How to Prepare for a Road Trip

For a road trip, it's essential for good mileage to tune up the car first. Some of the most important things to do are an oil change and air filter replacement. Here are some other recommended car maintenance before a road trip to ensure your car is running smoothly on the highways and biways across America (or wherever it is that you're headed).

Car Checklist Before a Long Trip

You may have remembered to lock the doors, but are the windows locked? That would make it really easy for someone to break in, especially on ground levels. Other doors you may have forgotten about are barn/garage doors, cellar doors, and in-law apartment doors. Check all of these!

Try calling a local locksmith months before you leave if you'd like to have peace of mind that everything is as locked up as it could be. Also check sliders and sun lights for any looseness.

Tip: For glass sliders, try putting an object into the track that will make it impossible to slide open the door. Some people saw off a piece of round wood that fits perfectly into the slider. Another good idea is a door snake jam which could prevent drafts and also deter thieves.

Water the Plants While You're Away
Indoor plants need relatively little care, so water them plenty before you leave. If you're going to be gone over a week, you're going to want to consider having someone else water them...have someone drop by, or drop the plants somewhere while you're away. Also read the link above to learn how to water plants while you're gone without people present.

Visit the bank before your road trip!
Hit the bank the business day before you leave for your trip, keeping in mind most banks are closed on holidays and Sundays! Take out enough cash that you know you will need to get by. A charge card/cash combination works best on trips, so that you're not carrying too much cash in hand.Motion Sensors
Light sensor for your backyard, deck and driveway

Backyard and front yard light sensors are a huge deterrent. Nothing ruins a burglar's cover like bright light and exposure. Installing light sensors might be just the thing to stop prowlers in their tracks.

Draw the shades.
If you have them, it might be a good idea to draw the shades or curtains. Otherwise, people can just peer in to see if you're home.

Turn off the hot water heater.
This can save some substantial money and energy while you're gone.

Use Electric Power Strips
Electrical power strips save you cash by eliminating the unnecessary flow of energy to your appliances and electronic equipment while they are not in use. This will especially add up while you are away on vacation! One more thing: get one with surge protection. These will help reduce power surges that might overload your computer and other electronics from thunderstorms and other electric disturbances.

Bring out the Trash
There's nothing smellier than coming home to rancid trash inside the house...and that smell will be hard to get rid of. Take out all of your trash barrels and bags before you leave, and don't forget the ones in the garage! It's easy to forget this step when you're rushing out the door for your big trip.

Maintaing the illusion of presence in the home while you are away is one of the best preventative measures you can take to protect your home.

One of the things burglars look for while scoping for potential break-ins is activity. If the TV is going, someone is home, the house looks occupied, cars are in the driveway...this is a huge deterrent to a thief. A house sitter will fulfill all of these needs. Ask someone you know, and they're likely to do it for free...you're much better off having house guests eat some of your frozen pizza than have a burglar come in because the house was vacant!

There are also trained housesitters available on this website:
House Sitters for vacations, trips

Automatic light timers placed strategically throughout the house can maintain that illusion of the house being occupied that you want to portray. Light timers can be purchased everywhere from grocery stores to hardware stores and are simple to operate. Some suggested places to use them would be the kitchen, bedroom, and living room areas--placed that thieves know are occupied during certain times of day. Start the lights before the sun goes down just to be on the safe side, and have them turn off when you would normally go to bed. This combined with a house sitter would be a great way to give the appearance you are still home (or at least someone is).

Usually, USPS will not stop mail unless you are going to be gone longer than five days. However, you can stop your mail with this online form. In either case, you can always have a neighbor, friend, family, or house sitter pick up the mail for you while you're gone.
Pay your bills early
Prepaying your bills is a necessity if you're going on a road trip or long vacation. If you bring a laptop, you can pay your bills while you're on the trip using a secure internet connection, or you can just mail your seperate payments in early.
Why have the mail picked up or have delivery halted?

That overflowing mailbox is a dead giveaway that you aren't home. So are packages on the front steps that have been sitting there in the rain for days. Don't tip people off that you're not home. Schedule your UPS, FedEx and other package deliveries to arrive long before or after you leave. As for your regular mail, you may have to stop by your local post office to fill out a form to have mail stop temporarily.

You'll want to arrange this far in advance, since pet lodging is becoming more prevalant, places fill up quick! Often you can board your pets safely at the local vets office. If you find this type of service not your thing, ask a friend or neighbor to check up on your cat, or if you have a dog, to take the dog in exchange for cash, or returning the favor.

Many hotels now allow pets to stay for free...check Pets Welcome for a list of hotels that do allow pets.