Keep Your Home Secure During Vacation Trips and Come Home to a Secure House

After months of planning, you’ve finally prepared the perfect vacation. The meals you’ll eat, the place you’ll go, and the sites you’ll see have all been carefully planned. Before you pack your bags and head out though, you’ll need to address something important at home. You need a plan to keep your home safe and secure while you’re away on vacation. When planning the perfect vacation, be sure to add these tips to your vacation planning checklist.

One Friend Can Go a Long Way When You’re on Vacation

Sometimes the simplest solution can help the most. When planning a vacation, be sure to ask someone to watch over your home while you’re gone. Whether they are a close friend, a kind next-door neighbor, or a family member, having someone watch over your home can help in more ways than one.

Having a friend stop by your house occasionally can be helpful in keeping up your home’s normal routine. Burglars look for signs that a home is currently empty. By having someone pick up newspapers in your driveway and move your trashcans, you’re removing the more obvious signs that you’re currently not home.

Your friend can also check your mail when stopping by to take care of your home. By keeping your mail flow normal, you stop mail from piling up in the mailbox. Too much mail in your mailbox can alert burglars that your home is empty and ripe for the picking. While you could stop your mail from being delivered while on vacation, the complete absence of mail could look suspicious and could tip-off a smart burglar to your absence.

The Lights are on but No One’s Home

A common misunderstanding about home safety is that leaving a light on in your home while away will deter burglars. Leaving a light constantly on can be helpful for weekend trips, but it can look suspicious for longer vacations. The key to keeping your home off a burglar’s radar is making sure your home looks normal while you’re away. Unless you normally leave a light on 24/7, it will look strange if it’s suddenly on for four days straight.

Along with looking suspicious, leaving a light on 24/7 will drive up your electricity bill. A more cost-effective and less noticeable way to use lights as deterrence is to have a security company automate your home, giving you control over your lights through your phone or smart device. By having control over your light systems, you can turn them on randomly throughout your vacation, worry-free.

Save the Social Media or Risk Your Home’s Security

We live in an age where almost everyone is connected on social media. Information is shared across multiple platforms at the tap of a finger. One of the newest ways burglars find potential targets is by looking through social media posts. Any mention of your vacation on social media can spark a burglar’s interest.

When on vacation, avoid posting pictures or posting where you are or have been. By giving pictures of your location, you’re giving a burglar the “okay” to scout out your home as a target. If your social media accounts are private this isn’t as big of a worry, but it’s still a good practice to keep. Overall, there’s nothing wrong with being excited and sharing things on you social media platforms, but it’s much safer to do so once you’re home.

Having a set plan for keeping your home safe while you’re away on vacation should be a welcome addition to any vacation checklist. For additional peace-of-mind you can always have a home security system installed for when things don’t go according to plan. With a security system, you can keep watch on your house even when you’re away. Keeping your home safe can be as easy as simply being aware of what you’re sharing on social media or asking your neighbor to watch over your home.