Thanksgiving is a holiday meant to be shared with the entire family. This may mean that you’ll be packing up your bags and driving (or even flying) away from home for a long weekend. However, you’ll want to make sure that your house is safe and secure while you are gone. Even though you may only be gone for a long weekend, houses are often more vulnerable during the holiday weekend because of the fact that many people decide to travel away from home.If you decide to spend Thanksgiving away from home, then be sure to follow these Thanksgiving Day travel tips to ensure that your home is safe and secure while you are gone:
Don’t let the world know you’ll be gone – It can be difficult to not post every single thing you are doing to one of your many social media pages, but do your best not to post your holiday travel plans! You never know who might be reading them. Posting your travel plans is like posting an open invitation to potential thieves detailing when the best time is to come rob your house!
Ask a friend or neighbor to check up on your house – If you are planning on being gone for more than a few days, it might be a good idea to provide a friend or neighbor with your spare key in order to check up on the house. Be sure to ask them to bring in any mail that collects in your mailbox or outside your door – nothing declares an empty home like a pile of mail at the doorstep.
Don’t leave a spare key outside – If you don’t have someone coming by to check on your house, then be sure to leave your spare key inside. You may think you’re being clever by hiding your key under the welcome matt or your potted plant, or up above the doorway – but you’re not. Thieves know exactly where to check for spare keys.
Use a timer for your interior lights – If the lights in your home don’t come on for several days, it’s a sure sign that no one is at home. This doesn’t mean that you should leave some of your lights on either. In addition to being a waste of energy, having your lights on throughout the night is a little suspicious as well.
Lock all your doors and windows – Before leaving the house, go through and check all of your doors and windows, including upstairs windows, to make sure that they are securely locked.
Install a motion detecting exterior light – A light fixture outside your home that turns on when it detects motion is a great way to detract potential thieves.
Install a security system – You don’t have to have a state of the art security system with cameras on every side of your house. A basic security system will work wonders in deterring potential thieves. Just the security system sticker on your windows can scare potential thieves away.
If you plan on traveling during Thanksgiving weekend, then be sure to consider these Thanksgiving safety tips in order to ensure the security and safety of your home.