Stay connected to home while travelling

(NC) – Travellers have enough things to worry about when they’re on the road-connecting flights, check-out times and bored children. Worrying about what’s happening at home shouldn’t be one of them. There are many ways to maintain peace of mind and keep your home safe while you’re out exploring the world.

Here are four useful tips combining technology with tried-and-true safeguards:

1. Keep in touch (conveniently): Asking a trusted neighbour or friend to keep an eye on your home while you’re away is a great idea. Smartphones, tablets and laptops provide access to social media almost anywhere at any time. This is a great way to keep in touch with your house sitter—you can get instant updates and check in at your convenience.
2. Monitor your home from anywhere: Your smartphone, tablet or laptop can give you access to home security, monitoring and automation services such as Rogers Smart Home Monitoring. This new system allows you to stay connected to your home from anywhere you have an internet connection. For example, you can adjust the thermostat or turn the lights on from your smart phone. You can also receive real-time alerts about activity in your home including notifications on water leaks, carbon monoxide and entry into your home. Your home is also monitored 24/7 by certified security professionals in real time from a Central Monitoring Station, so when an alert is triggered they will know about it instantly and you will be notified.
3. Don’t tip off criminals online: You wouldn’t put a notice in the paper saying you’re out of town for two weeks, so why do it online? While social media can provide a window into the neighbourhood and can keep you in close contact with your house sitter, be careful about what you post for everyone to see. The anonymity of the Internet can encourage us to share personal information without fully realizing that there may be hundreds of complete strangers receiving our daily musings.
4. Make sure you’re not an easy target: Ensure your home looks lived in. For example, if you are away in the winter months, arrange to have your driveway and sidewalks shovelled. You may also want to consider having a neighbour park a vehicle in your driveway.

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