I recently took two days off from work in order to have time with my husband while he had some vacation days. I had no idea how much I needed that break until I actually took one! After the rest, I could look back on how mentally fatigued I had been beforehand from working so much, and I realized: By the time we get to the point where we are taking our vacations, our brains are sometimes already there, making us forgetful and our homes vulnerable.
With that in mind—and with summer gearing up and vacations starting—we recommend you put some home security advice into action right now. That way, you can be more confident when you do leave that you’ve done your due diligence, and while your house might not be completely burglar-proof, at least it won’t be burglar-easy.
Why prep your home for a vacation now?
A lot of what you need to do to burglar proof your home needs to be done ahead of time. That’s why we recommend this is something you tackle now, and not the night before—or even the week before—you’re walking out the door to head to the airport.
Check out our list of seven things to do to keep your home safe while on vacation, and you’ll see many of them are tasks you need to do ahead of time, including:
- Do a home security review.
- Get to know your neighbors.
- Install a home security system.
And once you’ve done your home security review, you’ll find it’s going to take you a while to get your home security up to speed, as you improve your interior and exterior lighting, trim back bushes and get rid of hiding places, reinforce your door and window locks. Plus you’ll need to double check the security of your outbuildings too.
Keep your vacation off Facebook until you get home
In addition to prepping your home ahead of time, prep yourself for safety too. See our four tips for staying safe while on the road, and remember: You shouldn’t use Facebook to check in to hotels or restaurants, and your vacation photos can wait until you’re home to get plastered to Facebook. You do not need to broadcast to the world that you’re gone, because more than your friends are watching: The burglars are watching too. According to one study, more than 78% of burglars use social media to find victims.
For more ideas on burglar proofing your home prior to your vacation (and prior to your brain checking out on you), also check out these posts: