Preparing Your Home for Your Next Trip Away

For a weekend ski holiday or a family getaway to the beach, you don’t have to worry much about preparing your home for your trip. Give the houseplants a little extra water and leave the trash out for pick-up and you are ready to go. If you are planning on staying abroad for a few weeks, or even a few months, it is important to get your house and your affairs in order for your trip. You don’t want to have to worry about your pipes freezing or your mail piling up while you are away. When planning an extended trip, make sure your home is in order so you can enjoy your travels with peace of mind.

Checklist for a Worry-Free Extended Holiday

Here is a comprehensive checklist. Follow it and you will be all set for your extended vacation, whether you are heading south for the winter or travelling for other reasons.

Have your mail directed to your away address, or held by the post office.
Set your bills to auto-pay; you don’t want to worry about writing out bills while you are on vacation!
In the winter, turn your water off to make sure your pipes don’t freeze.
Contact your utility companies and turn off or turn down services where appropriate.
Let a friend or neighbor know where you will be and give them your contact numbers. Leave them a key and ask them to check on your home from time to time.
Set up auto-timed lights so it appears that someone is home even while the house is empty.
Send the pets away to the kennel or a friends’ home for care while you are gone.
Cancel any magazine and newspaper subscriptions or have them redirected to your away address.
Give your potted houseplants to a friend while you are away, they will need the company.
Have someone come to clean and dust your home at least once while you are gone, especially if you are leaving for more than two months.
Make arrangements to have someone care for your lawn while away, unless it is the dead of winter, in which case the cold will efficiently ensure you don’t have an overgrown yard when you return home.

Tips for Feeling Safe While Away

Once you have prepared your home, you can pack your bags and get excited for your trip. By taking necessary steps you will be able to enjoy your vacation, without having to worry about something happening to your home. After all, you want to come back to a clean, secure, happy home.

Do take the trash out before leaving – all of it! Something as simple as a forgotten pizza crust can turn into a very unpleasant surprise when you get home in six months.
Don’t leave things a mess, or you will have to return to a mess.
Do keep track of your bills, even if you set them up for automatic payments.
Don’t let your expenses slide. It’s easy to just forget about all your routine affairs when you are travelling. Spend a few minutes every few weeks making sure everything is up-to-date and in order.
Do hire people to take care of your affairs.
Don’t skimp on home maintenance. A little upkeep service is important if you are away from home for long.
Do call your neighbor once in awhile to make sure they have remembered to check on your home.
Don’t forget to check-in from time to time. It will also help you feel that your home is safe.

Travelling for an extended period of time can be an exciting adventure. Make sure you have everything prepared at home, but also make sure you have everything in order for yourself. Don’t forget to set up your travel insurance policy. 1Cover’s policies provide emergency medical coverage, as well as excellent features like BagTrak to help with lost luggage, and a friendly concierge service. For multiple trips, consider our Frequent Traveller and Annual BorderHop policies. Need to extend your coverage? Simple, just contact our call center. Travel knowing your home is well-cared for, and that you have travel insurance you can count on.