Preparing your home for a holiday travel

Preparing your home while you’re probably very excited about your upcoming travel plans for the holidays. You need to make sure you take the time to prepare your home as well. Criminals are very aware that people travel for the holidays and look for homes to target during this period. There is much less risk of being caught during this time because so many people are paying attention to their own plans.

Check the doors and windows

Check all doors and windows carefully before leaving for the holidays. All should be securely locked to prevent anyone from entering them unnoticed. If you have an alarm system, make sure you set it before you go out. Put in new batteries for motion lights and any external video equipment you may have installed. Do not leave extra keys under the floor mat. Nor in other common places where criminals can easily find them and walk straight into your home.

You don’t want your home to look empty when you travel for the holidays. If possible, have a friend or neighbor stop by every day. Most criminals watch homes. If they see different lights on or see fresh footprints in the snow, they are less likely to target your home.

Collection of mail and newspapers

Have someone pick up your mail and newspaper every day. Or put delivery on hold until you return from your vacation trip. Not only is this a sure sign that you’re out of town, but it can also lead to identity theft. All it takes is for a criminal to get hold of your bank statement or credit card statement. iI could delete your account and charge the items you will have on your credit card.

Preparing your home for the colder part of the year

If you’re traveling for the holidays in a colder part of the year, have someone shovel your driveway and sidewalks. This certainly gives the impression that you are at home or at least that someone is keeping a very close eye on your home. You also want to set your thermostat to a decent temperature while you’re on the road. The extra cost on your heating bill will be nothing compared to the damage from burst pipes. Pipes that may have frozen due to the drop in temperatures while you were traveling for the winter holidays.

Ensure contact with friends or neighbors

Make sure a friend or neighbor can contact you in an emergency involving your home while you’re away for the holidays. Hopefully they won’t need to contact you, but such measures can be very helpful if a problem arises. They may be able to take care of low priority issues for you. Like not turning off the sprinkler system.

It can be very nice to travel for the holidays, but do everything you can to make sure your home is protected while you’re away. You don’t want to come home to find that your home has been broken into or later that your personal information has been compromised. A little planning before you travel for the holidays will help you make sure everything is safe and sound when you return.