Tips For How To Leave Your House And Car Before Your Holidays

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On the JJ Barnes blog, I check out advice from A-Plan Insurance for how to get ready to leave your house and car before your holidays so you can have a safe and enjoyable trip.

As lots of us, or at least the lucky ones, prepare for our Summer holidays, it can be hard to get everything ready before you go to the airport. When you are far away, worrying about the safety of your home and car is a surefire way to ruin your trip.

Making sure your home and car are ready to be left safely, ready for your return, is the best way to reduce stress and anxiety. However, in the excitement, it’s easy to forget things, so the insurance experts at A-Plan Insurance have put together some tips for how to get your house and car ready to be left as you go on your travels!

House Prep

1. Tidy and Clean

Even though this may seem impossible in the days leading up to your vacation, there are steps you can take to make cleaning your house easier:

• Do one or two rooms each day: Hoovering, disinfecting, and generally tidying up each room at a time in the lead up to the holiday will help you reduce stress. You won’t have to leave anything until the night before, and when you get back, your house will be spotless.
• Get the kids involved: Because kids are always going to make a mess, planning a family vacation can be even more stressful. Give your children some responsibility and ask them to clean up their own areas to get them involved in the cleanup process. Try rewarding them with extra ice cream or letting them bring their favorite toy on vacation in exchange for helping clean.
• Disconnect all unnecessary devices: If you leave your devices plugged in or on standby while you are away, this could cause you to pay more for energy. You can rest easy knowing that unplugging them also lowers your risk of electrical fires.

 2. Preparation of the kitchen

In the long run, you will be grateful that you left the heart of your home ready:

• Empty your refrigerator: Nobody needs to get back from a vacation to the smell of rotten and gone-off food. Food that is set to spoil during your vacation should be thrown out and food that you might want to keep frozen.
• Long life milk: If you don’t want to waste milk, buy long-life milk from the supermarket before you go away. It will keep for longer and be usable when you get back.
• Buy a lot of snacks: Put a few long-lasting snacks in your cupboards and some ready-to-eat meals in your freezer for when you get back so you’ve got things to eat before you can get to a supermarket.
• Order food delivery for when you get home: By scheduling a food delivery for the day after you return home, you will give yourself more time to unpack, reset, and get ready for work.

 3. Preparation for utilities

Don’t spend too much on bills while you’re gone:

• Turn off the water: Even though taps in new homes are less likely to leak, you should always turn off the water in your home when you’re not there. You won’t have to worry about flooding or leaking, which will save you money and water.
• Check your boiler: You won’t have to turn off your boiler for the few weeks you’re away because many new homes have a more energy-efficient holiday mode.

4. Maintenace

The main impediment for robbers is guaranteeing your house is secure and difficult to get into. Additionally, there are a few things that can ensure that your house continues to appear occupied:

• Trim the lawn: A messy unmown lawn is a strong sign that your house is empty, so before you go, ensure your front grass is newly cut.
• Turn off any lights outside: Any house that has an outdoor light on all day, every day is wasting electricity and can make it unclear whether the house is occupied.
• Avoid post buildup: This could be a red flag, so make sure your mailbox is empty or you won’t be able to see what’s inside through any windows. When you’re away, don’t let deliveries to your house be left outside.
• Check to see that every alarm is set: Lock all of your doors and keep your valuables hidden before you leave. Keep any tools that could be used to break in out of sight and secure any sheds, garages, or outbuildings.

Car Prep

• Put a lock on the steering wheel: One of the most cost-effective and simple strategies for preventing vehicle theft is a steering wheel lock. They provide a clear deterrent to any thief and a locking system that prevents the wheel from turning, so if they do manage to get into your car to steal it, they won’t get very far.

  

  

• GPS Locator: A GPS car tracker is a great tool for keeping track of where your car is at all times. Because they can connect to your smartphone, you can easily view it while sitting at the beach.
  

  

  

• The wheel clamp: A wheel clamp is another visual deterrent that will stop your car from moving. Because it would take a long time for them to try to remove it, any chancing thief will be put off because there is a greater risk of being seen or stopped by neighbors and bystanders.
  

  

  

• Key signals blocker: Duplicating and cloning the signal from your key fob is one of the most common ways that vehicles are stolen. You can purchase a key signal blocker that is lined with special isolation to lower this risk. This device prevents the frequency of your key from being duplicated, lowering the likelihood that your vehicle will be stolen.
  

  

  

 Conclusion

I hope this has been helpful and you’ll be ready to enjoy your holidays without worrying about what’s happening at home.