

mow lawn, move potted plants to get watered, stop newspaper delivery

dress socks, white socks, underwear, t-shirts, dress shirts/ties, slacks, jacket/blazer/coat

jeans, shorts, jewelry, sandals, flip-flops, bathrobe, sunglasses

shampoo, toothpaste, mouthwash, cologne, antiperspirant, makeup, shavers

bathing suits, beach towels, swim float, snorkel, swim mask, ear plugs, hats

suntan lotion, hand lotion, band aids, aloe gel

tennis shoes, dress shoes/clothes, rainwear/umbrella, sweater, parka

cellphones, chargers, spare batteries, shaver, spare watch, (leave valuables home)

pay bills, renew license plates, check eBay to see if something needs to be paid

chewy bars/nuts/snacks, cooler/food, laundry detergent, bar soap, sheets, towels

do laundry, empty washer & dryer, clean out perishable foods from refrigerator

laptop, Kensington lock, power supply, ethernet cable, hand/headset, jump drive

toothbrushes, chargers, cases, oral irrigator, spare batteries, floss

leave a note for postman, no sharp objects in pockets (aircraft)

housekeeping, pet care, pillows for car trips, clothes iron, hair dryer

trash to curb, bottled water, change answering machine/voicemail message

turn down thermostat, pack gifts, cards, check in for airline

water plants, turn off water supply, lock doors & windows

create email “out of town” reply notice, shut down PC’s

during thunderstorm season unplug audio/video equipment, PC, printer, microwave oven

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Always check your seat before leaving anywhere.  Airlines are notorious for making absolutely no attempt whatsoever to return lost items, even if your name and phone number are clearly on it.  Their attitude is that you were foolish enough to lose it, so it’s not their fault.  Putting a business card in your belongings may sound like a good idea (and you should do so in case someone else finds it) but don’t sit by the phone waiting for an airline to call you.  If you leave something on a plane or in an airport, you might get lucky if you try hard enough, but don’t expect them to make any effort to call you, or even tell you which city your stuff ended up in (since your plane could have gone anywhere after you got off, and even somewhere else before your stuff was found).

Everything they don’t return is held for 30 days, then given away to a giant store in Scottsboro, Alabama that brags that they get 7,000 new items each day.  Translated, that means airlines give away 7,000 items belonging to their customers every day.

You may benefit from drawing your last name with a bar of soap on the top of your luggage to make it easier to find (both for you and the lost luggage staff).  If the airline lost your luggage, it might simply show up on the next flight from your town.  If they find it, they’ll usually deliver it to you at their expense (though it’s a polite gesture to give the delivery guy a few bucks for a tip — he’s just a working stiff whose only role is getting it back to you).

If they say they can’t find your checked luggage, they’ll offer to give you $200 to pay you off.  Tell them you know the law (even if you don’t) and that you had expensive clothes and a camera in that bag and you’ll see to it that you get $2,000 for it.  I have personally seen this work — a fellow traveler went three days without his luggage and then used this method.  Ten minutes later, the airline called back and had miraculously found a bag they’d given up on.

If you’re out of town and your luggage was lost, ask around — all cruise ships and some hotels have a selection of new clothing they’ll give you at no charge to tide you over until your bag arrives.

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Learn a simple trick to take advantage of the next recession . . .  http://www.charliegosh.com/?p=97