There are so many reasons why you may need to leave your home unattended for a longer period of time. You may decide to go on a bit longer vacation abroad, attend an international seminar in order to grow professionally or even visit some family members who reside at the far end of the country. No matter the reason, leaving your home completely vacant for quite a while is an unsettling thought at the very least. With this in mind, here are a few ways in which you can ensure the safety of your home in your absence.

Ironclad home security

Keep in mind that the safety of your home isn’t endangered only while you are away. Even while you sleep, work or are out to get groceries, potential burglars might be lurking behind the corner. Because of this, you need to improve the overall safety of your home. For starters, you should invest in quality locks for your doors and windows and in this way minimize the chance of someone breaking in. You could also install some security cameras. These would allow you to monitor your home in real-time through your smartphone even from the other side of the globe. In the end, the presence of visible security cameras alone may act as a powerful burglar deterrent.

Make sure it doesn’t look like you are away

Another great idea to protect your property is ensuring that no one knows you are not at home. This, however, is not as easy as it seems. The first thing you need to worry about is your mail, since nothing screams ‘no one’s home’ louder than a massive pile of letters and magazines at your doorstep. Cancel all your subscriptions until you return and politely ask your neighbors to pick up your mail regularly. In return, make sure to bring them something nice from your trip as a reward for their effort. Finally, you need to think about social networks. You never know who’s watching you, which is why it might not be a good idea to write any vacation-related statuses/tweets or post any pictures until you finally come home.

Hide your valuables

Keep in mind that even with all the above mentioned safety measures, someone might still call your bluff. Seeing how you should always be ready for the worst-case scenario, you need to imagine what would happen if a hypothetical burglar did enter your home. This is why you need to have your most valuable belongings locked in a safe, or better yet, use the safe as a decoy and hide your valuables in a hidden compartment somewhere else in your house.

Hire a house sitter

In truth, there is only one 100 percent efficient way to protect your home while you are away and that is to have someone else living there while you are traveling. If, for example, you plan to go on a trip from NSW to Western Australia, New Zealand, USA or even UK, you may want to look for house sitting services. This way, you will have someone reliable tending to your estate while you are gone, and you can rest assured that everything will be in its place upon your return.

Constantly worrying about your home while you are on a vacation can be extremely exhausting. In fact, it could ruin your mood and prevent you from enjoying the trip as you were supposed to. Additionally, returning back to your ravaged household can be even worse. Luckily, the abovementioned four tips can help you deal with both of these issues.