Now that the holidays are over, it’s tempting to take a few long weekends for travel. When you pack your bags in preparation, be sure to prepare your home also. Following this checklist can keep your home secure while you are gone.

Now that the holidays are over, it’s tempting to take a few long weekends for travel. When you pack your bags in preparation, be sure to prepare your home also. Following this checklist can keep your home secure while you are gone.

1. Notify trusted neighbors that you will be gone. Many burglars have been foiled by neighbors who let the police know that something wrong is happening.
2. Don’t tell others that you will be leaving town. A careless word at your hairdresser’s or in a store can open the door to trouble.
3. Don’t post your travel plans on Facebook, Twitter or other social media sites. Once again, the information could get into the wrong hands.
4. Cancel the paper. Old papers on your driveway are automatic evidence that you’re not home.
5. Have a neighbor pick up your mail or have the post office hold it if it doesn’t go to a locked box. Once again, mail sitting in an open box tells people you are not home, and valuable letters can go missing. You are also exposing your identification information to a casual thief.
6. Set at least two or three lights on timers to make it appear that someone is home in the evening. Timers can be found at any hardware store and are easy to program.
7. Secure any valuables in your safety deposit box. This includes fine jewelry, valuable coins, passports if you don’t need them and any credit cards you are not bringing with you.
8. Make sure your yard is properly groomed while you’re away. If you’re only leaving for a few days, mow the lawn if needed before you go. Arrange for a friend, neighbor or service to shovel any snow, rake leaves or take care of your yard if you will be gone for more than a week.
9. Ask a neighbor to pick up any flyers left on your door or in your yard. This is another way people discover you’re traveling.
10. Leave a copy of your itinerary with a neighbor along with contact numbers. That way you can be notified immediately if there are any problems.
11. Provide a house key and any car keys to a neighbor in case your car needs to be moved.
12. Unplug any computers or televisions while you’re gone. You save energy and avoid the small risk of power surges damaging your property.
13. Leave the curtains the same way you have them when home. Suddenly closed drapes or blinds can key a professional burglar that the home is unoccupied. Move any valuables out of sight for anyone looking through the windows.
14. Leave the heat or air conditioning on – but at an energy-saving temperature. Burst pipes from a sudden cold freeze can wreak as much havoc as a burglar.
15. If you will be gone for more than a week, notify the police of your travel plans. In many towns, police will add patrols past an empty home.
16. If you keep a spare key in a fake rock or under the mat, remove it. Burglars know all the regular hiding places and read those fake rock ads too. Don’t make it easier for them than you have to
17. Finally, notify us of any travel plans. That’s what we’re here for.

Professional burglars look for empty homes. With just a little planning and effort, you can keep them from discovering that your home is temporarily unoccupied, and have a wonderful trip knowing that everything will be fine when you come back.