Lights…Camera(s)…Action(s) you can take to keep your home safe while you are away. Even if you don’t live in Hollywood, keep these 11 crucial tips in mind before your next vacation.
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We all know that we are supposed to stay alert when we’re on vacation. We don’t want to draw the attention of pickpockets or be taken advantage of because we are tourists. But, how can you keep your home safe while you’re not there?
- Lights
- Cameras
- Alarm System
- Mail and Packages
- Outdoor Maintenance
- Cars
- Garbage Day
- People Traffic
- Packing
- Ride to the Airport
- Luggage Tags
- Bonus: Social Media
1-Lights
If you put your lights on timers that go on and off at the same time everyday, that becomes predictable if someone is “casing” your house. So if you can put them on timers that will vary the time of day they go on and off that’s better. You can even use smart switches and control them from your smartphone, set them on a schedule, or set “away mode” (random). You can plug appliance into a smart plug too.
If you have people coming in and out of your house, have them turn different lights on and off.
My grandparents used to leave music playing when they went out–only for a few hours I think, not a few weeks.
2-Cameras
Not everyone has cameras, but if you do then you should use them. Check them every so often just to see that everything is in order and doing what it should (i.e. lights going on and off, car where it should be, garbage cans not sitting out, etc.).
3-Alarm System
This one gets a big slap on the forehead “duh!” 🤦♀️ If you have an alarm system–USE IT!! Better yet, if you have central monitoring that has a patrol option, see if you can add patrol for while you’re away.
4-Mail and Packages
Don’t let your mail pile up! If you have a slot that goes straight into the house, you may not think about putting a hold on your mail. But, sometimes the mail carrier may not push things all the way through, it may pile up too much, or there may be things that didn’t fit and were left on the porch.
Ask a neighbor to shove things through if they see things sticking out. On the same vein, ask the neighbor to bring in your packages. If you feel comfortable, give the neighbor your key and alarm code so they can be put them straight into your house. If not, have them bring things into their house, just make sure they don’t get lost and you know how many packages you were supposed to have gotten. It’s not their responsibility to keep track of your stuff. You should get texts/emails when packages are delivered so you know when to ask the neighbor to check your porch.
My mother actually arranges for her patrol company to “bring in her mail”. They don’t actually bring it into her house, rather they bring it into the backyard where she leaves a collection box that’s protected from the weather (she actually uses a cooler). It’s not because she doesn’t want to put a hold on her mail, it’s really because this way the patrolman has to actually walk around her house a few times a week to make sure everything is ok.
5-Outdoor Maintenance (Gardner/Poolman/etc.)
If you have any type of regular outdoor maintenance that is coming anyway, ask them to keep the house looking lived in. Make sure there’s no leaves or garbage piled up anywhere, toss the circulars, move around any furniture/toys you have on the front lawn, etc.
6-Cars
If you leave a car in the driveway, see if you can get someone to move it once in a while. If it collects dust and cobwebs start growing from the tires, the bad guys will notice.
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7-Garbage Day
Where I live, most people have their gardener take out the garbage cans the day before garbage day. But, we bring our cans back in afterwards. If your cans are still going out, make sure you have someone bring them back in. (Also, if you usually bring them out, make sure you arrange for someone to do so, at least the first week. You don’t want whatever you left behind getting nasty while you’re gone.)
You may consider having them brought in and out anyway (and even have a neighbor put some of their garbage in your cans). It will be obvious that something is amiss if one house doesn’t have any cans out.
8-People Traffic
This may not apply to most people. But, if you are able to still have people come and go occasionally while you are away, those pesky bad guys may think twice. This may be some sort of work you need done on the house, repairman, a friend who’s in town and needs a place to stay, a neighbor who needs to borrow sugar, or a cleaning lady that still comes occasionally. I understand that we, unfortunately, live in a world where you may not feel comfortable having people come into you house when you are away. However, the possibility of the presence of people will help keep your home safe.
A couple years ago my cell phone rang. My friend, who prefers to be on a ranch in Idaho rather than in traffic in Los Angeles, asked if I was home. I said, “no, I’m at a rodeo at a county fair in Montana, why?” She told me that she was on my block and her child needed the bathroom. “No problem,” I responded, “I’ll turn off my alarm remotely and give you the combination to my lock”. She locked the door when she finished and texted me to that I could turn the alarm back on. The miracles if modern technology.
9-Packing
This one may not be avoidable. But, you can try. If you are packing everything into your car, whether headed on a road trip or just using your car to get to the airport, I have a couple suggestions.
If at all possible, try not to load everything at once. The more people and things that are going into the car in one shot, the more noticeable it is.
Also, if possible, try to load things the night before. I understand you may not be packed that early or you may not want to leave things out overnight. But if you can, then there will also be less people seeing you pack up your stuff.
10-Ride to the Airport
You may have done everything to keep your home safe by having it maintain its lived in look. However, when the taxi takes you to the airport, the driver now knows that you’re leaving–and probably for a while by the amount of luggage you took. While I am a strong believer that for the most part people are good. I also take reasonable and proper precautions.
So, what can you do? If you’re going to need more than one car to get to the airport anyway, don’t leave at the same time. Your driver will think there are still people staying behind (especially since you’ll tell him how much you’re going to miss your husband–he doesn’t have to know that your heart is aching over a mere half hour separation).
Or, you could tell the driver what a nice time you had vacationing/visiting family here (in your hometown), but you’re really looking forward to being home. He’ll think you were staying with people–who are still there–or that it was a vacation rental which will be monitored and have other guests coming.
I would suggest doing both. And, make sure it seems natural. Throw it into the conversation either with the driver directly or with the other people in the car in a way that the drivers definitely hears.
11-Luggage Tags
You’ve prepared your house, you’ve let the driver think it wasn’t your house you were leaving, you’re good to go, right? Nope! One more important thing to do (or not do as the case may be).
You know those luggage tags that you put on all your bags? What did you write? Did you fill out all the spaces: name, address, phone number? Why? I know why. Because that’s what it says.
Don’t put your address on the tag!! Anyone reading the tag will know that your house is probably empty. Keep you home safe by not advertising that it is a target.
Besides, have you ever had an airline deliver a suitcase to your house without being in touch with you first to confirm the delivery address?
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All you should put on any luggage tag is your last name (who cares if it’s your suitcase or your daughter’s?), your cell phone number, and your e-mail address. Anyone that needs to reach you can do so this way. Also, it’s best to put the same name, number, and e-mail on ALL the bags that belong to your family. If the bags get lost or delayed, there’s only one contact person.
Bonus: Social Media
Social media has really ballooned in the last couple years. You may be looking forward to all the “Instagram-worthy” photos you’re going to take on your trip. However, I would caution you of post in real time-even if you think that you’re only posting privately since you never know where things are forwarded.
While you are hanging out on the beach in Fiji, you are obviously not home. Posting on social media is like taking out an ad that your house is empty! Wait until you get back to post your vacation photos.
As a bonus to waiting, you’ll be able to relive all the great times you had as you go through deciding what to post and reading all the comments. As an added bonus, you’ll be living in the moment while you’re on the trip rather than living on your social media.
(Maybe even reconsider posting at all. Make the trip and the memories all about your family. Your kids will appreciate that it was about quality family time rather than followers and likes.)
Make any trip much more enjoyable when you know you’ve done everything to keep your home safe and not worry while you’re away.
Think I missed something? Let me know what tips you would add.
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