Your Ultimate Going On Holiday Checklist

Whether you’re fired up for an all-inclusive beach resort or want to catch some winter sun, a holiday checklist can help get you organised. After all, you’ll want to keep stress levels to a minimum, especially if you’re catching an early morning flight. And while you’re travelling, the last thing you want to be thinking about is whether your home is secure.

That’s where this guide comes in. At SimpliSafe, we care about security – so while you definitely need to arrange pet care and get your travel insurance sorted, we think checking how good your home security is before you go is important too! Read on for a complete checklist before going on holiday… Plus some extra tips you might not have thought of.

Contents

• When you book your holiday

• The week before you travel

• The day before you travel

• The day you travel

• Home security tips when on holiday

When you book your holiday

• Check your passports are valid

• Apply for visas if needed

• Check what vaccinations you need

• Arrange pet care

Top of any checklist for going on holiday: start by confirming that everyone’s passports are valid. Many countries require that you have at least six months left before they expire for you to enter. If they don’t, renew them! You should also double-check if you need a visa for your destination, and if so, start the application early to avoid delays. 

Next, see if your destination has any vaccine requirements, especially true for countries in South America, Africa, and parts of Asia. These aren’t simply a “nice-to-have”, although they are – well – nice to have, they’re often a legal requirement.

And if you have pets, book their care well in advance. Kennels and catteries can fill up fast, especially during peak travel periods.

The week before you travel

• Get travel insurance

• Print/email your travel documents

• Notify your bank of your travel plans

• Check bank interest rates or get a travel card

• Pause deliveries and subscriptions

• Make sure you have 2+ payment methods

• Check mobile roaming

• Plan your route from the airport

• Map out routes to attractions

• Let family know your travel plans

This is when logistics matter most. Sort out your travel insurance and your various documents with plenty of time to spare, so that you have plenty of time to arrange replacements if necessary.

This is a good time to start thinking about your safety on holiday, too. What about the payment methods you’re going to use? We recommend having money loaded onto a card, as well as cash in the destination’s local currency, just in case one or the other goes missing on your travels. It’s one of our recommended best ways to stay safe abroad.

The day before you travel

• Clean your home

• Empty bins and laundry

• Water plants

• Set light and heating timers

• Hide valuables

• Double-check travel plans

• Fuel your car

This is your final chance to get ahead. Clean the house (even if you don’t want to) and you’ll thank yourself later, using our ultimate home spring cleaning guide if you need to. Sort out your admin: take out the bins and make sure no laundry is left wet in the machine - unless you want to come home to smells - water your plants and, if necessary, arrange someone to take care of them. Go over your travel plans again including check-in times, route to the airport, and parking details. If you’re driving to the airport, fill your tank now to avoid last-minute detours.

As for security, hide your valuables somewhere secure, not in the usual spots, and set your heating and lights on timers, if you can. Criminals might target houses when they know the homeowners are away, so anything you can do to give the impression that you’re still at home is a good thing.

The day you travel

• Double-check documents

• Turn off unused appliances

These are your few final “peace of mind” holiday home security tips: double-check your documents and turn your home appliances off before you leave.

Home security tips when on holiday

Then, it’s all about keeping your home secure while you’re away. Here are some practical tips on how to secure your home when on holiday.

• Ensure that all doors and windows are fully locked. While this may sound simple, most burglars are opportunists and will try doors and windows on the off-chance that one has been left open. Don’t make it easy for them, and install contact sensors as a preventative measure for your own comfort.

• Ensure your home security system is fully armed. This is important to check before leaving, so check your sensors and cameras are positioned exactly where you want them.

• Have a system to deal with potential intruders. To monitor your home when it’s empty, a professional monitoring system is perfect. It monitors for intruders and contacts you if the alarm sounds. Also, if an alarm is triggered it will alert our monitoring centre so that they can visually verify an event (if there is one) and can request emergency dispatch (police or fire) to your home.

• Give spare keys to trusted friends and family. Make sure you don’t have any spare hidden nearby that are easy to find e.g. fake rocks or under plant pots. While these may seem like a good idea, burglars can be savvy and find them quite quickly.

• Keep valuables out of plain sight. We mentioned hiding valuables before - but we also mean big set-ups like TVs or PCs, which could be visible from a window.

• Consider setting up timers for your light switches. This will mimic being at home and can deter burglars.

• Schedule a radio timer. If you have a radio, the extra noise in tandem with your lights can give the illusion of someone being present in the home. 

• Go the extra mile. Nobody wants to be thinking about home security when on holiday, so give yourself peace of mind. If you want to make sure everything is covered, consider installing temperature sensors, video doorbells, or even a bell box to alert nearby neighbours in the event of a break-in. 

We hope our “ultimate going on holiday” checklist has helped you think about keeping your home safe before you travel. Want to build a security system for your home? Contact SimpliSafe and we’ll be happy to help with your bespoke home security system.