Holiday Road

[image: mine]

I've had the song from National Lampoon's Vacation running through my head all day. You know the one. It goes "Holiday roooooooooooaaaaaad, holiday roooooooaaaaaaaad!" I'm sure it's now stuck in your head too. You're welcome.

Last night was the night we should have started packing the truck for our Christmas roadtrip. We managed to collect all of the stuff from our friends' house that belongs to C's parents - boxes of their knick-knacks that we have been asked to take north. Today C will be playing a big game of Tetris with these boxes, our luggage and various other items like Xmas presents, trying to fit them into the truck.

At least the trip soundtrack is sorted out. I gave some monies to Apple and now have a lovely current chart playlist to crank up, plus have burned about 20 of our other CDs onto iTunes. C has obtained the technology to wirelessly transmit our iPod/iPhone music into the car radio and through the subs. Fun.

This morning I have been trying to think of more domestic things that need taking care of (besides packing our clothes). Twitter has agreed I should change the bed to fresh sheets before we go, so I can come back to that lovely fresh-sheet feeling. I also vaguely recall someone telling me that you should put plugs in your sinks when you go away, fill them with water and put your pot plants in. This also prevents spiders and ants from crawling up your drains. I cannot find a single thing about the spider/ant thing on google though, maybe it is an urban myth?

In my googling I also came across a lot of home security tips for those going on holidays. There was some really good advice that I would never have thought of myself, such as this link from the NSW Dept of Justice called "What to Consider When You Are Going on Holidays".

Some things regarding home security are quite obvious - lock your doors and windows. Others are not things I would have thought of on my own! My fave tips from this document are below.

• Use timers to automatically switch on lights and radios while you are away.




• Turn down the volume on your telephone ringer and don’t leave a message on your answering machine
  that tells callers you are away.




• Hang some old clothes on the washing line and leave a pair of old shoes outside the front door to give your house a lived in look.




• Do not post your holiday plans online (whoops!)




• Mow the lawn and water the plants so the house doesn’t look empty.




• Remove items that can be climbed to access second storey balconies and windows.




• Put away all tools and other items that could be stolen or used to gain access to your property.




• Conceal valuables such as laptops and jewellery so they are not visible from the outside. (I'll be putting everything in the safe)




• Check if your local police offer a patrol service for unoccupied residences

Do you have any tips for home security or peace of mind while you're away on holiday? Feel free to share!