Packing your suitcases, checking your passports and heading to the airport on time — these are usually the tasks that completely absorb us before a long-awaited holiday. In all the bustle, it is easy to forget about the home we are leaving behind, and the first days of the trip turn into a frantic attempt to remember whether the front door is locked and the oven is switched off. This pain is well known to TUI flight attendant Fay Whittaker, who, in a conversation with Metro (as cited by Styler), shared a simple ritual she considers absolutely essential before every trip.
Filming every room: the main trick before you leave home
Before you finally step out the door, the flight attendant advises filming a short video of every room in your home. “It takes less than a minute, but if I start to doubt myself while I'm away, I can simply open my phone, watch the video and instantly feel reassured,” explains Fay Whittaker. According to her, this short ritual eliminates the intrusive anxiety that would otherwise eat into the first hours of your holiday: instead of Googling ways to check your apartment remotely, you simply rewatch your own recording.
Not just for peace of mind: the benefit in case of insurance
Besides the psychological effect, fresh photos or video of the apartment's condition can come in handy in practical terms. If something goes wrong in your absence — a leak, property damage, a dispute with neighbours or an insurance company — the state of the rooms recorded before you leave becomes useful evidence. Thus, a minute of filming before you go out works both as a tool for personal peace of mind and as an element of insurance hygiene.
Fridge, trash and deliveries: a pre-flight checklist
To fully relax on the sun lounger, experts advise not keeping every detail of the morning packing in your head. Food leftovers and milk quickly create unpleasant odours, especially in summer, so the flight attendant recommends setting a “fridge and trash” reminder on your phone for the evening before your departure. A separate item is the parcels from couriers and the press that pile up under the door: this is a direct signal to thieves that no one is home. Following the experts' advice, it is worth checking your email for the words “delivery” or “subscription” to make sure nothing arrives while you are away.
Keys, neighbours and the illusion of presence
For emergencies, it is sensible to leave your keys or simply warn a trusted neighbour about your departure. At the same time, law enforcement agencies insist that you should not talk about your holiday publicly on social networks until you are back home. For an additional illusion of presence, you can use smart sockets with timers that switch the lights on in the evenings, mimicking life in the apartment.
Basic rules from emergency services
Emergency services experts, in turn, remind us of a basic pre-departure checklist that complements the video lifehack and the home-safety tips. Taken together, these simple actions — from filming the rooms to monitoring deliveries and lighting — turn the familiar pre-trip rush into a manageable process and let you truly relax, without worrying about what you may have left undone behind you.
