You've worked hard, you've saved the money and now your vacation is all planned out. Congratulations - you've earned it. As your bags are packed, and you're headed to the airport, however, it's natural for your mind to turn not to where you're going but to what you're leaving behind: your home.
When going away, everyone wonders whether they've taken enough precautions to protect their home and the valuables inside while they're gone. Thankfully, getting to the point where you don't have to stress out about this at all isn't all that difficult - however, as a process it does require you to keep a few key things in mind.
1. Put Your Lights on a Timer
One of the easiest ways to protect your home while you're away involves putting all of your lights on a timer - or at least the lights on each floor that are closest to a window. That way, anyone who may be paying attention will still think that someone is home as the lights turn on and off each night.
2. Have a Friend Check on Your Home
Of course, one of the easiest ways to protect your home while you're away is to have a friend check in on things every few days. You can give them a key (or have a new copy made) and let them enter and just make sure that everything is still as it should be while you're on vacation. If you have an electronic door lock that allows you to enter via a keypad, you can just make them their own code, and you don't have to worry about getting a copy of your key at all.
3. Keep a Car in the Driveway
If yours is a home that has multiple cars, and you're taking one to the airport, be sure to keep one parked in the driveway while you're gone. This, too, is a great way to make it seem like someone is home when the house is actually empty. This technique coupled with the lights that come on via a timer will really make it seem like your house is a bevy of activities.
4. Consider Your Curtains and Blinds
When leaving your home for an extended period of time, you might want to consider keeping the curtains and blinds on your first floor closed for the duration. That way, nobody can see that the house is empty. If you have a second floor, you can leave those blinds open as people likely won't be able to see in any way.
5. Install a Home Monitoring System
One of the more sophisticated ways to make sure that everything is protected while you're gone is to install a home monitoring system. You can install cameras, window and door sensors, and more - all so that you can see at a moment's notice what is going on at home while you're gone. Some systems even send you instant alerts right to your phone via either push notification or text message.
6. Don't Overshare on Social Media
Try not to post anything on social media about your vacation until you get back. That way, people won't know that your home is about to be empty for a lengthy period of time. Oversharing like that is a great way to attract the wrong kind of attention at the worst possible time.
7. Safeguard Valuables by Locking Them Up
If there are valuables like jewelry that you're particularly worried about, lock them up in some type of safe. For the best results, get a floor safe that you can literally bolt to the ground so that it cannot be stolen as well.
8. Make Your Security Known
As the old saying goes, sometimes the best defense is a good offense. In this particular case, that means not only taking steps to secure your home but not keeping those steps a secret. If you have a security system installed, for example, don't be afraid to put one of those "Protected by [COMPANY NAME]" signs in your front yard. It can be a great deterrent to make sure that anyone who may have been thinking about trying something while you're gone think twice about it.
9. Invest in Outdoor Security Lighting
Outdoor security lighting, like the lights that come on via a timer, is a great way to make it seem like your home is more active than it really is. If anyone tries to break in, it will also make it very hard for them to avoid the attention of those security lights coming on whenever motion is detected. As an added bonus this is an investment that will continue to pay dividends long after you've returned from your vacation, too.
10. Stop the Delivery of Newspapers and Mail
Finally, be sure to call the post office and stop delivery of any newspapers and other mail while you're gone. If you want to broadcast to the world that your house is empty and you're away, letting your mailbox overflowing with envelopes and letting a pile of daily newspapers amass on your front porch is the perfect way to do it. The post office will hold all of these things for you while you're gone and you can just head over and collect it all when you get back.
In the End
Overall, it's important to understand that taking care of your home while you're away certainly isn't impossible - but it does require a proactive approach. By having an adequate system in place, you'll be able to enjoy every moment of your time away with as few potential issues as possible.
All it takes is a few straightforward precautions before you leave to let you have complete peace of mind on your well-earned vacation, knowing that you'll return to your home precisely as you left it.
