By Liz Shemaria
Everyone has been spending more time in the great outdoors during the last two years, and there’s nothing quite like the freedom of getting away from everything. But to truly forget about it all, there’s some advanced planning needed, not only to get a handle on your work but to make sure your home is secure while you are away. Especially if you are going to be completely off the grid, home security is important; you want to know that everything at home is safe and sound, with some pre-planning tips.
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Consider a home security system
There’s no doubt that other than having a housesitter come to your house while you are gone, the best insurance for your home while you are away is by installing a home security system. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to have a company come out and install cameras and monitor your home in case an alarm goes off. In today’s era of smart home devices, you might even be able to monitor your home yourself from your phone — that is if you have service on top of that mountain.
Make your home smart
You are probably already familiar with some of the most well-known smart home devices like Alexa from Amazon and Google Home. These devices can control your music, lights, and the temperature of your home — and they can be integrated with smart home security systems, too. With numerous smart home devices out there, you’ll want to research which one works best with your phone and any other smart devices that you might already have If you aren’t sure where to begin, ask friends who have already joined this smart home revolution. Or, you can ask your real estate agent if you recently bought a house.
Go with the professionals
The other type of security system worth considering is a smart home device paired with a home monitoring service. Or, the service can include everything you need like cameras and alarms, and then you’ll pay a monthly fee to have the peace of mind knowing that there is a team on the other end if something does go wrong.
This kind of home security service can be an advantage if you are planning to be in the great outdoors for more than a few days and away from mobile phone service. While home security monitoring can be more expensive than a smart home security system that you are only monitoring yourself, it could be worth it if you really won’t be reachable for several days or even longer, and if you have a lot of valuables.
Put a hold on your mail and newspapers
Keeping your home secure while you are away is all about keeping it from being a target for thieves. That means removing the signals that tell people you aren’t at home and one of those is making sure you don’t have newspapers or mail piling up outside your home.
Putting a hold on mail and your newspaper can take care of that problem if you’ll be gone for a week or longer. You will need to request this service in advance from the postal service and the news organization, so don’t wait until the last minute.
Don’t forget about your yard
Your front yard is another place to give some extra care before you take off on your outdoor adventure, that’s because an overgrown yard is another signal that you aren’t home. You can give your yard some TLC before your trip by weeding, trimming back trees and shrubs, and watering. If you are going to be away for more than a week, you can also consider having a gardener come out to your home for some basic yard maintenance.
Power off
A dark house is one that isn’t lived in and that can make your home a target for home break-ins. One advantage of installing a smart home security system is that you can set your lights and even your TV on a timer so that your house has the appearance of being occupied, even when it isn’t. If you’ll be offline, you can set everything up in advance and your smart home device will do the rest of the work.
Large appliances like refrigerators and small appliances like toasters can even be unplugged to prevent any unwanted consequences from power surges or outages. Just be sure to throw out all perishables from your fridge and do a deep clean before you unplug it.
Consider a house sitter
The best insurance to keep your home safe while you are away is having a friend or trusted housesitter come and look after your home. If you have pets this might already be part of your game plan, but even without pets, and if you have to pay a housesitter, you can see the benefits of not having to worry about your home and also coming back to a house that has been looked after in your absence. You can ask your house sitter to water your plants, check your mail, and keep an eye out for any unusual activities while you are away.
Going completely off-the-grid in the great outdoors can give you freedom and help you see the world from a new perspective. Getting your home ready for your extended time away will make it easier to truly unplug.
What home security measures do you take?
Are there any particular things you do to ensure your home security is not compromised while you are enjoying the outdoors? Let us know your views in the comments below.
Liz Shemaria is a founding editor at Hidden Compass. She is an award-winning journalist, and a third-generation Northern Californian who has trekked solo in the Himalayas, interviewed artists in military-ruled Burma, and rode an overnight train across Egypt on her birthday.
Those are some great ideas to check out and keep in mind. Now this would make me worry less when we are outside traveling.
These are such great tips. We are in a resort lifestyle community and we have not thought about any of these. But there has been a state of robberies. So I need to change my perspective now. Thank you.
This is always a good idea. The cameras in my house give me a peace of mind every time I travel. Now I have more ideas from your post.
Of all the ideas, I like the housesitter the best, especially if she/he is someone you can trust 100%. You can arrange for her/him to come everyday at different times and taking care of your lawn, or pet, too.
As someone who travels often, I truly appreciate these tips! I have found some smart lightbulbs that connect to an app. That way, I can set the whole house to have the lights go on randomly. As you said, this makes it look in some ways that we are home. The bulbs cost around $12 a piece, which is not cheap, but a quick solution. I aspire to having a whole smart home set up! I never thought of turning off my refrigerator and I will consider that next time I travel for more than a week, for sure.
It is definitely a wise decision to install a home security system. These contemporary “smart home” devices are really useful, especially if you frequently leave the house. This blog provided me with a ton of ideas. Thank you!
I typically like the house sitter approach since i have animals and plants that need to be taken care of and i do love the added factor of someone here just in case something does go wrong and needs to be addressed quickly.
We are always worried about home security when we travel. We have a few smart home devices that help us know what is happening at home. Good idea to make sure that your home does not look abandoned. But we have not yet looked into a home sitter. Some good ideas to consider.
You can never be too careful in protecting your most expensive asset. I’ve been thinking about upgrading our home to “be smart” and love that most new builds already have this included, that way you can monitor what’s happening while you are away. We often have an in-house dog sitter who looks after things while we are away and caring neighbours. Great tips and useful info.
We do most of these things while we are away on vacation. We have cameras around the house and a smart lock. We also put lights on timers and have a housesitter stop by daily.
I would also add using a timer for light switches. And I wholeheartedly agree with having a monitored security system!
Security is very important. I don’t really know if it would help anyone if someone would really want to break in but it adds up to comfort for you for sure.
Completely agree with you! Home security is important for peace of mind. Especially when a family travels a lot. I stay in a gated society and I have never thought about having a home security system but I realize we should have one to feel more safe
Super love camping and I usually go on two to three camping trips yearly. My fav. activity but haven’t thought much about security until reading this.
Looking into home security while you’re away from home is essential. There are so many things to think about, and I love that you outline all of the steps here.
This makes me want to rethink some of our measures. this is very informative!
TRUE! Our house once was infiltrated and it was traumatizing! Its better to be safe than sorry even if it meant paying more than the usual.
Honestly, I would consider having a house-sitter around and installing some few cameras at my home….just to see who has been snooping around.
It’s definitely essential to having our home secure first before we go outdoor and leave it. The awesome tips and ideas you’ve shared here make a great reference for every home. Thanks!
When going on a camp trip or something like this and no one to take care of the house. This is very important. Thank you for sharing it!
The power off tip is such a smart idea. Home security is really one thing that people should consider when going away for a trip, especially if they’re going abroad.
Great tips for when leaving the house! I’m always one to worry about what’s happening haha
Oh, it is a hot topic for us! Our family loves to vacation and my husband is always paranoid. But we have a smart home and it helps. Btw, I never heard about a home sitter. It is really cool idea!
Very good information about home security. I need to put my inside lights on a timer. I already have arlo cameras and love having that peace of mind and being able to check on everything remotely.
I like the idea of a housesitter. Especially if you can make arrangements with people in other cities that you want to travel to.
These are really useful tips to keep your home secure while away. I did not know their smart home security systems existed but after reading this I am considering implementing them as home security is becoming more of an issue these days, as I read online of people being followed on their instagram accounts by burglars. The safest option is having a house sitter, mostly if you are leaving the house unattended for longer than a couple of weeks. Great post with very useful information.
I need to work on this more. I put some lights on timers, but I really need to step it up after reading your list.