Travel Tips Part I - Keeping Your Home Safe While on Vacation
Travel Tips
Part I
Summer time means the start of vacation season. Before you hit the road you’ll want to read these Travel Tips. Wait, wait! These aren’t your typical travel tips. These are travel tips for your home. Whether you have a trip planned to the lake, the beach, or out of the country you need to make sure your home is secure and safe before heading out. Here’s my list of what we do before we travel to keep our home safe. I also included a few tips for what I do to help future, post-travel me out when we get back! 
Safety and Security Tips
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.
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’s around.
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 lit up. We like doing this because it takes some of the temptation away potential unwanted guests from using the cover of darkness to enter our home. It’s worth the extra in an energy bill to deter people.
Get a Timed Plug for Lights
It’s a little Home Alone-esque but leaving a light on inside your home at least makes it look like someone there. You don’t have to wire up any fake cardboard cutouts to move around in front of the windows, but with the technology of light timers and Alexa-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.
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 and just ready to get on the road its easy to forget. If you don't have a security system yet - I get it, they can be expensive - there are some great DIY security system options. Consumers Advocate has written a great article comparing different systems. You can read it here.
Happy Hunting (and vacation!),
