While we love to think holidays are spontaneous, carefree times, plenty of planning goes into creating those getaway days.

Planning and organising a travel adventure can go a lot smoother when you take care of home conditions first.

Security

You can’t focus on having a good time while travelling if you’re concerned about matters back home. Looking after home security through planning and storage gives that much-needed peace of mind. Before leaving for a long vacation, ensure that all your door and window locks are functioning properly and are in good condition. You can also hire a locksmith in London (or wherever you live) to inspect the home locking system and security features so that you can travel worry-free.

• Valuable or Irreplaceable Items: The little things in life are often the most special, and may include items you couldn’t replace for any amount of money. Jewellery, heirlooms, or collections all fall into this category. You could leave them with family or friends, install a secure safe somewhere in the house, or rent space at a self storage facility where you know without a doubt they’ll be secure. You can rent lockers these days, so you don’t need to pay for an entire room to store a few valuables.
• Insurance: Does your home insurance cover possessions when your property is vacant? It could be worth checking, especially if you’re planning an extended travelling period. If it doesn’t, this is an excellent reason to consider self storage. Also, check on any stipulations, such as having alarm systems or window locks.
• Neighbourhood Watch: Having done all you can yourself to make things at home secure, ask a neighbour to keep an eye on the place while you’re gone. At least make neighbours aware you’ll be away and haven’t authorised any access during your absence.
• Personal Locks: For those who wish to be extra careful and not have to worry over the reliability of used locks provided by the storage company, a personal lock may be the thing you need. Using Camlock Systems electronic smart locks or similar high-tech powerful locking mechanisms might be a good idea. This gives you and only you access to your belongings, and keeps it away from prying eyes while you’re away.

Lists and Itineraries

Making lists and checking items off can be a rewarding exercise in itself. It also saves time and prevents you duplicating tasks when you have a million little things to organise.

You could have lists for what you’ll pack, where you’ll leave your valuables and any dates you’ve booked for self storage. Keep lists for flights and connection details, or lists for pets’ arrangements such as kennels or vaccinations. Don’t forget to include minor but important details such as where you’ll park (for flights or ferries) and the costs involved, plus taxi bookings for airport to hotel transfers.

Keeping carefully considered lists and ticking items off releases you from worry that you forgot something. If you’ve ever had those nagging doubts about whether you turned off all the lights or unplugged your electricals, ticking them off during a final walk through before you lock up and depart reassures you’re they’re done.

Effective, Efficient Packing

Your suitcase or backpack is your entire storage system when you’re travelling, so organising it efficiently is vital for keeping your kit in good condition and ready for use.

• Store gadget cables in separate zip lock bags. Include batteries or chargers and anything else that’s small and fits the ‘electronic’ category. You can see where everything is and it prevents cables tangling in your clothes.
• Take along a few spare, small plastic bags. Sandwich bags are ideal, and you can use these for keeping keys together or holding travel/entrance tickets.
• Only pack the shoes you’ll need, and whenever possible take shoes that can serve more than one function instead of taking a pair for every occasion or outfit.
• Pack early so you have chance to experiment with different methods. Can you fit more in your bag if your roll rather than fold clothes? Match up clothing to the situations in which you’ll wear them, and consider ways to make each item seem fresh for different occasions. Accessories take up less space than entirely different outfits, and can glamorise day wear for an evening event.

We tend to think in terms of cupboards or shelves when considering storage, but it’s actually anywhere that things are kept. Whether it’s figuring out secure spaces at home while you’re gone, or working out how to maximise the minimum storage offered by a suitcase, a bit of strategic thinking goes a long way towards streamlined travels.