problem of mail

Planning trip to Alaska in 2014. In the past, we have been gone mostly 2-3 weeks at a stretch and pick up our mail when we get home. The only down side to this is every once in a while I end up paying a late fee on the cards because I missed the deadline by not planning the trip careful enough. It is not much but I figure it will add up on this trip. So, how do people handle this situation? I am afraid to many late fees will eventually hit my credit score and I would like to avoid that problem.