With the school year coming to a close, the time of year of family vacations approaches. Typical vacation planning involves selecting the right hotel, making flight arrangements, and purchasing tickets for events and attractions. While the dizzying array of vacation options can keep you focused on your trip, it's also important to prepare your home for your time away. Before heading off to your destination, you want to make sure everything will run smoothly in your absence so you can really leave home behind while you're relaxing and rejuvenating. Keep your family, friends, and coworkers at bay during your trip by including advance planning on your to-do list, before your vacation has begun. Below is a list of helpful advice.
- Make arrangements for pets, plants and mail. If you are leaving pets at your house to be tended to, have your pet sitter water the plants and pick up the mail. You can also use Aqua Globes or other types of devices that will water your plants in your absence. If you won't have anyone tending to the house, contact the US Postal service to arrange to have your mail held until your return.
- Tie up loose ends at work. set up an away message for your e-mail and voice mail, giving your return date and the names and numbers of coworkers who can be contacted in your absence.
- Send out an itinerary and instructions for reaching you. Let a family member, trusted neighbor or friend know where you will be at all times. Give them flight numbers, hotel names and addresses and a rough schedule of your activities. Arrange for a way for them to reach you in the event of an emergency. Make sure they have the phone numbers for the places you're staying as a backup to your cell phone number. If you will be hiking or camping, schedule regular check-in times for calling your family.
- Set up payment for bills that are due while you're away. The last thing you want to come home to is a disconnection notice or unexpected late fee. Most bills can be scheduled online for payment on the appropriate day. If you cannot schedule bill payment for while you're gone, pay the bill early.
- Clean out the refrigerator. Toss out leftovers as well as any items that will expire before you return. Limit your grocery shopping in the weeks leading up to your vacation to the bare essentials. Keep the ingredients for at least one or two meals in the freezer so you won't have to go on a last minute shopping trip as soon as you get home.
- Empty the trash cans in the house and arrange for your trash and/or recycle cans to be set out for collection and then returned to their normal storage place.
- Set timers on three or four lights throughout the house and set them to go off at various intervals. This will help the house looked lived in while you're away. It is a good idea to have timers running even when you are home, and then no one knows if you are really there or not. Putting extra timers on your TV or radio as well will also help create the illusion someone is home.
- You should also arrange for a friend or neighbor to mow the lawn if you will be gone for an extended period of time, as an unkempt yard is a big indicator for burglars that a house may be unattended.
- Inform your neighbors of the exact dates you will be gone on vacation. Ask them to watch for suspicious activity around your home.
- Leave a key to your front door and emergency numbers for your vacation destination with a trusted neighbor or friend who is willing to watch your home and enter if needed.
- Keep the air conditioner on, but adjust the thermostat. This will save energy by not running as often. Without air, mold and mildew will grow, not to mention your favorite candles may melt!
- Mute the ringer on the phone so unanswered calls go unnoticed to others. If you have an answering machine, shut off the volume so no one can hear a caller leaving a message.
- Lock the garage door. If the door has an automatic opening device, unplug it. Also lock all gates and doors on your property. Having an uninvited visitor in your yard can lead to numerous problems.
- To conserve water and prevent flooding, make sure all faucets inside and outside the home are turned off and no water is dripping.
- Place any valuables in a locked safe or safety deposit box.
- Make someone aware of any life insurance that is in force. For options on life insurance, please feel free to contact The Wertzberger Agency at 913-383-3276.
- If possible, leave a car in your driveway, or ask a neighbor to park there on occasion.
- Do NOT post about your upcoming vacation on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media site. This can be an invitation for trouble. By giving the countdown to your vacation or posting pictures from your vacation, you have just told the world, no matter your security settings, you are not home and to just help themselves.
By preparing for your vacation properly, you can more fully relax while you are away from home.
