We are now approaching the half term holidays and its not long now to the Christmas holidays either. I’m always very excited about this time of the year. I think it is mostly because my girls get so happy that it brings a smile to my face! During the Winter Holidays, a lot of people go away, perhaps within the country spending the holiday with family or maybe you are more adventurous and perhaps spend the holidays on a beach in a nice sunny spot or even at a ski resort. Whatever your plans you should always make sure you leave your home safe!
It is not nice to return home to find out that you have been burgaled. This could happen to anybody, even to people with all the money in the world who have a great security system can be the victim of a burglary. Look at what has happened with Kim Kardashian. I bet she is now in the search of even better security. This is just my worst nightmare. Isn’t it scary and awful when something like this happens to you?
I remember, many years ago, when I was living in Peru with my parents, we had a similar experience. We came back from being away at our beach house over the weekend and we arrived home to find it had been burgled. OMG, this was the scariest thing ever because first, you don’t know if they are still there and two because just the idea of thinking about a stranger touching your personal belongings is just distressful. I would never want this to happen to anybody.
We have a checklist at home that we always use and go through when we go away so we then know that we are not forgetting something. This is the best way to avoid those last minute rechecking.
I will share with you 5 things/ideas that we do that we found very important and essential to keep our home safe and away of burglaries when we are away traveling.
1. Turn Off All electrical Equipment, especially those in the kitchen
Make sure you have not left the oven or hob on, and maybe check that the fridge is closed properly. There can always be hazards that happen in the kitchen when leaving things on.
It happened to us once that we left the oven on and when we came back (Thankfully his was just a day out) the house was boiling but nothing burnt. We didn’t know what was going on, then we realised we had left the oven on. Nothing happened as we were lucky but imagine if you go away for a week you will definitely come back to a burnt house! Oops! SO we learnt our lesson.
Also, turn off your central heating if you happen to have one and turn off individual wall heaters too. You don’t want to have them on as nobody will be there, so there is no need to waste money on an empty house. As soon as you are back you can put it back on.
2. Lock All Doors & Windows
This is an obvious one. You can never leave your home without locking the door, especially the main door. But if you live in a bigger place with more doors you need to make sure all of them are properly locked.
The same with the windows as they can be an easy way to get into your house. Don’t leave keys where they are visible from a window or letterbox as that can be an easy way to invite unwanted strangers into your house.
3. Don’t advertise that you are going away
This is a difficult one, as being a blogger involves talking about where you are and what you are doing. However, you can be smart about this as you don’t need to give specifics about where you are or how long you’ll be there, basically not giving away more than necessary, and sometimes after the fact!
Another way, to avoid people knowing that you are away or out is to use automated lights so you can program them, and they will switch on and off at the times you set it up. This is super practical.
This way potential thieves will see lights on inside your house so then they will think someone is at home and be more likely to move on.
4. Get Home Security System
This is also a fantastic idea as you will get a security system that will do all the work for you while you are away so you don’t need to worry at all. There are some options out there such as Smart Home by Panasonic.
The Smart Home is a home monitoring and control system with simple installation and easy operation. Whether you use it to monitor your home while you are away or simply to switch your appliances on & off automatically, it gives you the ability to monitor and control your home from the convenience of your smartphone or tablet.
5. Leave Spare Keys
Another good idea is to perhaps give a spare key to family or a close friend – basically someone you trust, who can check the property for you while you’re away or to deal with any incident.
I really recommend doing this as it will give you a lot of peace of mind! You will be able to relax when you are away and stop worrying that you will need to come back if anything happens.
It is very important that you take a look at all of these essential tips as I’m sure they will help you to make your house safer and will also give you piece of mind. You want to enjoy your holidays and not be worried while you are away.
What do you think of these ideas/suggestions? Do you also do the same at home? Do you have any other ideas to perhaps add to this list? Do you have a home security system? Please leave a comment below as I would love to read what you think.
*Disclosure: collaborative post
Thanks for stopping by,
Love you all ❤️
Franca 💋
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We were burgled many years ago, and it’s definitely an experience I don’t want to repeat. If we go away, we arrange for friends to pop in to feed our cats a couple of times a day, and to make sure that any mail that’s been delivered does not pile up. In the past, I’ve even paid my neighbour’s children to feed the cats and play with them twice daily, which makes sure that the house is not left unattended.