Holiday Travel Tips - Safety and Security

Holiday Travel Tips - Safety and Security for Your Home

Ohhh, holiday season; how I love you. The good food, the time with family, the holiday movies, the wine. All of those things make it worth driving all over the map, right? We often host at least one of the season's holidays at my house but when we travel our home's safety is on my mind. I've found there are a few things you can put in place as a homeowner to increase the safety of your home while you're enjoying some holiday family time. 

Leave One of Your Cars in the Driveway

Nothing says “No one’s home” like an empty driveway. If you can, leave one of your vehicles in your driveway or outside your house. This will help deter any thieves scouting out the neighborhood knowing people have ridden off to Grandma's house.  

Ask a Neighbor or Friend to Check Your Mail

A quick way potential thieves check to see if you’re gone, even with a car in the driveway, is to check your mailbox. It’s pretty inconspicuous to do and a few days worth of mail says no one is around. Plus, you'll want to make sure any gifts that are arriving while you're away are taken care of.  

Leave Outside Lights On

We have a motion censored light at our back door that’s on at all times (and a sulfur light I can’t control which is another story) so our backdoor is always well lit. This takes some of the temptation away of potential unwanted guests from using the cover of darkness to enter your home. It’s worth the extra energy bill to deter people.  

Get a Timed Plug for Lights

It’s a little Home Alone-esque but leaving having automatic lights that turn on inside your home at least makes it look like someone there. With the technology of light timers and Alexa or phone-controlled lights you can easily set them up to come on when it starts to get dark out and go off at a reasonable hour. You can probably leave the cardboard cutout the Scarface recordings to Macaulay Culkin. 

Check Windows and Doors

Most replacement windows have safety latches on them that you can set so the window can’t go above a certain height. Setting these and making sure your windows and doors are properly locked when you leave helps keep your home secure, even if someone did try to lift them.  

Set Your Alarms

If you’re lucky enough to have an alarm system make sure you set it. Sounds simple but when you have bags in your hands of presents and are already singing those holiday jingles its easy to forget.  If you don't have a security system yet a DIY security system can be a great gift to yourself. My husband and I have been looking into adding a DIY security system to our home so we've been deep in research. I found Consumers Advocate had a great article comparing different DIY systems. Check it out here. 

Happy Holidays,