{"id":4656,"date":"2013-07-09T07:11:44","date_gmt":"2013-07-09T11:11:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.123print.com\/?p=4656"},"modified":"2015-07-17T19:22:11","modified_gmt":"2015-07-17T19:22:11","slug":"how-to-prep-for-summer-vacation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/how-to-prep-for-summer-vacation\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Prep for Summer Vacation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"summerThe fourth of July was last week and now you’re scrambling trying to get ready for vacation. If you\u2019re anything like me, you\u2019re usually running around crazy trying to get everything organized at home and wrap up work to-dos before leaving for summer vacation.\u00a0In that frenzied state \u2014 the opposite of how you hope to be on your break \u2014 it\u2019s easy to let an important home safety measure slip through the cracks. Following is a checklist and guide of things to do before you leave for summer vacation. That way you can kick back and relax without a care in the world. Plus, there are a couple of things you can do (or not do) while you are away to further put your mind at ease. Read on, and have a fabulous trip!<\/p>\n

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Set your thermostat.<\/strong><\/span> There\u2019s no need to turn your thermostat off while you are away \u2014 if you live in an area with high humidity, that can lead to mold. According to Wyckoff Comfort<\/a>, you should adjust your thermostat only by 10 degrees to achieve maximum energy savings while you are on vacation. So, if it\u2019s usually set to 70, for example, raise it to 80 for the time being, and 85 max.<\/p>\n

Turn off the water.<\/strong><\/span> Coming back to a leaky pipe is no fun, so make sure to shut off your water main before you leave for a length of time. If you have a fancy programmable thermostat, set an alert to let you know should water enter your basement.<\/p>\n

Clean out the fridge.<\/strong><\/span> You don\u2019t want to return from time off to a refrigerator that\u2019s stinking up the place. If you\u2019re traveling by car, load up produce in a cooler for the ride. If you\u2019re going too far to bring leftovers with you, try to eat up anything that\u2019ll spoil in the week prior; otherwise, chuck the rest (or give it to neighbors), and don\u2019t forget to take out the trash, too.<\/p>\n

Unplug everything.<\/strong><\/span> Yeah, that means going around the house and making sure all appliances \u2014 from laptops to coffee maker \u2014 are out of the sockets. It\u2019s a precaution that could save you time and money should a summer thunderstorm create a surge that destroys your valuables. It\u2019s also a way to avoid potential fires. And it\u2019s eco-friendly. Even when appliances aren\u2019t turned on, many of them consume energy.<\/p>\n

Make it look like you\u2019re not gone.<\/strong><\/span> Burglars are on the lookout for homes that have been vacated over any holiday season, so give them reasons to believe you are still at home. If you have timers attached to your lights in the yard or home, keep them plugged in and going while you\u2019re away to create the allusion that someone is home. If not, leave an energy-efficient light or two on in your home that can be seen from the street. Also, put your mail and newspaper delivery on hold<\/a> so there isn\u2019t an overflow. Hire someone to take care of your lawn and outdoor container plants as well. Now it\u2019s as if nothing has changed.<\/p>\n

Turn on the alarm.<\/strong> <\/span>It sounds simple, but don\u2019t forget to turn your alarm on and lock every door and window. Have a trusty neighbor check on your place from time to time while you\u2019re away and notify your neighborhood security watch of the dates when you\u2019ll be out of town.<\/p>\n

Stay away from real-time social media posts.<\/strong><\/span> It\u2019s tempting to update your Facebook and Twitter pages with your summer vacation experiences in real time. I mean, now is the time when you have TIME to do that, right? But there are likely more people (acquaintances, strangers) able to view these pages than just your close friends and family, so, for safety\u2019s sake, wait to share your favorite photos of you guys swimming with the dolphins until you are back at home.<\/p>\n

\"123Print<\/a>
123Print Sunset with Palm Tree custom postcard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Create custom postcards.<\/strong> <\/span>You know you\u2019re going to hear it from your mother that \u201cyou never contact us when you\u2019re on vacation!\u201d Because sometimes it\u2019s not on your top-priority list to find and send postcards while you\u2019re visiting with Mickey Mouse or scuba diving in the Caribbean, prepare in advance! Create custom postcards<\/a> with a cute note (\u201cwe miss you!\u201d) and\/or a photo of the kids, put stamps on them, and then mail one every day from your vacation destination. Now you don\u2019t have to worry about it and mom and other concerned family members or friends have never felt so thought of. Nice work.<\/p>\n

Have a question for us or vacation planning tips you\u2019d like to share? Post them on our 123Print Facebook<\/a> page, Twitter @123Print<\/a>, or write a note below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The fourth of July was last week and now you’re scrambling trying to get ready […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,6],"tags":[321,1138,1139],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4656"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4656"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9115,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4656\/revisions\/9115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}