For people who are traveling, it is always important to have a plan in place when it comes to the best way to prepare your home while you are away. This especially goes for those who do not have anyone staying in their home while they are gone, or regularly checking in on it.
If you have an upcoming trip planned, whether it is a vacation with family and friends (or solo!), or you are going to be traveling for work, it is important to make sure that you have a plan in place to protect your home and avoid any burglaries, which unfortunately can be common in today’s society. While you are away, you do not want to have to think twice about whether your home is protected.
Consider the following ways to prepare ahead of going away:
Make sure everything is locked.
First, make sure before you leave your home that everything is locked. Go to each room in the home, even the basement, and double check all windows and doors so that you are extra sure that nothing has been left unlocked accidentally. While this may seem obvious, it can be easy to forget to lock a door or window if you are in a rush!
Secure all your valuables.
Next, for any valuables that you will not be bringing along with you on your trip, make sure that they are secured and put away in a safe deposit box. If you do not have a safe deposit box in your home, it is always a good idea to invest in one so that you can assure everything is safely put away when you are not in the home. Valuables to put in a safe deposit box can include any jewelry you have, your passports, important paperwork, expensive collectibles, or any family heirlooms. You can never be too safe!
Alert your alarm company (if you have one).
If you have an alarm system in your home, be sure to alert your alarm company that you will be traveling before you leave for your trip. This is always a good idea to do ahead of leaving so that the company is able to monitor anything suspicious while you are gone. Not to mention, many alarm systems offer a connection to an app if you have a smartphone, which can allow you to monitor your home and any alarm signals as well.
Avoid updating social media.
This can be a tough one if you are into using social media, but overall, it is not smart to make constant status updates on your social media if you are planning on being gone for a long period of time. Anything posted on the internet can easily become public, even if you think you are just posting to your friends if you have a private profile.
Put interior lights on timers.
Having your interior lights go on at a certain time each day and night while you are away is one of the best ways to avoid a burglar entering your home. Many burglars look for opportunities to enter a home, especially if they are seeing that there have been no lights on for a certain period of time. By setting a timer to have interior lights go on in your home at a certain time each day and night, it will not appear as if no one is home.
Unplug electronics.
To avoid any unnecessary and unwanted power surges, try to unplug all your electronics before leaving the home. This can include any computers or laptops in your home, any TVs, any radio, or speaker systems, as well as other electronics. If you choose to keep them plugged in while you are away, make sure that you have surge protectors throughout the house, just in case of emergency.