Christmas is only a few days away, which means you’re probably preparing for your travels. We’ve prepared a few home safety tips for holiday travel to help keep you and your family safe.
Securing Your Home
Although you will be away from home, the safety of your home and belongings should be on your mind, especially given that vacant homes are a target during the holidays. First, let’s talk about the home itself. It’s important that no big issues occur while you are away. Here are a few things you can do:
- Keep your thermostat at a moderate temperature to minimize the dangers of freezing pipes.
- Open your kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow heated air to better reach the pipes.
- Set your home lights to a schedule so that you home doesn’t remain dark while you are away.
- Unplug small appliances,
Keeping Burglars Away
Our home safety tips for holiday travel wouldn’t be complete without discussing how to keep burglars away from your home. A vacant home is always a possible target for burglars. The important thing is to make it less obvious that you are away. Here are a few ways to do so.
- Have your mail held by the post office, so it doesn’t build up in your mailbox.
- Ask a neighbor to take out your trash and out the bins back afterwards.
- Ask a neighbor or friend to retrieve any deliveries to your home.
- Set lights and televisions to turn on and off at different times.
- Ask someone to stop by your home to check on things.
There are a few additional precautions you can take.
- Ask neighbors to keep an eye on your home for any unusual activity.
- Avoid publicizing your travel plans on social media.
More Home Safety Tips for Holiday Travel
Your travels will be much more pleasant knowing that your home is safe. Home technology gadgets can go a long way with giving you added peace of mind. Here are some products that you may want to consider:
- Wi-fi Thermostat with Remote Access (To Monitor Temperatures and Heat Settings)
- Wi-fi Controlled Lights
- Motion or Light Sensored Exterior Lights
- Wi-fi Security Cameras and Motion Sensors
- Wi-fi Doorbell with Camera and Two-way Speaker