Vacation is a time to relax and leave your cares behind. It’s time to decompress so you can get back to your normal routine, recharged and refreshed. But, there is always that nagging feeling while you are away that things are not going well at home.
Did you lock the doors? Is a thief casing your house to see if you are away? Will you come home to a burst pipe?
This does not help you relax while you are gone. You can do yourself a favor by making sure that you have all the loose ends tied up before you go. This means having a system in place to keep your home secure and problem-free.
I will go over several things you should do before you set off on your next adventure so you can enjoy it.
Have A Home Security System Set-Up
Having an alarm set up was always a good idea. But, there also was little you could do if you were away and somebody tried to break in. At best, you left your contact info with a neighbor, and they would call you after the fact.
With a smart system, it’s almost like you are down the street in case something happens. It pays to set up a system like one from Vivint.com or others that you can stay connected to by smartphone while you are gone.
With a smart system, you can get an alert if a camera detects motion at your front door, so you know in real-time what is happening at home. With smart locks, you can let somebody in remotely in case you get a package rather than leave it outside or have a neighbor get it. Or, if you have somebody coming by to take care of your pets. This eliminates the need for a key.
Give It A Clean
The worst thing to come home to after a vacation is a messy house with the laundry to do and stuff to organize. If you clean your home before you go then, you can focus on getting back to your normal routine as soon as possible.
All your garbage should be thrown away, so there is nothing that will rot and cause a bad smell. Your fridge should also be cleaned out with anything that is set to expire thrown away.
Have Your Mail Held
Mail piling up in your mailbox is like an invitation to a thief to come and rob your house. It is the most obvious sign that there is nobody home.
You can avoid this by signing up with the post office to have them hold your mail for a certain time. Then when you are back, they can start normally sending again. You can ask your neighbor to take care of this for you. But, it is a lot easier and less of a hassle for everybody if you have your mail held.
The same goes for your newspaper delivery if you have that service.
In Winter
If you are going away during the winter, then you need to be extra careful. More can go wrong when the temperatures are shallow than when they get too hot.
For instance, you should have your thermostat set for a high enough temperature that your pipes don’t freeze. Don’t ever shut off your heater, thinking you don’t want to heat an empty house. Even if the temps look good while you are gone, a sudden cold snap could happen and cost you a fortune to fix.
You should also consider wrapping your pipes that are outside or in an uninsulated room so you can keep the thermostat set to a low temperature and hedge your bets just in case.
