Vacation-Bound? Dodge Disasters by Prepping Your Home for Long-Term Travel

You’ve booked your plane tickets, made your lodging reservations, and set your “out of the office” auto-email, lifting the burden of mounting professional pressure off your shoulders. Finally, it’s vacation time.

If you’ve decided that a week-long excursion to a nearby resort just won’t cut it and instead are setting off on a long-term trip, there’s some work to be done before you get to play. To cross the low-time-commitment tasks off your to-do list, arrange for your neighbors to bring your trash cans to the curb and pause your mail. While these afterthought agenda items will only take a few minutes to complete before embarking on your week-long exotic vacation, the to-do list that precedes extended vacations is a whole different beast to slay.

Depending on how long you plan to be away, you’ll need to power through these essential to-do list items.

• Make arrangements with your employer.
• Obtain the proper travel documents and vaccinations
• Ensure that you’ve secured plenty of funds
• Disaster-proof your home/apartment before you embark on your journey.

If all-consuming fears of a probably-still-plugged-in toaster wreak havoc on your internal monologue when making a quick trip to the grocery store, long-term travel to a distant land may exacerbate your fears about disaster striking.  While emergencies like fires, floods, theft, or cosmetic damage can leave your property in ruins without any forewarning, preparing for such incidents will help put your mind at ease.

Evaluating your top priorities for your upcoming trip and unplugging from technology will allow you to unwind as you focus on recharging and relaxing your perpetually-clenched jaw. Still, the only way to truly soothe looming fears about your property’s wellbeing is to take the proper steps to disaster-proof your house before hailing a taxi headed to the airport.

Keep your vehicle out of plain sight

While travelers have several options in keeping their vehicle damage-free, stowing your vehicle away from wandering thieves is an absolute must. You can choose to leave your car with a friend or family member or look into long-term parking rates.

However, if your travels require a car, you might consider shipping your SUV to your final destination with a car shipping provider like Guardian Auto Transport. With your vehicle in tow, you can explore your destination without having to worry about getting your hands on a rental car or making around-the-clock arrangements for transportation to your excursions.

Secure your home

Do you identify as a homeowner who needs to be in-the-know regarding their home’s security from sunup to sundown? If so, you may want to consider purchasing a professional home security system. Some security systems come equipped with alarms or live-stream camera views that can be sent straight to your mobile device so that you can rest easy knowing that your home’s security hasn’t been compromised.

If the idea of investing in a professional alarm system doesn’t appeal to you, be sure to lock all doors and windows with deadbolt locks whenever possible, and disable electric garage door systems.

Arrange maintenance care

Hire a landscaping team, arrange for snow removal, and ensure that your property will remain well-groomed during your absence. Not only will you be better able to enjoy your sabbatical with the knowledge that you won’t return to heaps of housework, but you’ll also avoid leaving a home that appears vacant or abandoned.

Create the appearance of occupancy

Producing the illusion that your home is occupied disincentivizes potential intruders from entering your home. By asking a trusted neighbor to park in your driveway or leaving on a porch or window light, you can be sure that you’re not enticing criminals.

Request help with surveillance from neighbors

If you’re surrounded by neighbors you trust, enlist their help to make sure that your property stays safe. Let them know precisely how long you’ll be gone, and ask if they’d be willing to perform occasional walk-throughs of the property and notify you of potential red flags.

If you don’t feel comfortable requesting assistance from neighbors or friends, some police departments will keep a watchful eye on your home when requested.

Before you’re beach-bound

With the right tools at your disposal, you’ll have nothing left to worry about except for where you’re headed to next.