5 Tips on how to prepare before you leave for the Holidays

 At the end of the year many people decide to travel for various reasons, such as: going on vacation, visiting family or friends out-of-town, and more. Sometimes in the rush of getting ready to leave simple things may be overlooked or forgotten. Take a look at these 5 Tips to get ready to go out of town for the holidays.

5 Holiday Preparation Tips

Mail Hold – the U.S. Postal service gives you the feature to be able to place your mail on a temporary hold. This is especially important if you will be gone for a few days. Mail piling up may be a sign to people that you’re out of town and thieves may try to break in to your home.

This is what the U.S. Post office website says,

“…If you’re going away for a while, take advantage of our Request Hold Mail service. We’ll keep your mail safely at your local Post Office™ until you return…”

Timer – if you don’t already have a timer you will want to stop by a hardware store (some grocers sale these also) and purchase one. Before you leave town make sure you have several lights hooked up to the timer in order to turn lights on and off at set periods of time during the day. This will give the impression that someone is in your home turning on and off the lights.

Social Media hold – although going out on a long awaited vacation may be very pleasing and you’d like very much to share with as many people as you can the joy you’re experiencing through Tweets, Facebook posts, Tumblr, etc you may want to hold off. People can easily access personal information (friends and non-friends) by utilizing those platforms or search engines. If you broadcast you’re going to be out of town it tells the world that you will not be home and someone may be tempted to break into your home.

Pack appropriately – If you live somewhere that gets cold during this time of year and you’re headed somewhere with warm weather via a road trip don’t forget these items:

·         Warm clothes

·         Blanket

·         Shovel

·         Something to produce traction

It’s better to be prepared in case your vehicle breaks down on the way to your vacation destination.

If you will be travelling via airplane then be sure to check out the TSA guidelines for carry-ons and checked baggage.

Secure your home – before you head out, make sure to do these things:

·         Check that all of your windows are locked.

·         Set your timer (testing it out prior to leaving is helpful –especially if you’re new at using one).

·         Turn off your phone ringer or lower the volume of an answering machine (if your lights are on but no one answers the phone this may signal burglars that you’re not home).

·         Lower your thermostat (but not to the point that your pipes will freeze).

·         Make sure appliances are turned off.

·         If you have an alarm system make sure that it’s set.

·         Lock the doors.

Summary of Preparation Tips

There are many things people can do to ensure they and their home is safe while going away on vacation. What tips do you find helpful? Share in the comments below.

We hope you have a safe, fantastic and memorable time.