Preparing your Home for Holiday Travel

Greetings,

While you are likely very excited about your upcoming plans to travel for the holidays, you need to make sure you take the time to prepare your home as well. Criminals are very aware that people travel for the holidays and they look for homes to target during that period of time. There is a much lower risk of getting caught during this time because so many people are paying attention to their own plans.

Make sure you carefully check all the doors and the windows before you leave for the holidays. They should all be securely locked to prevent someone from slipping into them undetected. If you have an alarm system you want to make sure you set it before you head out. Put fresh batteries is motion lights and outdoor video equipment that you may have installed. Don’t leave extra keys under the mat or other common locations where criminals can easily find them and walk right into your home.

You don’t want your home to appear to be empty when you travel for the holidays. If possible have a friend or neighbor stop by daily. Most criminals stake out homes so if they see different lights on or they see fresh footprints in the snow they will be less likely to target your home.

Either have someone collect your mail and newspapers daily or put them on hold until you return from your holiday travel. Not only is this a dead give away that you are out of town, it can also lead to identity theft. All it takes is for a criminal to get their hands on your bank statement or a credit card statement and they could wipe out your account and charge items that you will have against your credit card.

If you are traveling during the colder part of the year for the holidays, have someone shovel your driveway and sidewalks. This definitely gives the impression that you are home or at least that someone is keeping a very close eye on your home. You also want to set your thermostat at a decent temperature while you are way. The added expense of the heating bill will be nothing compared to the damage from broken pipes that may have froze due to the drop in temperatures while you were traveling for the holidays.

Make sure a friend or a neighbor has a way to contact you in the event of an emergency involving your home while you are away for the holidays. Hopefully they won’t need to contact you but having such measures in place can be very beneficial if an issue does arise. They may be able to take care of low priority issues for you such as the sprinkler system not turning off or someone hitting your mailbox with their vehicle due to sliding on icy roads.

It can be very nice to travel for the holidays, but do all you can in order to ensure your home will be protected while you are away. You don’t want to come home and find that your home has been burglarized or later that your personal information has been compromised. Some planning before you travel for the holidays will help to ensure everything is safe and sound when you return.

Sincerely,

Thomas “Trapper” Sherwood
Sherwood Locksmithing

PS…Our “Personal Safety and Security Secrets Revealed” ebook makes a Great
Gift for the new home owner you may know.

Personal Safety Awareness

As you read every word of this article, you will discover that personal safety
and security is an ongoing lifelong learning experience.

Did you know…

One of every four college women polled in a study by the Department of
Justice was sexually assaulted during four years at college?

Personal safety means preventive adult and child safety, as well as
self-protection when attacked.

Personal safety and security means not putting yourself into a bad situation
to begin with, or taking measures to protect yourself should something bad
happen to you.

Personal safety and security are important whether you live in the city,
suburbs or a rural area, crime is happening all the time in every community.

Discovering how to keep yourself safe and secure can help you stop feeling
vulnerable.

Personal defense sprays and stun guns should only be purchased by those
18 years of age or older.

“If what you really need or want is self-defense or personal safety, or your
needs are ill-defined, martial arts schools may help you define what you may
want.”

Mini courses in self-defense are also available.

It is however, important to realize that no matter what your decision about
using physical self-defense to protect yourself, that you have come to a
crossroads.

Unless you are willing to commit extreme physical violence in self-defense do
not allow this situation to develop.

Before you vocalize: Know how far you are willing to go, Physical self-defense
is the last ditch effort.

Physical self-defense is not about fighting, it’s about not being hurt by violence.

Police Officers, Campus Safety and Security Consultants recommend the
use of personal safety alarms. These can be used when jogging, grocery or
just going out to the car to get something.

Speaking of vehicles, Close all the windows and sun roof, lock doors and remove
your key from the ignition when leaving it parked on campus.

Being alert to what’s going on around us creates a culture that promotes and
enhances security and safety on a campus and in our neighborhoods.

Are you beginning to see how important it is to pay attention to all your
surroundings?

Also, If you arrive home, even if it is your dorm room and see that any window
or door is open, go to a neighbor’s house and call the police.

What can we do for prevention and to increase our knowledge?

Is there a Neighborhood Watch Program where you live?
Contact your local Police Department to find out. Or, if you live
on a campus, discuss this with your Campus security.

If there isn’t one, take the lead and start one of your own.

It could help keep you, your friends, your dorm or home safer, and also help
your neighborhood be a safer place to live.
Sincerely,

Trapper

PS…Become a know-it-all, read our articles on related subjects and become
the personal safety guru on your block.

It is our hopes that our ebook will help guide you in keeping yourself, your
house or home, your family and friends safer from crime..

PPS….Personal safety and protection is an important issue, so if you have
some information you’d like to share with us, then please do so.

We eagerly look forward to your comments.

Home Security Quiz; part 3

Hello,

Welcome to part 3 and the final part of http://www.personalsafetyebook.com Home Security quiz.

We hope you have found these tips and guidelines helpful in keeping your home, or house and
yourself and family safer from crime.

Please share this site with your neighbors and friends, and if needed perhaps you can start a
neighborhood watch group.

Your local police Dept will have more information on how to organize a group in your neighborhood.
11. Do motion sensors control your exterior lighting?

12. Do you leave your home unlocked for a child coming
home from school?

13. Do you ever leave ground level windows open or ajar
when you’re not home?

14. Do all of your sliding glass doors have at least
one of the following:
Sliding Door/Window Alarm
Track lock
Hinged door bar
Insertion pin lock
Metal or wood dowel in track

15. Do you have ‘Bump Key’ proof locks on your home?

How well did you score on your ‘Security Quiz’?
Any questions? Feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,
Thomas Sherwood
615 355-5886
Or, visit us on the web at:

http://www.sherwoodlocksmithing.com

PS…Discover what ID Theft is and how you can protect yourself from it. Sign up at http://www.personalsafetyebook.com/PPP.html for your FREE 36 page report.