Things You Must Do Before You Go On Safari

It’s important to make a check-list of things to do before you walk out the door of your home when you are going off on a vacation. [tag]Vacation[/tag] time is an exciting time and to avoid situations where you begin to worry because you forget to do some things, here are some things you should check off on your list before you leave for a holiday.

1.Tell your close friend(s) and a neighbor what place you’re going to and leave a contact number.
This is important so that in case of an emergency you can be reached immediately. It’s also intended for your own safety so that in case something happens, like you fall ill, your friends and family may know where to start to look for you.

2.Put your mail delivery on hold.
This is applicable to apartment mail boxes and on-the-street mail boxes. Mail pouring out of your mail box is a give away of your absence and presents an ideal opportunity to a burglar. Remember that Identity thieves can use your mail to get your personal information. Simply call up the US post office or whoever delivers your mail a few days before you go and ask them to stop your mail for the period you will be gone. Do not tell them that you’re going away. A mail slot on your door may still show that you are away because a burglar may look through the window and see mail piling up on the floor. If you have those modern decorative doors with a small look through window, the mail accumulated on the floor may still be visible.

3.Drapes/curtains.
There are various positions regarding whether to leave your drapes/curtains open or closed. Some insist that closing the drapes indicates that you are absent. Others say that leaving drapes/curtains open to make it look like you are at home may invite observant people and potential burglars to peek into your house. My take is that you should leave upstairs drapes/curtains open. Also leave the drapes/curtains open in a downstairs room that has nothing of value but close all other downstairs drapes/curtains. Whatever you settle on just shut all windows whether downstairs or upstairs and keep costly and tempting items away from view from outside the window.

4.Put your newspaper delivery on hold.
Newspapers accumulated on your driveway are a straight give away that you are away. Call the newspaper delivery and tell them that you will not be able to take delivery of the newspaper for - - - days because you will be busy. Do not tell the newspaper that you are going on vacation. Only inform the Police or your security company that you are going away. You never know who might be connected directly or indirectly to a burglary ring.

5.Shut all doors and padlock all gates.
Make sure all doors and windows are secure and locked before you leave. Padlocking your backdoor gate will make your backyard more inaccessible than it would be if left open. The aim is to deter, discourage or delay an intruder as much as possible. It may not be possible to completely keep out a burglar but locked gates make it harder to lift things like TV’s over the gate. Before you leave go round your house and confirm all doors and windows are securely fastened and the gates padlocked.

6.Turn on the alarm system.
This seems so obvious but many people often forget. If you have hired a house keeper or have a close friend or relative to check on your house occasionally, tell them the alarm combination so that they don’t set it off in the process of checking on your house. But be sure to change the combination when you get back.

7.Put your lights on a timer.
Nowadays there is a broad range of timers in the market from simple plug ins that you plug a lamp into to computerised programmable timers. You can add timers to two or three rooms that will enable the lights to get switched on and off at different times.

8.Leave a small stereo on.
It’s easy to spot a house that seems deserted. This is partly because such houses are very quiet. The usual noises like conversations made by people are missing. You can leave a small stereo on. Tune it to a station that has frequent talk shows so that some times there are voices audible in the house. The broken pattern of conversation and music is consistent with someone being home. It’s better to leave the stereo tuned into a talk station than a station that plays music all the time. If you have a small stereo that has timers than can turn the radio on and off at different times, this will be perfect.

9.Unplug most electric items.
Electronic items should generally be left unplugged particularly pricey ones and those that contain your invaluable or sensitive data. Things like your stereo, projectors, DVD players, TV s, and computers should all be unplugged. When an electronic is left plugged it is still live and in case of a storm or flooding in your house while you are away, these items can be permanently damaged. If you use a modem, unplug it because damage can happen owing to the phone connection used.
Your water heater will remain idle until you return so there is no need for it to continue to function at a high level. Turn it down to a low setting.
Disconnect the garage door so that it cannot be opened by remote control from the outside. Usually there is a lever that you can pull on the opener that can accomplish this easily.
Make sure you unplug your washing machine hoses. They can crack or break easily and imagine the scenario if they break while you are away taking a hot air balloon safari in the Maasai Mara. You don’t want to get back from such an exhilarating safari only to find your home flood damaged.

10.Purchase a floor safe and store jewellery and expensive small items in it.
If you are a frequent traveller e.g. on business, seriously think about installing a floor safe in the bottom of your closet to hide small valuable items when you are away. A safe is a security precaution that you can take even when you are not travelling.

11.Set your answering machine appropriately.
Experts discourage the habit of setting your answering machine to respond “I /we can’t get to the phone right now” even when you are in town. It’s generally advisable to set the machine to answer in five rings, answering quickly or too late shows that nobody is at home. Five rings could simply mean that you truly can’t get to the phone. Turn down the ringer in combined phone/answering machine models. In separate phone answering machine systems unplug phone from the machine.

12.Hire a reliable teenager to be a caretaker/ house sitter
This will give you some peace of mind if it can be arranged. You can get a youthful, dependable teenager from the neighbourhood to do certain chores like mowing the lawn/ sweeping dirt or leaves off the yard when you are away. This will hide the fact that you are not home. Not every teenager will throw a party in your home when you are away. House sitters are the best way to prevent burglars from helping themselves to your hard earned furniture when you are away. Many college students will jump at the chance to make extra money by just sleeping at your house. However, chose them wisely. Make sure you know and trust them. You can also inform their parents.
You may also leave a house key with a family member who lives nearby or a close friend who can occasionally check up on your house and give your neighbour the number of that person. This is important because in case of something like a leakage the neighbour will be able to notice it quicker than a person who comes to check on the house every 2 days.

13.Notify the police if you are going to be gone longer than a week.
It should go without saying that you should inform your security service provider, but informing the police is an extra layer of protection as they will often schedule extra drive bys to make sure your home is safe.

14.Park your car in the drive way.
Opinion on this tactic is still divided. Some strongly advise that you leave the car on the drive way to make it seem that someone is home. Others insist that a car that remains parked at the same spot is a hint to potential intruders that no one is around. Still others propose offering your neighbour a place to park. You can do a combination of all. However, don’t park on the driveway if you are in an area where cars are not usually parked on the driveway.

15.Don’t forget to arrange for your pets to be fed or taken care off.
If you want to leave your pet behind as most people do, make sure that they have an automatic feeder and plenty of food and water. The best option would be to leave them with someone else or have someone come over daily to feed them and spend some time with them. Also be sure that the heating/AC system is properly set to keep things comfortable for them in the house while you are gone. There are pet care centres cropping up that accept to host and take care of your pet while you are away at a fee.

The above tips will ensure that your mind is at ease while you are away on vacation. They will help you to make sure that all the necessary precautions are taken to ensure the safety of your home before you leave on any fun family vacations.

Useful tips for residents and visitors to Kenya