Hiking

Mmmm, looking good

This ain’t nothin’ to do with packin’ your backpack, walking in your hiking boots and making sure that your flashlight batteries are working, this is the stuff you gotta’ do BEFORE you leave the house, for any trip really, not just hiking, but I thought it might come in useful so here goes . . .

. . . oh,by the way, I haven’t included anything about buying tickets, passes and stuff, ‘cos you should already know that you’ve gotta’ do that before you leave home, this is other stuff . . .

Stuff To Do Before Leaving Home To Go Hiking . . . Or On Some Other Trip or Vacation . . . Or To Visit Relatives In Another Part of the World . . . Oh Just Use Your Imagination!

• Check that your passport is in date, and just remember that you need at least 6 months validity left on your passport for some countries, so check that your passport will still be in date in 6 months time.
• Wash any dishes and clean any consumables out of the fridge. You’ll be sorry if you don’t. Who wants to come back to dirty, dried on dishes and green things growing in the refrigerator . . . no, not me, and not you either.
• Take a pack-up. Packing up a few sandwiches for the journey can save a small fortune (especially if you’re traveling with kids). Airports, train stations, bus stations . . . they certainly know how to charge when they have a captive audience don’t they, so don’t rely on their overpriced cardboard sandwiches, take your own.
• Don’t forget to line somebody up to look after your family pets whilst you’re away . . . neighbors are often a good bet (cheap too, all you have to do is bring them a local souvenir and they’re happy, much cheaper than using the kennels or cattery). Of course, if there’s a shortage of stores on your hiking trip I’m sure that they’ll appreciate just seeing all of your lovely photos.
• Pull the plug . . . on everything electrical in your house, except the deep freeze if it’s got lots of stuff in it and you’re only going to be away for a week or two, resist the temptation ‘cos it could end up costing you the earth. Don’t forget to unplug stuff like the TV . . . not only can it save you a small fortune in electricity but also reduce the risk of fire if your house (God forbid) is struck by lightening. It can happen you know.
• Turn down the heating or cooling system, in fact, turn it off. This isn’t always a good idea, in freezing weather conditions you could suffer from burst pipes and stuff if you don’t have any heating on at all, but usually it’s a good idea to switch it all off, and get your neighbors to pop in and turn it on again the day before your return, that way you can come home to the perfect temperature. Maybe you should buy these neighbors two souvenirs if they’re likely to be  really helpful, and don’t forget to repay the favors when they go away!
• Take the trash out – trash can turn really stinky in a matter of just a few days, especially the old veggies or foodstuffs which you remembered to clear out of the refrigerator . . . don’t forget to go one step further and throw them completely away.
• Memorize your PIN numbers (if you haven’t already). Never, ever take them with you. If you are in danger of forgetting your credit card PIN number and won’t be able to get any cash from the ATM, then leave a copy of the number with a trustworthy member of your family (Dodgy Uncle Simon is probably out) then if you forget the number you can call home for a reminder when you need some cash. There aren’t often a great number of ATM’s on hiking trails, but there are plenty in the towns along the way.
• If you’re traveling to another country, remember to unlock your credit card for that country before you go otherwise it could end up being locked by default . . . and it’ll be your own default for not unlocking it.
• Changing money for the country of destination is always a good idea. Hikers need money too, and you’ll probably be able to negotiate a much better exchange rate than trusting to pot luck when you arrive at your destination.
• Put all deliveries of newspapers, magazines etc on hold (or ask the neighbors to bring them in . . . how good are your neighbors, lucky devil).