10 Worry-Free Home Safety Tips for Holiday Travel

Most burglaries are opportunistic and happen when homeowners are away. The holidays are a perfect time of year for prowlers, and even in a new home community, you need to make sure to keep things secure.

1. Don't post your travel plans on social media - Unless you have a very tight network of only close friends and family try to be vague about your holiday plans if it involves leaving your home. Sadly burglars are checking social media to find easy targets.
2. Suspend your mail and newspapers - Mail and newspapers piling up on your front porch are a tipoff to a thief surveying the neighborhood. Make sure you contact UPS and FEDEX as well. They can be notorious for dropping packages on your doorstep.
3. Set lights on timers - Outdoor light bulbs can be screwed into dusk-to-dawn security light controls. Set lamps on different levels on staggered to simulate the look of someone home.
4. Make sure all windows and doors are locked - Moving from fall, when the windows were open to let the breezes in, to winter, there may be a few windows or sliding doors still unlocked.
5. Use your alarm system - Many new homes come equipped with alarm systems. If you have one, use it.
6. Post the sign - You might hate that little security sign in your lawn, but believe it or not a sign can be more of a deterrent then the actual alarm. When given the choice between a house with an alarm and one without. Most, but not all, burglars are smart enough to pass over the house with the alarm system.
7. Out of sight, out of mind - Make sure views from outside your home don't include your valuables. Even TV's can be tempting to the would-be thief. If you have new electronics, don't advertise in your recycling. Make sure to break down boxes and turn them inside out for disposal.
8. Keep keys safe - Don't hide a key under a mat or in a fake rock outside. Likewise don't hang car keys in plain sight of your doors and windows.
9. Keep lists and pictures - make sure you have serial numbers for all your electronics valuables from car GPS systems to laptops and TV's. Keep a set of pictures of valuables including jewelry and art.
10. Ask your neighbors to keep an eye - A good thing to have is eyes on your house. If you are planning a trip away for the holidays ask a neighbor or a friend to keep an eye out for anything unusual.

Don't tempt fate even in the nicest and safest of neighborhoods. Make sure to be smart especially if you are traveling during the holidays.