What Do You Do With Your Pets When Traveling?

I haven't traveled in several years, but not because of my birds. I can't afford to miss a day of work. I think I traveled 2 times after I got the birds. Since I have a pair, they are able to fully entertain themselves and not be lonely in my absence. I was gone for about 5 days. I gave a friend a key to my apartment and asked her to change the water and give them fresh seed and left a note saying how much they needed. She gave them way more just to be safe, which was fine. The birds hardly seemed to have noticed that I had been gone. She said they were a little confused when she was there feeding them, but when I came back it was just like I'd come back from work, everything normal.