Before leaving home, let us make sure that we are not met by an unpleasant surprise when we return from holiday. Let us think about how to properly secure our home.
There are no perfect protections against burglary, but we can minimize the risk ourselves. The best protection for a home is… a helpful neighbor. Before leaving, let us therefore ask a friendly neighbor to pay attention to what happens to our home during our absence.
Let us entrust a set of keys to our home to neighbors or friends. Let us ask them to open the windows from time to time and turn on the lights in the evening, remove advertising leaflets from the doormat, and take the mail out of the mailbox.
Before leaving, let us lock the doors and windows. In detached buildings, let us also remember to lock roof and basement windows, garage doors, and other utility rooms through which a thief could easily get into our home.
Let us not publicize information about our planned trip, and let us not leave such information on an answering machine. We should try not to leave valuables or cash in the home. Let us also remember to turn off the water and gas valves.
It is also worth remembering to secure the car. Let us park in a designated, well-lit and guarded place. Let us not leave luggage or other items in visible places inside the vehicle—it is best to take them with us.