Holiday security advice
Peace of mind when you go away on holiday:

At Home:

1. Put lights on a timer

2. Use a trusted friend to do curtains/blinds for you and remove you post from the door mat.

3. Leave a car on the drive if possible.

4. Use that trusted neighbour to put your bins in and out the same as everyone else.

5. Don’t tell the world you are going away, instead tell them when you have been.

6. Invest in a safe for your more prized possessions. These days, a computer might be replaceable, but the information on it could be used for many things from password theft to identity theft.

7. All back up devices like memory sticks with important information should be left in the care of that trusted neighbour.

8. Be vigilant. Close to me, houses have been burgled while people have been on holiday, but these houses are in small closes where any watchers would be noticed. We pass on a lot of information when we book holidays. How well do you trust the travel agent/booking site?

9. Got a dog? A house sitter is probably on an even par with kennels. Even having a friend’s grotty teenager leaving an untidy house is better than an open invitation to the burglars, and that teen will love the freedom from Mum and Dad, so probably a cheap deal.

10. Another option is to take advantage of Airbnb. Your house is occupied while you are away and you make money!

While away:

1. Never carry your cards and money in the same place. If you lose one, the other is still available.

2. Enjoy your holiday. You can tell social media about it when you get back without alerting everyone to the fact your home is empty.

3. Spend that extra bit on the room safe. You have no idea who is coming in and out of your room while you are at the beach. Even if you have a private villa, someone, somewhere nearby has extra keys.

4. It might not be fun, but someone should always stay with your stuff at the beach. You might be told the beach is theft free, but locals are going to say that anyway.

5. If you have to get keys from a key safe, make sure the code is scrambled at all times. I have been outside a holiday apartment block where 5 or six key safes were left open. It would have taken minutes to copy the codes and be able to retrieve keys when people went out.

6. Check your wallet/purse often. Chances are you will be wearing clothes different to your routine wear. You get used to a feel of where things sit in your everyday clothes. It might be different in your holiday attire.

7. Make sure you have the numbers to call if you need to cancel your stolen cards quickly.

8. Be extra vigilant when drawing cash from machines. They often look different to the ones we know and therefore it is harder to tell if they have been fitted with card scanners.

9. Be aware of groups of children – they come and pat their hands all over you, making it harder to feel when they are lifting your wallet. If you see anyone or anything suspicious, keep your hand in your pocket and hold on to your possessions.

10. Never leave your drink unattended. If you need the loo, trust a friend to keep an eye on it.

11. Be extra careful to not need a tradesman. If you don’t know local prices, you won’t know if you are being ripped off. Back home, you can do something about it later. Abroad, you might get fleeced and it’s a lot harder to fight a case from home. So don’t lock your keys in the hire car, etc. As an example, when I was younger and more naïve, I broke a key to my apartment room. It was old, worn and the hotel would have had plenty more. But they still charged a small fortune for it, which ruined a great holiday.

Thanks for reading.
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