stove knobs
Jade Small
Jade Small
February 29, 2024 ·  3 min read

You Should Start Taking Photos Of Your Stove Before Leaving For Vacation

Leaving your stove on is more common than you might think, and that’s when you’re at home. If you’re preparing for vacation, you can see a completely different side of your personality suddenly emerge. Who knows where they come from, but these irrational fears start entering your mind while you’re packing the car or ordering your sixteenth latte in the airport lounge. You start to wonder about your doors and windows being locked. You might have left appliances, lights, or even your hot-water heater on. The one that seems to overshadow the rest is, of course, your stove. For some reason, it just sits in the back of your mind like a caged animal, pacing back and forth. Luckily, those of us with this fear can deal with it by doing one simple thing; start taking photos of your stove. That way, you always have a real-world reminder.

Taking photos of your stove brings peace of mind

Don’t forget that vacations are your time off. You earned this, and what’s more, you probably need the relaxation time too. You can’t waste precious time worrying about whether you should have hired a professional house-sitter or not. Checklists can sometimes create more anxiety than they solve in this case. So, specifically going around your house, taking photos of your stove and other appliances like your iron or air-con unit can help put your mind to rest later on. You can even take a photo of the latch on your back door. Anything that will help you sleep better. The beauty of this exercise is that your mind will naturally remember the act of taking the photo later. This becomes a safety net to catch all those panic thoughts that start creeping in while you’re packing and planning your outfits. You don’t want to leave any essentials behind!

Taking photos of your stove before you leave on vacation can help.
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Sunil Metcalfe, a Europe travel expert at Black Tomato, also advocates taking photos of your stove and household items. “Similar to forwarding your emails to your colleague or leaving your pet in the care of someone you trust, taking a picture of the locked back door, the closed garage door, or unplugged appliance, allows you peace of mind to let go and be fully present,” Metcalfe explained. “We’ve all had that gut-wrenching moment en route to the airport where you think you’ve made a critical error in preparing for your trip,” he continued. “Having a picture eliminates this moment of panic.” Having a smart home system with your electric devices linked by an app is useful he said, “but taking a picture is a much more cost-effective option and leaves no room for technological error.

Sunil Metcalfe, Black Tomato via Reader’s Digest
a small living room with various green plants
Image: tourradar

Make yourself a travel time routine

When you’re traveling or simply planning a road trip, there is already plenty to consider before you walk out your door. So it won’t be too much trouble to create your own pre-travel ritual to fight off any stress or anxiety that might be lurking around. Having a trustworthy and willing friend or family member with a key can take a great burden off your shoulders. They can even check the mail and help to look after your pets and plant children if you need them to. Apart from taking photos of your stove and appliances, a pre-travel routine can make your house safer and more energy-efficient, while you can let your hair down. It might feel like extra work at first, but the more you travel the more you’ll realize how stress-free your trips suddenly become. Bon Voyage!

Keep Reading: You Can Vacation And Sleep In A Giant Wine Barrel AND Drink Wine All Day

Sources

  1. Always Take a Picture of Your Stove Before You Leave for Vacation.Reader’s Digest. March 4th, 2020
  2. “9 ways to prep your home before you leave for vacation” c|net. Julie 28, 2018