5 Tips to Looking After Your Home While on Vacation
The last thing you want to be doing while on vacation is worrying about your home. Thinking about whether you have left the stove on or if you have locked up properly will only make your trip a stressful one, and no-one wants that. Here are some handy tips on getting all of your holiday preparation done, so you don’t have to worry while you are away. 
Deliveries
One of the things you need to be careful about is deliveries while you’re away. If someone sees a pile of letters, papers or parcels by your door, it sends the signal that no-one’s home. One way to fix this is to ask a friend or trusted neighbor to take them in for you. It is one of the best reasons why becoming part of your community as recommended by preparedness mama is a good idea. If there is no-one you can ask, then get your mail and newspapers put on hold while you are away.
Plants and Animals
Two things that you don’t want to lose are your plants and your pets. They both need taking care of while you’re away, so you need to arrange other accommodation for your pet if there is no-one to take care of them. As for your plants, there are now devices that can release water slowly over time so that they don’t dry out. Using them depends on the length of time you are away. Another alternative is a timed tap attached to a hose and leave the plants outside to be watered.
Keep Your Home Lit
Another sign that no-one is home is when there are no lights on during the night. If you have someone going in the house, ask them to turn the lights on or off to show that there is occupation. The other alternative is to buy plug timers that will turn your lamps on and off at certain times. Do the same with the outdoor lights as well as this is also a good deterrent to burglars. To stop yourself running up a high electricity bill while you’re away, use energy saving light bulbs if possible.
Consider Other Security
Before you go on vacation, you need to check your home to see if it’s secure. Make sure that all the windows and doors are locked and that you don’t have any keys left outside the property. If someone is coming in to look after your home, give them a key rather than leaving it somewhere as thieves know where to look for these things.
Bills
Be sure to check your bills to make sure nothing needs to be paid while you’re away. If there is anything that needs paying, arrange with the company to pay it early, or ask a family member to pay it for you. That way, everything will be fine when you get home, and you won’t have any services cut off.
With a little forward planning, you can have your vacation without any worries.
