Single Parent Vacation Preparation

As a single parent, you are probably accustomed to having to do more than your share to keep life manageable and running smoothly. Unfortunately, the same situation applies to summer vacation, which is almost upon us! If you plan on traveling with your children over the summer holidays, you will have a great deal of preparation to do, and the responsibility can certainly take some of the enjoyment out of the idea of vacation. However, there are often relatively painless ways of planning for vacations that can allow you more relaxation and peace of mind.

For example, one thing that you may worry about as a parent taking your children away from home for vacation is the actual safety and security of your home while you are away. Any parent knows that protecting the home is extremely important, as this is a place that represents comfort and safety to your children – so, it would be extremely unfortunate to leave for vacation only to find that your home is broken into or vandalized in your absence. Indeed, worrying about these sorts of things while out of town can prohibit you from actually relaxing on vacation. Fortunately, however, there are numerous ways of making sure that your home remains safe and sound even without you in it.

First, you should check with your home security company to make sure that your system is armed and up-to-date. If you have a house alarm, and hopefully some other features (smoke detectors, motion detectors, cctv security cameras, etc.) then it is already extremely difficult for any unwanted outsiders to gain entry to your home. You can also purchase a more advanced upgrade that actually allows you to control these security features from your cell phone or smart device while you are on vacation. This can allow you full access to your system and immediate alerts if anything goes wrong, and having all of this at hand can really help to give you a sense of peace regarding your home’s safety in your absence.

Additionally, you will want to practice more practical steps to make sure that your home is not an attractive target to criminals just because you are gone. Most notably, this means making your home appear occupied, even though it is not. There are several ways of doing this, from leaving a light on here and there, to keeping a car visible in the garage, and even hiring a house-sitter. Whatever you decide on, it is typically a very effective way of securing your home to simply make it seem occupied. And, again, taking these steps will help you to focus more on the important parts of your vacation – relaxing with your family.

Jack Mercer is a writer and blogger on the subject of home security. He contributes to Homesecuritysystem.com and other security-based websites.