When I travel, I always get anxious because I want to keep my home safe while traveling because I don’t want to come home to a burglarized house. I’ve seen too many newscasts and tv shows to know that being diligent about keeping my home safe while I’m away is so important.

Taking a few extra precautions when going on vacation helps me feel better about leaving and allows me to enjoy myself a lot more. Now that there is a lot of new technology available, I’m extra careful when I leave.

Here are a some ways to keep your home safe while traveling, that you can use when you leave for your next vacation. Enjoy!

7 Ways to Keep Your Home Safe While Traveling

Don’t Announce It on Social Media

I know this may be hard to do because you’re excited about your upcoming trip, but don’t announce it to the world. Even if your social media profiles are set to private, you still don’t know everyone’s intentions.

If you do want to let others know, just play it safe and let only a select few know that you’re going to be away from home by telling them in person.

Turn Off Location Settings on Your Phone

Years ago you never had to worry about people finding you if you didn’t want to be found. Today, there are so many apps that allow others to track your location. It’s pretty scary when you think about it!

Why would you want someone to know your exact location at every moment in your day? Turn off your location settings in your phone, so people won’t know that you’ll be away for a while.

Light Timers

I know this is nothing new, but it really helps to deter the unwanted visitors while you’re away. While you’re home you turn your lights off and on throughout the day. The first thing burglars look for are houses that don’t look lived in.

If your house is dark for a couple of days in a row, then potential thieves will assume that you’re gone and may take advantage. So, please invest in some light timers!

Stop Mail/Newspapers

An overflowing mailbox is a sure sign that someone isn’t home. You don’t want days or weeks of mail piling up in your box or newspapers on your doorstep! Call your newspaper’s customer service line to hold your subscription.

Also, the wonderful people at the USPS have a service so you can hold your mail while you’re gone. The best part is that you can actually hold your mail by filling out a form online. There’s no need to stand in a long post office line!

Related From The Kreative Life: How To Pack Like a Pro for Summer Vacation!

Don’t Post Photos Until After You Return

This is one of the best tips to protecting your home while on vacation, but it may be a little hard to do because of apps like Instagram and other social media photo-sharing sites, but don’t do it!

Yes, you may want others to see how beautiful your private beach is or that exotic meal you’re eating, but it’s just not worth coming back to an empty home. Share your vacation photos after you come home, so people won’t know that you’re away.

Have a House Sitter

Your house looks lived in while you’re there, so you want it to look lived in while you’re gone. If you can’t hire a house sitter ask a friend or a neighbor if they can check on your house. Also, get a service to cut your lawn while you’re gone and even to put out your trash can.

Turn on Your Alarm and Lock the Doors

Turning on your alarm and locking your doors may be the most obvious solution in deterring burglars, but with all of the stress of loading your bags and getting the family out of the door, you may forget to lock up. You may not realize it until you’re on the plane or hours down the road and there’s no possible way for you to turn around.

There are alarm systems that allow you to lock up and even monitor your home through your pc or phone while you’re away. Now you can lock up with just a push of a button.

Are there certain precautions you take when you travel?