How to Prepare Your Home for a Long Cruise and Ensure Peace of Mind

It may seem like a big chore to get your home ready for a long vacation cruise before you can enjoy a peaceful retreat. But whether you’re heading out of town for a week-long vacation or six months of exploration, you can head out for your trip with confidence and peace of mind if you plan and prepare a thorough checklist! Before going on an extended holiday, take charge of your trips by using the finest house checklist.

There are a lot of things that need to be done, examined, and planned for; it’s not a good idea, after all, to just leave without giving it much thought for a month. We have thus put together a list of things to do to ensure that your home is exactly as you left it when you return to help you along.

13 tips to Prepare Your Home for a Long Cruise trip

What To Pack for A Cruise Trip, things to pack for a Cruise Trip, what to pack for a Cruise
(Credit: U.S. News Travel)

1. Form a pre-vacation to-do list first

Make a to-do list as a starting point. Prior to going on vacation, make a house check list. Making this as soon as you know your itinerary and how long your trip will last is a smart idea. Once you have your departure date set, you may start organizing your belongings. There can be different needs to consider depending on the season. In the winter, you might need to keep pipes from freezing, and in the summer, you could need to cover your pool. So, before your vacation, take a seat and make a list of everything you need.

2. Empty your freezer and fridge

Remove your freezer and fridge

Before you leave on vacation, clean out the fridge. To ensure that your fridge is clean when you return, empty it.
Make sure you empty your freezer and refrigerator just before you leave. Perishables should be used or thrown out, and items that will expire while you’re away should be looked for. You should also thoroughly clean your refrigerator at this time. Remove all of the shelves and drawers, then give them a thorough cleaning. Make sure to defrost the freezer if you empty it completely to avoid having it run nonstop while you’re away.

3. Avoid Sending Mail Or Subscriptions

Inform the post office of your extended absence. You can ask a neighbor to get your mail if you’re just going on a week-long cruise and won’t be staying at your property. But a week’s absence from home isn’t the same as three months’ absence, so you should definitely call the post office and ask them to hold your mail while you’re away. Stopping daily newspaper deliveries will also prevent them from piling up in front of your door, which would indicate to potential robbers that no one is home. When you’re at it, make sure to pause any subscriptions you know you won’t be using while you’re away. This goes for both physical and virtual subscriptions, like meal kits and magazines. If you want to save money on your vacation, cancelling Netflix or other streaming services for a few months is also a great idea.

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4. Unplug the appliances

Before you leave on vacation, unplug all of your electronics. Unplug electrical equipment and appliances to avoid incurring excessive costs. Unplug everything that isn’t absolutely necessary when getting your home ready for a long trip. Even when not in use, anything that is plugged in uses electricity constantly, which over time may have an impact on your electric cost. Unplug all of the gadgets in your house, including computers and TVs. Make sure your refrigerator is empty before unplugging it while you’re away, and keep the doors open to prevent odors when you return!

5. Set Up A Plant, Pet, or House Sitter

A live-in house sitter could be a terrific option for you if you have pets because they can ensure your animals’ comfort and peace of mind while you’re gone. Even if you don’t have any pets, hiring a house sitter can still be helpful if you’d like someone to come check on your home on occasion. They are able to water your plants, change the temperature, and even get your mail. Before departing on vacation, pet owners should make a checklist so that their sitter is aware of when your animals need to be fed and walked. To make it easy on your plant sitter, plant owners should arrange their plants in groups based on when they will need to be watered. Leaving everything they’ll need in one location is also a wonderful idea, as it saves them from having to go through your possessions.

6. Safety For Your Car

Place your vehicle in the garage. Make sure your car is in the finest possible condition before you take a long vacation. Verify that it runs on gas, that the oil has been changed lately, and that it has been thoroughly cleaned. Next, close up your garage, if you have one. In order to ensure that it will be ready for your return when you return from an extended cruise vacation, try to arrange for someone to come turn it on and drive it around the block at least once a month.

7. Ensure home security

Ensure home security

Prior to leaving on vacation, set and check your alarms. Verify that your alarm is operating as it should.
Verifying that all of your windows and doors are securely shut is one of the best things you can do to get your home ready for a vacation. Think about installing WiFi-capable cameras and using timers for your lights. Tidy up as you go through your home making sure nothing is missing and that everything is safe. Empty the dishwasher, fold laundry, vacuum, wipe down surfaces, and take out the trash. Arriving home to a tidy house after a trip is far preferable.

8. Adjust your thermostat to a comfortable setting

Verify the thermostat before leaving for your vacation. Before you go, adjust the thermostat.
A wonderful feature seen on a lot of smart thermostats these days is “away mode.” It guarantees that, while you’re away, your house is properly heated or cooled. It will keep your pipes from freezing in the winter and help you maintain a comfortable temperature without turning on the air conditioner in the summer.

9. Evaluate carbon monoxide and smoke detectors

Examine the alarms’ batteries before to leaving on vacation. Verify the batteries in your smoke detector. Regardless of how long you’re gone, you should make sure your alarm system is operational and change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. It is crucial that you check this on a frequent basis, but especially before embarking on a lengthy vacation, so that you can enjoy your adventure worry-free!

10. Examine the locks and add security

lock security

The security of your home should be the first priority on your checklist before leaving, even if you decide against the aforementioned options. This is just one of the many fantastic suggestions made by Cheryl Leung of the family travel and lifestyle blog Kids on a Plane.

Cheryl advises making any necessary repairs to all of your windows, doors, and other entry points a few weeks prior to your big trip. Your objective is to prevent providing a thief with a simple means of entering your home.

Families and individuals would do well to check their locks and doors to make sure that everything is as secure as it needs to be. This is vital advise from Cheryl.

This is also a great justification for adding home security. There are several ways to accomplish this, including using smart security systems that can notify you or the authorities of any movement within the property and provide a live feed of your home straight to your smartphone. One such tool that will assist in protecting your house’s outside and interior is ADT’s Smart Home outfit.

11. Make plans to water your plants and cut your grass

Kids on a Plane’s Cheryl advises hiring someone to take care of your garden because you don’t want to draw attention to your absence:

Consider hiring a snowplowing or lawn care business to take care of your home’s exterior and yard while you’re gone if you’ll be gone for a long time. A yard with snow or grass that is many feet tall indicates that no one is home.

You also don’t want to return home to an overgrown lawn after taking a leisurely global cruise vacation. When you get back, you’ll want to simplify things as much as possible. In order to avoid returning to a withering garden, Cheryl advises either hiring someone or asking friends, family, and neighbors if they would be willing to mow your lawn and water any plants.

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12. Keep your draperies open

Keep your draperies open

Cheryl advises against closing the curtains when you’re abroad if you usually leave them open at home. This abrupt behavioral shift indicates that you are not at home. Simply keep the drapes and window coverings in place as you usually would, but take valuables and pricey electronics out of sight.

Naturally, airports are extremely safe locations, with countless numbers of people parking there without any issues at all. Still, it never hurts to go above and above with safety measures!

13. Avoid using social media

While travelers would be thrilled to show off their best holiday photos, as Cheryl correctly notes, this could lead to some security risks at home.

In today’s world of social media, it can be tempting to share your travel itinerary and holiday pictures with others. That being said, it lets them all know that you’re not at home. It’s preferable to keep quiet on social media and post until after you’ve got back home.

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