The Vacation Guide

You’ve just returned home from a great, rejuvenating vacation only to find your home has been ransacked, and you’ve been robbed of your valuables. Being robbed is always a bad thing, but after a great vacation, it is especially bad because you are instantly forced to deal with reality immediately, and your post vacation good vibes are terminated at that singular point.

Although no one wants t come home to find that they’ve been robbed, it’s important that you understand that burglaries are very common, and need to develop a plan to minimize the potential of you becoming a victim through proper home security.

Possibly the best way to secure your home is to have someone house sit for you while you’re away. That could mean inviting a relative to stay at your home while you are on vacation. House sitting is a great way to not only protect your home from burglars but to also have someone there to make sure everything is under control. for example, your relative will take care of your plants, fish and pets, and they can also call a plumber or electrician for you if something goes wrong in the house.

If you aren’t able to find someone to house sit, ask them if they’ll stop by a few times a week, just to make sure that everything is OK. If you don’t have any relatives living nearby, then ask a trusted neighbour or friend to check your house for you.

In the event where having someone sit or look after your home is not an option, there are other alternatives that will help. Using technology to make it appear as if your house is occupied is a great idea. For example, you can use a timer, connected to lamps, radios and TV sets that will automatically turn on those appliances at specific times of the day to make it seem as if there is someone home. Another option is to have a burglar alarm installed and monitored by a reputable company, insist that the company offers physical monitoring as well as remote monitoring.

Using timers and burglar alarms are very useful, but you also need to make sure that other things around the home are taken care of as well. For example, make sure your lawn is mowed, hire a company to do so while you’re away, especially if you’re planning an extended trip. Have a neighbor collect your mail, newspapers and anything that may collect at your front door for you. Never leave a message on your answering machine or notice on your door indicating that you are on vacation. Make sure that you can be contacted in case of emergency, using email is probably the best and easiest way to do so.

The above Home Security steps will not guarantee that you won’t be robbed while on vacation, but they will help prevent the possibility and there is nothing better than coming home to a safe home at the end of a great vacation.