Packing up the car for vacation
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A few weeks ago, while in New Orleans on a business trip, my phone buzzed with an alert from my front door.
A FedEx driver was standing on my porch with a package that required a signature. I answered through my video doorbell and explained that I was out of town. His response wasn’t what I wanted to hear: Since no one was home to sign for it, the package would be held at the local FedEx office until I returned—an inconvenient errand waiting for me on the back end of my trip.
Just as he was about to walk away, my neighbor—the one who keeps an eye on my mail while I’m traveling—walked by. Through the doorbell, I greeted her and asked the driver if she could sign for the package instead. He agreed, she accepted the delivery on my behalf, and in less than a minute, it was resolved.
I realize this wasn’t exactly an emergency. But it was proof that staying connected to your home while you’re traveling isn’t just about security. It’s about solving everyday problems from hundreds (or even thousands) of miles away so they don’t follow you on your trip.
Whether you’re leaving for a long weekend or a three-week international adventure, preparing your home deserves as much attention as packing your suitcase. A little planning before you leave can help protect your property, prevent costly surprises and, perhaps most importantly, give you one less thing to think about while you’re away.
Leave Home With A Plan
Locking up is just one step in preparing your home for a vacation
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Once I started thinking about preparing my home as part of preparing for my trip, I realized I had been approaching it all wrong. Locking the front door before pulling out of the driveway isn’t a strategy—it’s simply the last step.
“No property can be 100% secure,” says Philip Farina, founder and chief security and safety advisor at Risky Business. “Hardening your home is a multi-step process.” The goal, he says, is creating layers of protection that make your home less vulnerable while you’re away and reduce the chances that a small problem turns into a much bigger one before you get back.
That starts with a walk around your property before you leave. Farina recommends checking that exterior doors, windows and gates close securely, outdoor lighting is working properly, and security cameras or alarm systems are functioning as expected. If you’re relying on battery-powered devices, make sure they’re fully charged, and confirm your home’s Wi-Fi is operating properly so connected devices remain online while you’re away.
Some of the biggest travel headaches, however, have nothing to do with break-ins.
Farina says homeowners should also prepare for problems like water damage from an overworked air-conditioning system, storm damage that goes unnoticed for days and power outages that disable cooling systems during the hottest months of the year. The longer those issues go undetected, the more expensive—and stressful—they can become by the time you return home.
Thinking through those possibilities before you leave doesn’t mean expecting the worst. It simply means giving yourself the best chance of returning to your home exactly as you left it. And thanks to today’s connected home technology, many of those potential problems no longer have to go unnoticed while you’re away.
Stay Connected Without Staying Distracted
Connected home technology helps travelers manage the house itself—not just its security
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For years, checking on your home while traveling meant asking a neighbor to drive by every few days. Today’s connected home technology has changed that equation, giving homeowners the ability to monitor and manage their homes from virtually anywhere.
“Remote access is a game changer when it comes to monitoring your property while on the go,” says Melissa Mohr, senior vice president of product at Vivint. Through the mobile app, homeowners can view security cameras, lock and unlock doors, check the status of connected devices and receive alerts if something requires attention.
I’ve found that the biggest benefits often come from the smallest interactions.
The FedEx delivery in New Orleans is one example, but it’s hardly the only one. I’ve used my app to make sure the garage door actually closed after I left for the airport, remotely lock my front door after one of those inevitable moments of wondering whether I remembered to lock it, and quickly glance at a live camera feed after receiving a motion alert. More often than not, it’s nothing, but having the ability to verify that in seconds beats spending hours wondering about it.
Connected home technology can also help travelers manage the house itself—not just its security.
Mohr says smart thermostats allow homeowners to remotely adjust temperatures based on changing conditions, while water sensors can immediately alert homeowners to leaks before they become major problems. Temporary access codes generated through smart locks also make it easier to give trusted neighbors, family members or pet sitters access to your home without hiding a spare key under the doormat.
Living in Phoenix, I routinely turn my thermostat up before leaving town so I’m not over-cooling an empty house during the summer. Then, while I’m waiting to board my flight home, I’ll lower it again so the house is comfortable by the time I walk through the front door.
While homeowners may assume monitoring their homes while traveling requires constant attention, Mohr says today’s systems are designed to simplify the process, not add another task to your vacation. Features like smart lighting and thermostat schedules, remote lock verification and real-time alerts allow homeowners to stay informed without feeling tethered to their phones.
Of course, even the smartest technology has its limits. A camera might alert you that a package has been delivered or a pipe has started leaking—but it can’t bring the box inside or shut off the water. Sometimes, the best backup plan is still another person.
Pair Technology With A Human Backup
An overflowing mailbox is just one task a house sitter can help with
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“Cameras and sensors can tell you something happened, but they can’t do anything about it,” says Mathew Prior, CEO of TrustedHousesitters.
That’s why security experts recommend thinking beyond technology when you’re planning an extended trip.
“I highly recommend having someone stay at your place or check in on it at least daily,” Farina says.
Whether it’s a trusted neighbor stopping by every couple of days, a nearby family member with a key, or someone staying in your home while you’re away, having another set of eyes on your property adds an important layer of protection.
For travelers who don’t have a friend or family member nearby, house sitting has become another option. TrustedHousesitters, for example, connects homeowners with vetted travelers who stay in homes—often caring for pets in exchange for accommodations. Members build profiles, collect reviews from previous house sits, and typically meet homeowners over a video call before both sides agree to an arrangement.
The value goes far beyond feeding the dog.
A house sitter can bring packages inside before they become targets for porch pirates, notice a running toilet before it becomes a flooded bathroom, water plants, collect mail, take trash bins to the curb and recognize maintenance issues that would be easy to miss through a camera feed. Simply having someone coming and going from the property also makes the home appear occupied, something security experts have long recommended to deter opportunistic criminals.
Don’t Make It Obvious You’re Traveling
Putting lights on a timer can help give the illusion of an occupied home
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Sometimes, the simplest precautions are the easiest to overlook.
Farina says one of the biggest mistakes travelers make is unintentionally advertising that no one is home. While sharing vacation photos in real time can be tempting, it can also signal that your house will be sitting empty for days—or even weeks.
Instead, consider waiting until you return home to post your favorite travel moments. It’s a small change that can make it harder for would-be criminals to know your house is unattended.
The same thinking applies to your property itself. Mail piling up in the mailbox, trash cans left at the curb long after collection day and a dark house night after night are all subtle clues that no one is home. If possible, ask a neighbor to collect your mail (or use the USPS free hold mail service), bring your trash bins back to the house, and keep an eye on the property while you’re away.
Technology can help here, too. Smart lighting schedules can automatically turn lights on and off throughout the evening to create the illusion of occupancy, while temporary access codes make it easy for trusted friends or neighbors to stop by without exchanging spare keys.
None of these steps takes much time, but together they reinforce the same strategy Farina recommends from the start: layering simple precautions so your home looks cared for—even when you’re hundreds or thousands of miles away.
When I got home from New Orleans, the package was sitting safely inside my neighbor’s house, and I never had to make that extra stop at the FedEx office. It was a small win, but that’s really the point. Preparing your home before you travel isn’t about expecting something to go wrong. It’s about reducing the chances that a minor inconvenience becomes a major interruption.
Whether your plan includes connected home technology, a trusted neighbor, a house sitter or all three, the goal isn’t to spend your vacation checking camera feeds every hour. It’s to leave home knowing you’ve done everything you reasonably can to ensure no surprises when you arrive back home.
