Holiday Orchid Survival Guide

[theanalyst]

My guess is that I am not the only person traveling for the holidays. So how do you keep your orchids alive while away?

I read some old threads here and on other forums, and come across conflicting information. For example, some suggest soaking orchids everyday for a couple days before leaving. While others say not to because it could inhibit air circulation. So what are your best tips?

I have seven orchids at home, all within an indoor greenhouse. Given that I live in Upstate NY, it is cold so I leave the heat on (my cats stay at home), which can dry the air. The potted orchids, I can water once before leaving and they are usually okay for the week. I have two mounted and those I soak before leaving and then put a terrarium top (purchased years ago, similar to a cloche) over them for the week.

My bigger concern is the two orchids at my office. In the summer, I have off mid-June through mid-August. The phal actually survived 2 weeks at a time without water, since the AC was off much of the time and it would get pretty humid in my off. But now, with the dry heat running while I'm gone from work for 2 weeks, I'm thinking about what options I have this time around. Plus, I now have an oncidium (plus the phal).

What are your vacation orchid survival guide tips?