Everyone likes to get away every now and then. While your home may be your sanctuary, you may feel the urge to leave the nest for a few weeks in order to relax and unwind before heading back to work or school.
However, planning on vacation may require a few days or weeks of planning in order to ensure that everything goes down without a hitch.
For example, you will need to prepare your home so that your belongings will be safe after you leave on your trip. There are also many other things that you will need to handle, including bill payments, mail, and other personal matters, before you leave.
Here, we will focus on how to get your home ready for vacation so that you can enjoy your trip without worrying about anything.
Prepare for your departure.
Whether you are planning a long-weekend trip or an exciting long-term excursion, we will help you prepare for your adventure. First, you need to declutter so that you can return to a clean home.
Cleaning your house before you leave on your trip will reduce the accumulation of dust, grime, and other particulates. Your home will not have a musty odor when you return after a few days or weeks either.
An unkempt house may also attract vermin and other pests, such as termites, ants, cockroaches, rats, raccoons, and cats. An unclean house may even entice squatters to live in your home while you are away catching some rays.
Things to Consider Before Going on Vacation.
It is important to remove your trash before you go on your vacation in order to prevent your garbage from rotting and attracting flies and other pests.
You should clear out your fridge. Eat and drink all perishable items, such as milk, poultry, eggs, etc., so that you don’t have to worry about expired food.
Prepare your plants beforehand. Perhaps you can get a neighbor, family member, or close friend to take care of them. You can create a schedule for them to follow, which may include gardening and other useful tips so that your plants will be tended to while you are away on vacation.
However, if you do not want anyone to housesit, then you may want to keep a light or two on before you leave. Many burglars like to target homes that they think are unoccupied. If you turn your lights on, then they may assume that people are currently in your home, which may prevent it from being burglarized.
You should also spray your entire home with anti-bug and anti-pest products to help prevent, or at the very least kill, any unwelcome guests from destroying your home.
All of your appliances should also be disconnected, as they may serve as dangerous fire hazards if they are left on for an extended period of time.
Your newspapers and mail should be put on hold until your return. You can speak to a representative from the post office, asking them to hang onto your mail for a designated period. Or, you can ask a trusted neighbor or family member to hold onto your mail and packages while you are away.
Again, burglars look for certain signs before they decide to target a home. If they notice a pile of mail and packages outside, then they will know that you are away, making your home an easy target.
If you have a home alarm system, then make sure to activate it before you leave. If it is a smart-based system, then you can remotely access your home by using your smartphone or tablet.
You can turn lights and sprinkler systems on and off, and lock and unlock doors and windows if your home has been modified for a smart alarm system. You can even check every room using your surveillance system to ensure that no one is trying to break in.
How should you keep your belongings?
This is one of the first questions you should ask yourself before you set off on your jet-setting adventure of a lifetime. Most people will opt to simply keep all of their belongings at home before they leave for a long-term trip.
However, doing so may leave your home vulnerable to criminals and other pests. There is also the possible risk that your most valuable assets may be destroyed in a flood, fire, hurricane, tornado, or earthquake.
For peace of mind, and to ensure that your most valuable assets are protected while you are away, consider storing your belongings in a self-storage facility or a safe.
Important documents and files should be stored in a self-storage unit. Expensive and/or sentimental artwork, jewelry, and other items should be carefully stored in a state-of-the-art self-storage unit.
What to do upon your return?
Once you have returned from your dream vacation, you will need to take care of certain matters. You may want to use air fresheners, for example, to help spruce up your home and make it smell great.
You should also open all of your doors and windows so that natural light can enter. Get a good cross-breeze going so that your home will not have a musty smell or feel.
Take the time to explore your home to ensure that nothing has been stolen or damaged. Plug in all of your appliances and test them to ensure that they are still working as intended.
Place fresh linens on your beds and clean your house from top to bottom before you leave for school or work. You may also need to visit your neighbor or the local post office in order to pick up your mail and packages before calling it a day.
