When you go on vacation, it’s necessary that you take certain precautions to take care of your house and belongings – especially if you are away for longer periods of time. Even if you aren’t living in an area that has a lot of crime, it’s good to protect your home when traveling no matter where you’re from. It is just a good habit to have in general and can help you avoid a lot of headaches and potential losses should an undesirable scenario ever happen. As you get ready to leave for your well-deserved and much-anticipated vacation, this blog post covers 9 ways to protect your home when traveling. These tips can apply to those who live in both houses and high-rises, but the last tip is more for those who live in a house since those living in high-rises don’t have to maintain the property around them!
Speaking of high-rises, it may be a little easier for those who live in condos or apartments to protect their homes as many of them have multiple levels of security to even get into the building, up an elevator, and to your place. But there are still things you can do to ensure that you are protecting your home if it’s sitting empty when you’re traveling.
1 – Lock Up And Set Alarms
Obviously, the most basic kind of security you can set up is to lock all of your doors and windows, ensure they are sealed, and set your alarms. In addition, you can set alarms for your windows or even add an additional alarm to your front door and back doors like these ones from Amazon. They’re basically magnetic sensors you can set up on your door or window and can help deter intruders or alert others that something is happening. They’re super easy to install and don’t require any wiring, but they’re a good option if you want to add extra security.
2 – Install Security Cameras Inside And Outside Your House
Installing a security system for your house is a very useful and ever-so-popular way to ensure your home is safe and secure. This can be security cameras surrounding your property and even in certain rooms of your house which connects to an app on your phone where you can keep an eye on your house any time you’d like. They can also alert you in real-time if there is any strange movement on your property. Here are some of the best home security cameras.
3 – Have A Friendly Neighbor
If possible, it’s good to have a friendly neighbor or even a family member or friend to keep an eye on your place once every few days. Helping keep your porch clear, picking up the mail, and just taking a quick look around your property and interior to make sure everything is in place and running properly. This will also ensure that your home insurance policy stays valid as there are certain stipulations that require someone to check your house if it is vacant for a certain period of time.
4 – Turn Off Power Where You Can
What you can do to make sure your house is safe from the inside while you’re traveling is to turn off the power or to unplug certain electrical appliances so that you can avoid any power surges that can cause fires or other damage. You can even shut off the breaker but only do this if you are leaving for a long vacation otherwise it can damage it. However, if you are living in a high-rise, there are times when it’s advised by management to leave your heat on at a certain temperature to make sure that your fan coil doesn’t freeze over since it can cost a lot of money to repair and replace.
5 – Shut Off The Water
Another thing you can do to protect your home when traveling is to shut off the water to prevent any kind of flooding or water damage due to plumbing issues or other reasons. It can also prevent damage to other property, including your neighbors’ if you’re in a high-rise which can be quite an ordeal to fix and can even have you or them living at a hotel until repairs are complete.
6 – Secure Your Valuables
If you have a lot of high-value items, it’s probably a good idea to secure your valuables in an at-home safe or a safety deposit box at your bank. Whether they have sentimental value, are really expensive, or are one-of-a-kind and limited-edition items, you’ll want to make sure they’re in a safe place and still there when you’re back from your vacation. Even if home insurance can cover your personal valuables, it may be hard to recover or purchase the same items.
7 – Ensure Your Home Insurance Policy Is Up To Date
As you can tell from my previous points, having home insurance is important to safeguard your house. If you have a mortgage or are part of a condo association, it is likely that it’s mandatory to have some type of homeowners’ insurance. You want to be able to protect your home in every way you can and have a home insurance policy to cover accidents such as water damage as well as personal liability and even identity theft will be very helpful to have.
8 – Don’t Post In Real Time On Social Media
Of course, never post your activity on social media in real-time. This way, you can protect not only your home when traveling, but yourself too should anyone be watching where you are. It’s always better to be safe than sorry and social media is too easy of a way to track people these days. As much as I’d like my content on Instagram to be as up-to-date as possible, my posting is delayed for the most part. Plus, it does take time to edit and create the content!
9 – Make It Look Like Someone’s Home
Another way you can protect your home when traveling especially if you live in a house, is to make it look like someone’s home. That means using timed lights, having freshly cut grass, or even cars on your driveway can help make it look like you’re home and engaging in your usual activities even if people don’t see you on a regular basis.
Now that you’ve protected your home, enjoy your vacation! Here are more travel tips in case you need them.