The enclosure question comes before the packing list
Decide first whether your corn snake travels with his own enclosure or moves into the carer's, because that single choice shapes everything else you pack. Moving the whole setup keeps his hides, smells, and layout familiar, and a settled corn snake eats on schedule in a strange house. If he must move into the carer's housing, pack his two familiar hides and his water bowl at minimum, and visit the setup in advance to check the lid closes with clips on every side. Corn snakes explore edges methodically at dusk, and a week is plenty of time for a determined snake to find the one unclipped corner. Pack spare clips either way, and a roll of tape is no substitute.
Heat, hides, and the basics that fill the box
Pack the heat source your corn snake uses at home, together with the thermostat that controls it, because a borrowed heat mat run without a thermostat is the one genuinely dangerous shortcut in snake sitting. Add a thermometer so the carer can verify the warm end rather than trusting the dial. Include substrate for at least one full change, since a spilled water bowl can soak a corner overnight, plus a spare bag for spot-cleaning. His heavy water bowl matters: a lightweight dish will be tipped by a snake that cruises at night. Pack a spray bottle if the carer will need to raise moisture when his eyes turn dull before a shed.
Food packed by the day, not by the handful
Prepare a corn snake's food as labelled daily portions, not a loose bag of frozen feeders. Write the feeding day on each portion and note how you thaw and warm it, because a carer who has never fed a snake needs the method, not just the menu. Pack one extra feeder beyond the week's plan, clearly marked as a spare, and say plainly that a refused meal is thrown away and noted, never refrozen or offered again the next night. Add his recent history to the food bag: date of last meal, date of last complete shed, and anything the carer should expect, such as a shed due midweek that may put him off eating.
The routine card a first-time carer actually needs
Write a corn snake's routine card in the order of a day: morning glance at water and temperature, evening check that the lid is clipped, feeding only on the marked day, and no handling for two days after a meal. Include the small prohibitions that protect snakes in other people's houses: no scented sprays near the enclosure, no live prey left in with him, no taking him out to show visitors. Note his temperament honestly, including the times of day he is most active and how he behaves around feeding, so the carer is not startled by a hungry lunge at the glass. End the card with your number, a backup contact, and your reptile vet's details.
Final checks in the carer's doorway
Set the enclosure up yourself at the carer's home if you possibly can, run the heat for a while, and read the thermometer together before the snake goes in. Show the carer the lid clips being fastened, the water bowl's fill line, and where the labelled feeders sit in their freezer. Agree how you will hear from them: a brief message after the feed and a photo if he sheds is plenty for one week. A corn snake is an undemanding guest when his setup and instructions travel with him, and handing that routine over is tidier with KinsLe, where a Care Pass gives the carer clear temporary access to his details.