5 home security tips for frequent travelers

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By Emily Siegel2014-11-05 16:10:50 UTC

When planning a vacation, our minds fill with images of sandy beaches and rain-drizzled, cobblestone European streets not of the look on our miniature schnauzers face when he realizes the house is being burgled.

With more than two million homes burgled in the United States each year, its important to protect yourself from incursions especially during times your house is left unattended. Below is a list of the top tips and tricks to ward off criminals, so that your travels go off without a hitch.

Its important to keep tabs on your home, even when traveling to the far reaches of the world. The easiest way to do so is by installing security cameras. Most modern cameras are equipped with night vision and motion sensors, and can be synced with your mobile device or tablet.

The other way to check in on your house is to either ask a friend to do so or to program your computers built-in webcam to act as a security camera. There are several apps on the market that enable users to access their web camera from afar so that you wont miss anything at your home.

It's important to consider that simple surveillance may not be enough in the event of a break-in it's one thing to watch your home being raided, and another to ensure that swift action is taken in a worst-case-scenario situation. There really is no comparison to installing a professional security system to keep an eye on your home. Watching the place yourself can be time-consuming and can detract from your vacation. It also doesn't allow for quick reactions should you notice anything amiss. Consider a professional home monitoring system, and let the experts take care of any home security breaches in the event of an incident.

An abandoned home makes for an obvious target, so do your best to make it look like someone is at home. There are several ways to keep up the facade: Have your mail stopped, keep up with the yard work and shovel the snow. Have a neighbor park their cars in your driveway. You can also ask someone to take your garbage bins out on collection day no one needs to know that they're empty.

Another obvious trick is to automate specific electronics in your home, such as programming your lights or a stereo to switch on a certain time. The flurry of activity will make your house looked lived in. A low-cost, energy efficient way of doing this is with a push light. Switch on the battery-powered light before you leave, and let it glow throughout the duration of your trip. Smart plugs also offer the ability to control your lamps remotely.

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5 home security tips for frequent travelers