Before Vacation Tips

Before Vacation Tips will help to keep your home and belongings safe while you are away.

Have you ever seen the movie Home Alone? The one where two burglars break into a house when they find out the family's gone on vacation, only to find one of the kids were left behind!

Well if you're going on a vacation this summer, the first thing you'll want to ensure (unlike in Home Alone) is that you're not leaving one of your precious children behind! And once you know all of your kids are packed and ready to go you'll also want to make sure your house will be safe and burglary free while you're away.

Here are a few before vacation tips to follow to ensure your home is safe during your vacation...

Only tell your trusted neighbors and family members that you're going away. Don't announce this to too many people as you never know who may overhear or take advantage of the situation. Try to only let a few trusted relatives or friends know. Give them a key (never leave it under the doormat or under a plant pot) to check on your house regularly.

Have them collect your mail. A stack of unopened mail is a sure way to let the world know you're not home. The person taking care of your home while you're away should put the mail as well as any newspapers and magazines inside.

They should also water the plants and just keep the outside area of the house generally tidy. If you're going away for a long time have them cut the front lawn if it grows too long.

Another good tip is to have someone move the position of the blinds or curtains every few days. Drawn curtains for several weeks are a sure sign that no one is home. You can also leave some lights on. An automatic timer makes it possible to have the lights come on in the evenings and turn off in the morning. Motion activated porch lights are also great for driving off burglars and they don't have to be ugly lights that are obviously motion lights.

Unplug all electrical appliances and turn off computers and the gas supply before leaving. This is an extra added safety measure to help prevent a fire while you're away.

And lastly, make sure you leave a note in a central area in your house for your relatives and neighbors with all your contact details. Then if there is an emergency they'll be able to contact you easily. It's also a good idea to leave them your return date and time so that they know when to expect you back.

For a copy of more "before vacation tips", sign-up for Mom's Travel Tips. I'm sure you'll be glad you did!

And if you're interested in connecting with other busy moms and WAHMs, check out Moms Talk Network. It was created to connect moms with the information and support they need on a variety of topics including health, travel, parenting, career, relationships, food and more. It's one of my favorite places to "hang out" as my teens call it ;-) Hope to see you there after your vacation!