Travel After 60: 7 Things You MUST Do Before Leaving Home for Months

James and I are planning a year away in our 60s, and getting the preparations wrong could mean coming home to damage that our insurance won't cover, or paying for services that we haven't used, or finding ourselves abroad without a clear way to get our next prescription. So these are the things that I really want sorted before we leave. So today I'm counting down 7 checks, from the house and the car to the person we'll call if something goes wrong. Now whether you're planning a winter somewhere warmer, several months traveling, or a whole year away like us, these are all things worth checking, and Some are surprisingly easy to overlook. Now I'm starting at number 7 and working towards the one thing all other preparations ultimately depend on. So let's start at number 7. Now your house could be insured, but the COVID might not fit how you've left it. That's the first thing I'd check, and we are checking right now, because there's a difference between having an insurance policy and knowing it covers the arrangements you're planning. Will the house be empty? Will somebody stay there? Will you have a house sitter or someone who pops in once a week. We might think those last 2 things sound similar, but the insurer may not, so explain to them exactly what you're doing, how long you'll be away, who will use the property, and how often somebody will check it. Then ask what conditions apply and whether you actually need to change your policy. There may be requirements around inspections, heating, security, or the length of time the property can be unoccupied. Now get the answer in writing. You want something you can refer back to rather than trying to remember a telephone conversation. months later. Depending on your circumstances, you may also need to check your mortgage, tenancy, or lease conditions, particularly if somebody else will be living there. Then think about what looking after the house actually involves. Who will notice that leaky boiler? Who deals with the alarm? Does the person with the key know where to turn off the water? Because they could be standing in your kitchen looking at water coming through the ceiling while you're asleep in a different time zone. So show them things that they might need and make sure you agree the ordinary jobs as well— when the bins go out, gardens, deliveries, plants, and pets when relevant. If belongings are going to go into storage, check the COVID there too. Don't assume everything remains insured wherever you put it. Now I'll talk about our own home arrangements in more detail separately. For now, I want to answer 2 questions: who is looking after the place, and does the insurance match what you've actually agreed? Now number 6 is keeping your car can still cost you money even when you're not driving it. This is a real decision for me because I've decided I want to keep my car. I don't want to sell it just because we're going away, and I'm planning to keep it off-road while we're not using it. That means checking the arrangements for a SORN, a statutory off-road notification in the UK anyway, and off-road is the important part because the car needs to be on a suitable driveway, a parking space, in a garage, or on private land. Parked on a street outside your house doesn't doesn't count even if nobody touches it. It also needs to remain in the UK, so check when the SORN takes effect and fit that around when you'll stop using the car. You can't backdate it because you've forgot to do it. And DVLA in the UK refunds for remaining months of vehicle tax, but insurance needs a separate discussion. A car that's correctly declared off-road may not need the usual road insurance, but it can still be stolen or damaged, and I want to know what protection makes sense for mine while it is off the road. And I'd ask the mechanic who services your car how best to prepare it to be left unused for the long length of time that you're away. The battery, tyres, and storage conditions all deserve a bit of thought. I'd rather get advice for the actual car than follow something vaguely remembered from the internet. And then of course there's coming home. Check when the MOT expires and what you'll need to arrange before normal road usage resumes, including tax and insurance. You don't want to land, collect the keys, and discover that you can't use the car that you've kept specifically for your return. So that's the whole job— where it stays, how it's protected, and how to get it back on the road. Number 5 is that some bills can stop But cancelling the wrong service could create another problem. So broadband is a good example. If we're not at home, my first thought is, why do we need to keep paying for the internet? Then you start looking at actually what it uses— security cameras, perhaps a home alarm connection, remote heating controls, or somebody staying in the property who quite reasonably expects to be able to get online. So check what would stop working before you cancel, and then check your contract. because there may be an early termination charge, a notice period, or a router that you've got to return because many contracts these days are 18 months like ours. So even if we want to cancel it, we can't actually cancel it till next April without incurring a hefty penalty charge. So you need the actual details before deciding what actually saves you money. So I'd go through my bank transactions and give regular payments one of 3 decisions: keep it, cancel it, or check it. For our UK viewers, the TV licence belongs in that list as well, but it's separate from a paid television package. Check whether a licence is still needed, including anyone who might be using the property while you're away. On the other hand, if you're away and no one will be watching TV, including BBC iPlayer, then you can cancel it and request a refund that you may qualify for. Then look of course at streaming services, memberships, regular deliveries, and those subscriptions that you barely notice. I guarantee you there will be more than you think. There certainly was when we went through our list. Now utilities need a little bit more care. You may need services running to protect your house, and some charges can continue even when you're using it very little. You don't want a burst water pipe because your heating didn't kick in when it got below freezing. Council tax also needs checking with your council. Being away doesn't automatically, sadly, mean that the bills stop. Now I'm building a spreadsheet of all these services, what we've decided, when it takes effect, and anything that we need to restart. Otherwise, months later, I might be able to remember it now, but I'll be looking at a payment and trying to remember whether I actually cancelled it or merely thought about cancelling it, and I really don't want to be doing this on a night bus to Vietnam. Number 4, the medication you pack needs a plan for what happens when it runs out. If you take regular medication like we do, unfortunately, talk to your GP practice about how long you'll be away and what you're planning. Ask what arrangements can apply to your care. An extended trip or moving abroad can raise different questions. Somebody else's experience won't necessarily give you the answer for your own unique circumstances, so ask your GP how much they can provide. Now, in the UK, it's usually they'll give you a maximum of 3 months' supply, so what happens after that? Also check the rules about bringing specific medicines into the countries that you're going to be visiting because there may be restrictions or documentation requirements, and if you have a printed prescription then take that with you as evidence as well that it is a prescription. And get all your checkups done before you go. Travel health advice and vaccinations need time as well. At least 8 weeks before departure should be the point where you start checking what's out. Now, we've been having numerous vaccinations over the past few months, and don't forget, depending on where you're going, you need to build a budget for this because trust me, it isn't cheap. And unfortunately, in the UK, you can only get a few jabs on the NHS, and the rest you need to pay for privately. Now, make sure you can find essential health information when you need it. If you use the NHS app, then check your access. Then check your travel insurance against the whole journey. Now we talked about this in last week's video, so if you missed that, go and watch that now. Did you know that 91% of our viewers are not subscribers, and that means only just under 7% are? So if you are enjoying this video but you're not a subscriber, do me a favour and hit the subscribe button and the bell so you are alerted when a new video goes live. Number 3 is make sure you can access your money throughout the trip. There are a few fairly obvious things to check. First, will your bank allow you to keep your account in the same way while you're away? Does it need to know about your travel plans or any change in your residency or address? And will any of your cards expire before you return? An expiring card is much easier to replace before you leave than it is while you're in some other country. It's also worth finding a credit card or a payment card that keeps overseas charges as low as possible. So look at foreign transaction fees, exchange rates, and cash withdrawal charges, because over several months these small costs can really add up. We've researched this and we're going to be taking a Lloyds credit card with us as well as using Revolut, partly to keep those costs down and partly so that we're not just relying on one provider. But the less obvious risk is how much of your banking depends on your phone. God, imagine if you lost your phone. You try to sign into your bank, but it wants to send a security code to your phone, but of course it's missing. Then your email asks you to approve the login on exactly the same device. That's the situation that I want to work through beforehand. Having a separate backup payment method, ideally one that doesn't rely on the same account or device, and keep that backup card separately. 2 cards in one lost wallet isn't really going to help very much, is it? Your UK phone number needs, needs its own decision. Buying data abroad is one thing, keeping access to a number that your bank uses is another. So check roaming terms and restrictions on prolonged overseas use, then look at a recovery method, your important account support, and we're going to be using eSIMs to keep the cost down. Could you get back into your email without your usual phone? Have you set up available alternatives And I test that while everything is still working. If my phone disappeared tomorrow, would I know how to pay for the next couple of days and regain access to my accounts? And to be honest, probably isn't quite the answer that I'd be looking for. And keep number 1 in mind as we go through this. It's about a conversation with somebody you trust and what you're actually asking them to do. Number 2 is an important letter can still have a deadline while you're abroad. Most post you can wait or cancel, and of course a lot of it's online these days, but the difficult bit is knowing which bits can't. So decide whether redirection makes sense or whether you need another arrangement. If somebody's going to be handling your post, agree with them exactly what that means. Will they open it, photograph it, send it on to you? How quickly will they let you know something needs your attention? You need to be comfortable with them seeing it, and they need to be comfortable doing that specific job. So check the records that matter, including relevant driving licence and vehicle details, and put renewals and deadlines into your calendar. There may be tax, pension, or other benefit questions depending on your circumstances and the nature of your absence. Those deserve proper checking where relevant. The practical result I want is straightforward: important information reaches us, We know what needs a response, and we can find the documents that we need to deal with those responses. And finally, number 1, and that is that the person with your spare key may be taking on more than either of you realises. Now, this sounds like a small favour. Would you mind keeping an eye on the house and checking in once a week? And perhaps most weeks it will be that, but what happens if there's a problem? We can research the journey, we can check policies and organise the paperwork, But at some point we may need somebody physically there, somebody who can go around, let a repair person in, or tell us what's going on. That deserves a proper conversation. What are they willing to do? What would be too much to ask them? And what happens if they're away themselves? I don't want to assume that accepting a key means accepting responsibility for everything that happens over the following year. Give them the contacts and the instructions that they need, and agree how they should reach you, and what they're going to do if you're unavailable, and how urgent repairs or expenses for those repairs will be handled. Now, for certain tasks, information alone won't be enough, so check whether formal permission or authority is needed. Keep documents securely, but make sure the relevant information is accessible to the person who needs it, and think about what happens if you need to return early, because if one of us becomes ill or a family member becomes unwell, or circumstances change, could we get home and use our house? What would need restarting? The car, heating, services, medication arrangements? I'd rather have that short return checklist ready. For me, the final check is about knowing what help can we reasonably ask for and what makes it easier for someone to give it. So those are the 7 areas that we're working our way through for our time away. You don't have to finish everything in an afternoon, you won't be able to, but you do need to know what's decided and what still needs attention. Now you can download the checklist that we're going to be using from the link in the description, with space for your actions and dates and anything that you need to restart on your return. And if you've spent several months away, tell us one thing that you wish that you'd sorted before leaving. Now next week I'm going to look more closely at the insurance that actually covers a year like this and what you need to do to check before buying it. So thanks so much for watching and we'll see you next Sunday.