get to know your neighbors<\/a> and talk with them regularly, you can mention that you\u2019ll be going on vacation and that you\u2019d appreciate their looking out for the place a little.<\/p>\nDon\u2019t necessarily ask them to do a bunch of chores (be respectful of their time and efforts), but it\u2019s no problem to ask that they be aware of anything that might make the house look unoccupied \u2014 packages on the front step, a sprinkler system gone awry, etc. They\u2019re the first line of defense while you\u2019re gone, and you can return the favor when they\u2019re away. You\u2019ll also want to give them your vacation contact information, just in case of emergency.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re not at a point of being comfortable with your neighbors, you can also ask friends and family to check up on the place a couple times a week while you\u2019re gone. Again, you don\u2019t need to ask them to do all the chores (unless they owe you!), but just to make sure that things look normal and lived in.<\/p>\n
You can also actually call your local PD and let them know you\u2019ll be going on vacation; they\u2019ll often send an extra patrol or two through your neighborhood just to establish a presence. While this isn\u2019t a replacement for asking someone trusted to stop by a few times, it is an additional layer of security.<\/p>\n
Install Timers on Your Electronics<\/h3>\n
A dark house at night for a week straight is a sure sign that someone is on vacation. By the same token, you don\u2019t want to just flip a light on as you head out the door and leave it on the entire time (yes, I\u2019ve done that, and I know other people who have too).<\/p>\n
Luckily, there are a huge variety of timers on the market that plug right into an outlet and turn your lights and other electronics on and off at certain times of day.<\/p>\n
Most people only think of using these timers on lamps, but having TVs and\/or radios plugged into them is a good idea too to create noise and the flickering lights associated with most American homes in the evening.<\/p>\n
Be sure to get the variety of timer that works with random intervals. You don\u2019t want lights that turn on at exactly 7pm and turn off at 10pm every night; if someone is watching the neighborhood, they\u2019ll notice. Some models even pair with your smartphone so you can turn certain outlets on and off at will. (Note that many security systems offer this feature as well.)<\/p>\n
Have Someone Mow the Lawn\/Shovel the Driveway<\/h3>\n
Two of the biggest giveaways that someone is away from home are an unkempt lawn and a snowy driveway with not the slightest hint of human movement. So in the summer, find a neighbor kid, family member, friend, or landscaping company to mow your lawn (if it\u2019s one of those first three options, paying them in some way is good form; obviously, you\u2019ll be paying the landscaping company), and in the winter do the same with clearing your driveway and sidewalks of snow.<\/p>\n
Also, asking someone to take care of any other outdoor chores that might arise is a good idea. For instance, if a storm comes through and knocks some branches down in everyone\u2019s yard, and you\u2019re the only house that hasn\u2019t picked them up, it\u2019s clear you aren\u2019t home. Hopefully these incidences are few and far between, but they do happen. Neighbors are probably your best bet here, as they\u2019ll be the ones to know if something has happened on your street.<\/p>\n
Read the Remainder at Art of Manliness<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You\u2019ve just spent a glorious week on vacation with your family. The sun was out the whole time, the food was good, and the kids behaved. Miraculous! As you pull into the garage, though, you realize something seems amiss. The door into the house is ajar, and you\u2019re sure you closed it on the way…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[1189,5543,65],"tags":[5159,691,12268,12269],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16302"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16302\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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