Traveling for the Holidays? Keep Yourself and Your Home Safe

According to the PricewaterhouseCoopers annual Holiday Outlook report, nearly half of Americans (47%) plan to travel during this year’s holiday season. Whether you are driving or flying for your trip, any time you spend away from your home is time that your home is left vulnerable. For that reason, securing your home while you travel is important – and, taking steps to make sure you keep yourself and your valuables safe is critical as well. Our Bakersfield home security company has tips that can help.

Plan for the drive ahead.

Whether you’re driving to Grandma’s house a few hours away or taking a trip out of state, make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to get to your destination. CalTrans® provides Californians with their “know before you go” feature to help.

By entering the highway number you plan to travel on, you can get quick, real-time traffic information on demand. This is designed to help you plan your departure time, arrival time, and stops along the way. Your holiday travel drive will be safer and more enjoyable because you took the time to plan.

If you can shave some hours off your driving time, that can also be a security benefit for your home.

Prepare for your flight.

If you are flying to a holiday travel destination, you may feel like you have less control over how your trip plays out. However, getting informed can certainly improve your odds of a smooth, stress-free day of travel. By downloading your airline’s mobile app days before you leave, you can receive the most up to date information on your flight schedule. If you check the app frequently in the days leading up to your trip, you can know immediately if there are delays or gate changes. In the unfortunate event of a flight cancellation, staying plugged in to the app can give you a quick way to access other available flights to your destination.

Keep your property safe.

Whether you are driving or flying this holiday season, pay special attention to protecting your valuables. On a flight, make sure your cash, cards and electronics are safely secured in your purse, backpack or other personal storage item you are keeping on your person. When it’s time to vacate the plane at landing, this should be the first item you reach for. Going to the restroom? Ask your travel companion to hold the item; if you are flying alone, be sure to take it with you. If you are driving, the same items should be similarly secured and in the front seat of the vehicle with you at all times. At every rest stop, take the item with you and do not set it down. Travel experts recommend a cross-body bag or purse; these allow you to stay hands-free while keeping your property safely on your person.

Think like a thief.

\”What would a criminal do?\” is a question we should all ask ourselves more often, especially when traveling. Before you leave home, make sure you are not exposing anything that would be easy for a pickpocket to access (no cash, cards, wallet or phone hanging out of your pockets or purse). To ensure you have access to emergency services and your home security system at all times, bring back up chargers for your phones and other devices. This can also improve your travel experience; there is nothing worse than having an electronic ticket and worrying that your phone is going to die. And although the holidays are special occasions, travel experts recommend leaving your most expensive jewelry at home. If thieves know what they’re looking at (and many do), wearing it makes you a target in public places. Putting jewelry in a hotel safe or finding a secure spot at a rental home is a viable second option, but it can cause undue stress — and nobody needs that while traveling for the holidays.

Stay connected to home.

In addition to making sure your doors and windows are locked, you can keep your home more secure by staying connected to your security system. As a customer of our Bakersfield home security company, you can get an automatic notification if your property is breached while you’re away. Our mobile connectivity enables an immediate notification to your smartphone if there’s a break-in attempt, someone is lingering on the porch, or a person enters the view of your home security cameras (please note, you will need reliable cellular and internet access for this feature). If you don’t yet have this critical home security protection, it’s time to request it. Call Secure Systems to discuss your home security needs — and enjoy your holiday travel.

About Secure Systems

Secure Systems is a Bakersfield alarm company that installs alarms for homes and businesses. We also install residential camera systems and business camera systems, commercial and residential fire alarm systems, wireless monitoring, remote access alarm systems, access control and door buzzers in Bakersfield and Kern County. Call us today at (661) 220-5354.