With all your attention focussed on somewhere far away, it's often easy to forget about things back home.
This article highlights all those things that can easily be forgotten and should ensure that you don't arrive back to six foot high grass and a malnourished goldfish!
Pets
Arrange for your pet to stay with a friend/relative/neighbour or book them in for their own holiday at a top notch cattery or kennels – you even get ones with TV’s in rooms these days! As a bare minimum, make sure that someone you trust has access to your property and is willing to go several times a day to change food/water and take them for walks if necessary.
Home Security
Make sure that you home is safe from thieves by taking simple steps to deter them:
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Cancel milk / newspaper deliveries.
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Set TV, radio or light timers.
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Don’t brag unnecessarily about the fact you are going away, or have your home address keenly displayed on your luggage.
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Make sure garages, sheds and windows are locked.
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Put the alarm on.
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Hide all valuables out of sight.
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Leave your keys and alarm code with a trustworthy individual.
Home Care
Make sure that you don’t return back to an untidy mess or unnecessarily high bills:
- Cut the lawns before you go.
- Eat/give away any food that will be out of date by the time you return.
- Turn on the answerphone (but don’t say that you’re on holiday!)
- Have a quick clean and vacuum clean before you leave.
- Set the timers on the heating and water.
- Help save the environment - remember to turn TV's, PC Monitors etc. off stand-by.
- Arrange for someone to come in and water the plants.
Odd Jobs
Make sure that you have given someone the responsibility for tying up all the loose ends from the Wedding – taking by any hired outfits, settling any bills (you will need to pay them on your return of course – there’s no getting away that easily!) etc. You may even be able to talk a kind mum or dad into coming over to your house and giving it a spring clean!
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