Leaving your home alone?

When you're getting ready to go on vacation, it's not unusual to focus more on packing and planning, than about protecting your home while you are away. This can mean taking precautions against burglary or ensuring against damage like fire or flooding.

Research shows that if it takes more than five minutes to break into a home, a burglar will go elsewhere. But, if they do get in, don't make it easier for them to steal your valuables. Some simple rules:

* Make sure you have strong doors. Outside doors and frames should be made of metal or solid hardwood and be at least 1ѕ inches thick. Even the best lock will not deter a burglar if it is installed in a weak door.

* Don't forget about the garage or shed doors! They also need strong locks since burglars can use the tools inside to break into your home.

* Keep valuables locked up and well hidden. Do not leave personal documents or valuables in a place where burglars might expect to find them. For example, personal documents should be somewhere other than your home office and jewelry should be hidden somewhere other than the bedroom. As you prepare to leave on vacation, remember that a would-be thief has even more time to commit their crime, so you'll make the house look inhabited:

* Arrange to have your lawn mowed or driveway shoveled.

* Arrange to have mail, newspaper and flyers picked up.

* Be careful not to discuss your vacation plans at the supermarket or hairdresser or other public places where you don't know who may be listening.

Now that your house is secure, make sure that you have also protected it from damage.

A few years ago, my mother went on vacation and her homecoming gift was a leaking toilet that had flooded the entire house! This could have been prevented if she had simply turned off the water supply to the toilet before she left.

If you are headed south during the winter, do not turn off the heat. By setting the thermostat to at least 18°C (65°F), you will help to stop pipes from freezing and causing them to burst.

You really can't take anything for granted when you leave your home alone. But with a little forethought, you can protect your home from itself, and from those who wish to steal your personal treasures.

Julia Bryan handles communications and public relations for DeNure Tours in Lindsay.

48 hours in Frankfurt