6 Things to Do Before Leaving Your House for A Long Vacation

An enjoyable trip can soon turn unpleasant if you return home to issues or circumstances that you could have avoided in the first place. Make sure you're not leaving your home in the way it is while planning an Exciting Road Trip as you don't let the thrill of your journey make you blind to any threats.

Why Is Getting Your House Ready For a long Vacation so Important?

Traveling is considered to be an exciting experience. However, worrying constantly about what's happening at home can likely make your trip less enjoyable. You can lessen the possibility of any problems, such as break-ins or damage, by preparing your house for Long Vacation before you go.

Dealing with theft or an accident when you go home from a trip is the last thing you want to do. Making the house ready will assist keep it safe and secure, giving you the assurance that there won't likely be any issues after your return from Travel Burnout.

6 Tips for Leaving Your House While on Vacation

While getting your house ready for Long Vacation might be the last thing on your mind before a long trip, you must make the effort to make sure it is safe and trouble-free.

The following actions can be taken to get your home ready for a trip:

1. Secure Your Home so It Appears Occupied

Make sure your home is secure before leaving on a trip, especially one that will last a long time. Making your home appear occupied will help you avoid being a target for theft.

Make your house appear occupied and secure by taking the following Travel Hacks:

• Lock the garage, any exterior doors, and windows.
• Keep no house keys hidden close to your door.
• Set programmable light timers for outdoor lights.
• Turn on any motion-activated outdoor lights.
• Remove any visible items and shut the blinds and windows of your home.
• Make sure your security system is working.

If you get along with your neighbor, you might ask them to keep an eye on your home and let you know if anything seems off.

2. How To Keep House Fresh While on Vacation

You should clean up your fridge and get rid of any food that will go bad while you're away since you won't be home for a while. Also, this is a perfect time to clean all the surfaces and remove any expired foods or other things.

In order to avoid paying to keep your fridge running while you're away, you can leave your fridge unplugged, defrosted, and with the doors open while you remove everything from it.

3. Prepare Your Home for The Elements

It's impossible to know with clarity what kind of weather your house will encounter while you're away. To lessen the chance of weather-related damage, make sure to repaint your home.

Before you go, have your roof inspected, and make any necessary repairs. In addition, you want to trim any trees or plants and clean out your drains. Put any outside garden furniture that is exposed to the weather inside your garage or shed to keep it safe. The same goes for any loose objects in your yard that could move during strong winds or rain.

4. You Should Respond to Your Mail and Deliveries.

You'll want to ensure that your mail gets handled, whether you pause it, forward it, or ask a neighbor to pick it up. Mail that collects suggests that no one is home, which raises the risk that your home may be burgled. In your absence, the mail could possibly be taken.

For deliveries, make sure you follow the same procedure. Ask a neighbor to hold any deliveries you have scheduled during your absence until you get back. Remember to also halt any paid services.

5. Clean Your Home

Cleaning a house that won't be occupied for a while might seem unproductive, but you'll be glad you did it afterward. Coming home to a clean, tidy house after a trip or Long Vacation is much more enjoyable.

Use this as a quick cleaning checklist before leaving on vacation:

• Shut the dishwasher door after emptying it to let the water drain.
• Make sure there are no clothes in the washer or dryer to avoid coming home to moldy laundry.
• To prevent attracting pests or rats while you are away, wipe down your counters and clean the hob.
• To prevent arriving home to an extremely offensive (and difficult to get rid of) smell, clean your garbage disposal by pouring a half-cup of water and vinegar through it.
• Make arrangements for someone to take the garbage cans to the street on trash day and take out the trash before you leave.

To reduce the quantity of dust and trash in your home, you could even want to vacuum and dust before you leave.

6. Protect Your Vehicle

Make sure it's safe and prepared for long-term storage if you're leaving a car or other vehicle at home while you're on Long Vacation. The best place for you to leave your automobile is in a garage, away from the elements. To keep your car clean and dry if you don't have a garage, you can get a weatherproof car cover.

You should once a week ask a friend or neighbor to start and drive the car. If it's not possible, you might wish to use a trickle charger or detach the car battery before you depart. This will lessen the risk of battery discharge.

Here Are Some Additional Tips for Long-Term Car Storage:

• Fill up your petrol tank if you'll be gone for more than 30 days to avoid moisture building and avoid the seals from drying up.
• The paint on your car might be damaged by water stains, bird droppings, mud, grease, or tar that have been present for a long time.
• Change the oil before you go if you'll be gone longer than 30 days to prevent pollutants from used oil from harming your engine.

Helena is a Writing Fellow based in Los Angeles, USA. I have 4 years of experience working and managing teams in the tech industry. I have held roles in multiple areas, including computer engineering, writing, and product management.