How to Protect Your Home While Traveling

A Real Traveler’s Security Guide
To Protecting The Home

Leaving your home empty for two or three weeks shouldn't mean spending your entire vacation wondering if every storm, package delivery, or suspicious noise turned into a crisis back on your front porch.

I’ve been taking extended trips for years, and I learned quickly that true peace of mind doesn't come from crossing your fingers.

It comes from a simple, reliable routine. Before I lock the front door and head to the airport, I run through a checklist of low-cost, high-impact safeguards that I’ve tested and refined on my own trips. From setting up smart cameras you can monitor right from your phone to navigating mail holds and home insurance rules, here is my personal strategy for keeping your home fully secure while you’re away enjoying the world.

1. The Smart Security Setup: Real-Time Peace of Mind

You don't need a multi-thousand-dollar contract with a security company to keep an eye on your house while you're thousands of miles away. Modern app-connected cameras have completely changed the game for travelers.

• What I Use & Recommend: Compact, motion-activated smart cameras. I purchased two Tapo units. They plug straight into a standard wall outlet and connect easily to your home Wi-Fi.
  

• Strategic Placement: I set up one camera pointing at the main front entry point and another toward the rear of the house to cover our primary access areas.
  

• Live Phone Alerts: The Tapo system sends notifications directly to your phone whenever it detects movement. You can pull up a live video stream from anywhere in the world, provided you have an internet connection.
  

• Local Storage: Make sure to spring for specialized high-endurance microSD cards (such as SanDisk High Endurance or Samsung PRO Endurance). While standard SD cards are cheap, high-endurance cards are specifically built for constant 24/7 video overwriting and harsh conditions. They cost a bit more, but they ensure your footage actually saves so you'll have a clear record for law enforcement or insurance if the worst happens.
  

Real-World Pros & Cons from My "Tapo" Experience:

• PRO: The Tapo system is exceptionally straightforward to set up right out of the box.
  

• PRO & CON: The camera gives off a loud, shrill alarm sound when it detects movement. This is a powerful deterrent when you're thousands of miles away, but it will quickly drive you crazy when you're at home. Plan to turn off the alarm feature when you aren't traveling!
  

• PRO & CON: The cameras are very sensitive. While that guarantees you won't miss anything, it also means headlights from passing cars or shifting shadows can trigger an alert on your phone. Position your cameras carefully and test the alert sensitivity settings for a few days before you head to the airport.

2. Managing Mail, Deliveries, and the "Occupied Look"

Nothing advertises an empty house faster than an overflowing mailbox, packages sitting on the porch for a week, or a pitch-black house night after night. Creating the illusion that someone is still home is one of your best defenses.

• USPS Hold Mail Service: Set up a free Hold Mail request on the official USPS website at least 7 to 10 days before your departure. The Post Office can hold all mail for up to 30 days and deliver it in a single bundle the day after you return.
  

• Smart Light Timers: Instead of relying on old-fashioned mechanical timers, use smart plugs or smart bulbs connected to your Wi-Fi. Set up a realistic evening schedule so lamps turn on and off in different rooms at logical times.
  

• Outdoor Motion-Sensor Bulbs: When I'm traveling, I swap our standard exterior lights with lightbulbs that have built-in motion sensors (they cost about $10 each on Amazon). While official crime agencies like the FBI don't track a specific category for night-only burglaries, general statistics show that roughly 32% to 35% of residential break-ins happen at night. That added visibility when someone approaches is well worth the minor effort.
  

• Coordinate with a Neighbor: We always let trusted neighbors know we are leaving and ask them to keep an eye out for unexpected Amazon, UPS, or FedEx packages, as well as supermarket fliers left at the door. It is almost inevitable that you'll forget to pause a recurring subscription or home delivery while you're away!

3. The Hidden Homeowner Insurance Clause

Many travelers don't realize that standard homeowner insurance policies often contain a vacancy or unmonitored home clause.

If a pipe bursts or an undetected leak runs for weeks while you are away on an extended trip, insurance carriers may reduce or completely deny your claim if the property was left unmonitored for more than 14 to 30 consecutive days.

Having a neighbor do a quick weekly walk-through—combined with your smart camera logs—gives you the proof required to satisfy your policy terms.

Jesse’s 5-Minute Pre-Departure Checklist:

1. Water & Plumbing: Shut off the main water valve (or individual supply lines to washing machines and toilets) to prevent catastrophic leaks while away.
   

2. Temperature & HVAC: Set your thermostat to an energy-saving vacation mode (e.g., 78°F in summer, 55°F in winter) so you aren't heating or cooling an empty house.
   

3. Appliance Unplugs: Unplug non-essential electronics (TVs, coffee makers, microwave, desktop computers) to protect against power surges and eliminate "phantom" energy draw.
   

4. Waste & Food Clearance: Empty all interior trash cans, clean out perishable food from the refrigerator, and ensure exterior trash bins are pulled back from the curb.
   

5. Locks & Garage Access: Double-check all window locks, side gates, and deadbolts, and disengage automatic garage door openers if your system allows it.

The "Code Grabber" Reality & The 5-Second Fix

Beware of Garage Door "Code Grabbers"

If your home’s garage door opener was installed prior to the mid-1990s, it may rely on fixed-code DIP switches. Thieves equipped with inexpensive digital "code grabbers" or frequency scanners can sweep through thousands of potential code combinations in seconds, opening older garage doors without leaving a trace or forcing a lock.

While newer systems use rolling codes that change with every click, clever hackers have developed radio-jamming workarounds that can intercept signals.

My Bulletproof Garage Safeguard: Whenever I go on an extended trip, I don't rely on digital security alone.

Sometimes I take some old telephone wire and thread it between the door glide and the door mechanism.

Or, take five seconds to physically unplug the garage door motor or flip its dedicated circuit breaker on the main panel. Without power running to the unit, no radio scanner, signal grabber, or rogue remote on earth can signal the door to open. It is a zero-cost, foolproof way to ensure total peace of mind while you're on the road.

Think locking your deadbolts
is enough?
Discover how "code grabbers" can secretly open older garage doors — and the
5-second fix to keep your home 100% safe while
you're away.

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IS YOUR GARAGE DOOR VULNERABLE TO HACKERS?

Written by Jesse Slome, The Thrifty Senior Traveler
Originally published August 20, 2026 | Last updated August 20, 2026