While on a vacation or a business trip, the last thing that a person should have to worry about is the safety of their home. Your home is a great investment and maintaining the safety of it, is top priority.
I love to travel, and making sure my home is secured is my first priority before leaving. Whether I am traveling for personal or business reasons, either a short or extended period, there are a few things that I have found to be quite helpful.
The simplest yet effective tip is maintaining normalcy. Keeping things normal can include the lighting around your home, sprinklers and routine yard maintenance. Using timers or apps can help assist in setting a lighting schedule and creating the illusion that there is someone home. If you are planning to be away for an extended period of time, make sure the yard is maintained. This will include keeping the grass cut during the summer months, the raking of leaves during the fall and snow removal during the winter. This can all be done by hiring a company or even a friend to come over to do yard maintenance while you are away. Whatever your normal routine is, do your best to keep it going!
Check with your Local County or municipality, many are unaware but many offer home watching services for a nominal fee.
For me, I rarely park both cars inside the garage. When traveling, I make sure that one car is always parked in the driveway. Parking at least one car outside of the garage creates the illusion that someone is home. Having a car parked in the drive way can be a deterrence while your away.
Also remember when loading your vehicle with your luggage, make it speedy and hidden as possible. Don’t leave bags outside by the car while you are walking back and forth in your home.
While we addressed the inside lighting of your home the outside is also very important! Ensure that your light bulbs are in good working order. Make sure you have a plan to keep them on while you are away. There are so many great options to help assist! There are lights that come with timers as well as some that are solar, which only come on when the sun goes down. If you do have to plug in your lights at night, consider having a friend or family member do this for you.
Having a friend watch your home is also great idea. I always have a friend stop by my home to check on things, from walking in and out of the home, opening blinds, turning on lights, and checking and collecting my mail. Should you decide to give someone access to your home there are several ways to do so. Additionally, if possible it is best to hand your keys off to a friend or family member, if the plan is to have them watch your home, instead of leaving spare keys out.
My neighbors are all very close nit, so if there is something out of the norm they are quick to identify it. The truth is neighbors have to stick together. Let them know that you will be out of town and that you will have a friend stopping by to check on your house, maybe show them a picture so they can be familiar.
Have an alarm you rarely use? Now is the time to get it up and running! If you don't have an alarm that's okay too! Sometimes appearing to have one is just as effective. Grab a sign and post it in your yard!
My favorite item by far is my Ring! doorbell. Ring is a video doorbell that allows you to answer your door from anywhere. They also have a full line of cameras and a whole home security system. Being able to tap into my cameras while I am away gives me such peace of mind! There are several other companies that offer the same types of products.
When traveling for an extended period, it has been stated that its best to stop your mail or have someone collect the mail for you. You can go to your local post office and ask them to hold your mail. In addition try not to order anything that will be shipped to your home unless you have plans for someone else to pick it up for you. Nothing screams 'i'm not home' like a stack of mail and boxes!
The last tip that I found to be helpful, is keeping a low profile on social media. We live in times where social media plays a major role in our lives, a lot of us love to post and share our vacations, but the key is not sharing when you are away. This is a public invite to your home for those that are watching. I personally love to share my vacations and trips, but I don't share them all. You could always wait until you return home to share and post your vacation photos or make sure that your profile is on private and only those you trust can see.
Remember the key is to come back home, the way you left it. So, when you’re making travel plans don’t forget to make your home safety plan as well.