7 Home Security Tips When Traveling
Discover 7 simple home security tips when traveling to protect your home and your belongings while you are enjoying some restful time away.
This blog content courtesy of Carrie Stewart, freelance writer passionate about motherhood, travel, home, food, fashion and real estate.
1. Pause your mail and newspaper subscriptions.
An overflowing mailbox or pile of newspapers can be a signal to criminals and trespassers that you are not home. You could ask a neighbor to collect your mail and newspapers, but there’s always the chance that they may forget.
Another option is to call your newspaper company and pause the subscriptions until you return. You can also contact the post office and ask them to hold your mail for you. If you will be gone for an extended period, you can have your mail forwarded to a post office near your location. You can also use that post office to send postcards or notes to friends back home. You can find locations of post offices here.
2. Lock Up
This may seem like common sense, but it’s actually fairly common for people to forget to lock every window and door before they leave for a trip. They’re so busy with packing and preparing for the trip that they simply miss a lock on their way out.
Double-check and triple-check your locks before you leave. If someone needs access to the home, such as a neighbor feeding pets, give them an access code or a key. Don’t leave a key under a doormat or somewhere else outside, as they could be taken by someone who wants to break into your home.
3. Make it look like someone is home.
The best defense is a fairly simple one. Make it look like someone is home. You can do this by leaving lights on. In fact, you can use smart home technology to control your lights and switch different ones on and off every night.
If possible, you also may want to keep a car parked in the garage or driveway to make it appear someone is home. If you’ll be flying to your destination, consider taking a taxi or ridesharing service to the airport so you can keep your car at home.
4. Get help from your neighbors.
Your neighbors can be an important asset in securing your home. At the very least, they can keep an eye on your home and notify you if anything seems unusual.
If you have one particular neighbor you trust, you could ask them to come into your home to water plants, feed animals, and perhaps turn some lights on and off. If you’ll be gone for an extended period, you could also ask them to mow the lawn and other routine chores so it appears someone is home.
5. Let your local police know.
You may also want to let your local police department know that you will be gone. They can have an officer drive by the home and check on it to make sure there’s nothing unusual happening. This can be an especially good idea if you don’t have neighbors nearby to keep an eye on your home.
6. Be careful about what you post online.
Social media allows us to share glimpses into our lives with family and friends. That’s especially true on vacation when we can use social media to share what we’re experiencing.
The problem with posting vacation pictures and videos on social media is that it lets the world know that you aren’t at home. That could attract the attention of unwanted people who want to rob or damage your home.
Be careful about what you post on social media. Perhaps share pictures with select, trusted groups of friends. Set your vacation posts to private so not everyone can see them. Or you could simply choose not to post about your vacation.
7. Notify your alarm company.
Finally, notify your alarm company, if you have one, that you will be gone. They can change their response settings appropriately. For example, normally they may give you time to turn the alarm off before they notify first responders. However, if they know you’re not home, they could choose to notify responders immediately if the alarm goes off.
If you don’t have an alarm system, you could still give the appearance that you have one. You can purchase alarm system stickers online to put on your doors and windows. That will make possible intruders think that your home is secured by an alarm, and it may deter them from breaking in.
These steps can help secure your home and can help you better enjoy your trip. With the peace of mind that your home is safe, you can focus on the most important thing - having fun on your travels.
Put these tips into practice with your next getaway. A great place to visit is Indiana's Amish Country! Start planning an amazing trip to Shipshewana, IN by downloading our free Shipshewana Amish Country Trip Planner Guide.
