Planning a vacation can be both exciting and stressful. With so many things going on and elements of your trip to factor in, there’s a chance you might overlook something important. If there’s one thing you shouldn’t forget about, it’s your home’s security. An unoccupied home is a perfect target for would-be burglars and criminals.
Whether you’re traveling to a remote island, staying over at your family’s place for the holidays, or simply working in your office, you’ll have a much better time wherever you are with the peace of mind knowing that your home and belongs are safe. The following tips will help you make sure your home is safe and secure before you go off on your adventures.
Reinforce your entryways
Make it much harder for thieves to get in by reinforcing your doors and windows. Locking them before you leave won’t mean much if these entryways aren’t strong enough to handle being forced in. Sturdy decorative security doors, durable hardwood window frames, and impenetrable tempered window glass are powerful lines of defense against intruders.
Make it appear as if someone’s home
Burglars are encouraged by an unoccupied home since they can get in, take whatever they need, and get out without any trouble. Making it look like you never left your house or at least that it’s occupied is a surefire way to deter them from going through with their plans. Hiring a house sitter or asking your trusted friend or relative to house sit for you is the best way to do this. You can also hire someone to keep your grass freshly cut and have someone park their car in your driveway. Don’t forget to suspend your mail delivery so that your letterbox doesn’t get stuffed while you’re away.
Keep quiet about your travel plans on social media
As enjoyable as it is to share your travels with your friends on social media, it’s a risky thing to do. That is because you’re essentially telling everyone that your home is vacant and ripe for burglarizing. So, hold off on posting play-by-play status updates about your vacation and just enjoy the moment. You have plenty of time to update your social media profiles when you return.
Keep your valuables out of sight
Put away all your most valuable possessions somewhere where intruders won’t easily find them. Even if they do break into your home, at least they won’t get their hands on the things most important to you. If you don’t already have one, you will benefit from purchasing a durable safe that’s big enough to house your cash, heirlooms, jewelry, electronics, and more. You should also keep a good record of all your valuables so that you can quickly determine if something goes missing.
Install a surveillance system
You don’t need the most high-tech equipment to set up a surveillance system and keep your home secure. All you’ll need is a reliable security camera, motion detector lights, and an alarm system. These are affordable and quite easy to set up. Some companies even provide security packages that offer these at a discounted rate with free installation.
Taking all these precautions ensures that you’ll have a worry-free vacation and a safe and secure home to return to once it’s over.
