Snowbird Pre-Departure Checklist

• Arrange for a trusted neighbour, friend, family member or property manager to check your home regularly.
• Ask your home insurer exactly how often inspections are required. Do not assume a weekly visit is sufficient.
• Give your home checker a key, alarm instructions, your contact information and appropriate emergency contacts.
• Consider keeping a written or electronic record of every visit.
• Confirm how your policy addresses the main water supply, leaks, heating and an unoccupied home.
• Check the heating system, smoke alarms and carbon-monoxide detectors before leaving.
• Secure outdoor furniture and barbecues against Vancouver Island winter storms.
• Arrange for mail, packages, garbage and recycling, and confirm that alarms, cameras and smart-home devices can be monitored remotely.

Important: Vacancy and unoccupied-home conditions differ between policies. Get the requirements directly from your insurer and follow them precisely.

• Review coverage limits, deductibles, exclusions and requirements involving pre-existing medical conditions.
• Understand the stability period and whether a recent change in medication, treatment or medical condition may affect coverage.
• Confirm the maximum number of days covered for each trip.
• Save the insurer's 24-hour emergency assistance number in both travellers' phones.
• Carry policy information in your wallet and keep a digital copy on your phone.
• Make sure a family member at home knows where the information is stored.
• Know the policy procedure for contacting the insurer during a medical emergency.

Do this before departure: An insurance card in a drawer is not enough. Know whom to call and what the policy requires before you need help.

• Speak with your doctor and pharmacist well before departure about an extended supply where permitted.
• Keep medications in their original labelled containers.
• Carry a current list of medications and dosages.
• Keep essential medication with you while travelling rather than in checked luggage.
• Know how a lost or damaged prescription could be replaced while you are in the United States.

• Record every day spent in the United States. Do not rely only on memory or airline itineraries.
• Recognize that U.S. immigration limits and U.S. tax-residency calculations are separate rules.
• Learn how the IRS Substantial Presence Test uses days across three calendar years.
• Ask an appropriate cross-border tax professional whether IRS Form 8840 may apply to you.
• Review your U.S. entry and exit records periodically for accuracy.
• Consider using the Snowbirds U.S. Day Tracker to maintain your records.

• Check your passport expiry date well before departure.
• Confirm how long you are permitted to remain in the United States based on your circumstances.
• Do not assume that owning U.S. property gives you additional immigration rights.
• Keep records supporting your ties to Canada where appropriate.
• Know your expected return date and be prepared to explain the purpose and duration of your visit.
• Get professional advice before arriving at the border if your immigration circumstances are unusual.

• Set a regular check-in routine before leaving.
• Make sure family members have your U.S. address, phone number and itinerary.
• Give a trusted person your emergency contacts, insurance information and important medical details where appropriate.
• Let family know when you are travelling between destinations.

• Notify your financial institution about your travel plans if required.
• Confirm that your credit and debit cards will work in the United States and carry more than one payment method.
• Review foreign-exchange and transaction fees.
• Confirm secure access to your Canadian accounts and review automatic bill payments.
• Have a plan for major unexpected costs, particularly a medical emergency.
• Make sure trusted-contact information, powers of attorney and estate documents are current and accessible where appropriate.

• Have the vehicle serviced and check tires, brakes, fluids, battery and emergency equipment.
• Confirm that your Canadian auto insurance provides appropriate U.S. coverage.
• Keep registration and insurance documents accessible.
• Make sure roadside assistance applies in the United States.
• Plan safe overnight stops instead of trying to cover too much distance in one day.

• Confirm that utilities, internet and other services will be ready when you arrive.
• Review U.S. property and liability insurance.
• Confirm that smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors are working.
• Keep local emergency and property-management contacts available.
• If you own U.S. real estate, obtain advice about any cross-border tax and estate-planning considerations that apply to you.

Create both a physical and digital folder containing:

• Passport copies and Canadian and U.S. addresses
• Travel medical insurance policy and emergency assistance number
• Medication list, prescription details and doctors' contact information
• Emergency family contacts
• Vehicle insurance and roadside-assistance details
• Financial advisor, accountant, power of attorney and estate-planning contacts
• Home-insurance information and the contact for the person checking your Vancouver Island home

Make sure both spouses or partners know where the complete package is stored.

Review the questions that may affect healthcare, insurance, taxation, immigration and U.S. day counting before arriving at your winter destination. Gerry has selected short videos and podcast episodes to help snowbirds recognize the issues that may require further advice.

Gerry's book, Snowbirds Heading South for the Winter: What You Don't Know Will Hurt You, is a practical guide to U.S. day counting, immigration, taxation, healthcare, travel insurance and other cross-border considerations.

The point is not to make travelling south feel more complicated. It is to understand the rules, organize your documents, protect your home, confirm your healthcare coverage, track your days and stay connected with the people who matter.