Before You Go On Vacation

If you are about to depart for a well deserved getaway, don't forget to get your home ready for your vacation.

Suspend mail and newspaper subscriptions.  Have a neighbour check on your home from time to time, especially if you don't have a modern security system that lets you observe your property from afar. But, don't cancel yard maintenance or plant-watering contracts, as a neglected yard could tip off burglars that nobody's home.

Consider unplugging non-essential appliances to save energy and protect them from potentially harmful electrical surges. And, remember not to post your vacation pictures on social media until after your return home - otherwise you'll be announcing that your home is unoccupied.

Finally, before you go, be sure you have adequate travel insurance and upload photos of critical travel documents and prescriptions to a cloud-based server for access from anywhere.

Have a great trip!