Holding down the fort: details to consider before bon voyage

by Jill Henry

SBJ Reporter

jhenry@sbj.net

Whether traveling for business or pleasure, there are many details to take care of at home beforehand.

"Don't do anything that you wouldn't do if you were home," said Rick Bookout, crime prevention officer for the Springfield Police Department. Many people have good outdoor lighting but only use it when they're away, "which is just broadcasting that they're not home if anybody's watching."

Along with newspapers in the driveway, Bookout said, missing trash day is a sign that a home is empty. Asking a neighbor to pull trash cans to the curb with their own may help prevent robbery, he said.

Timers are an inexpensive, yet effective, theft deterrent. "Let's say you go to bed and you watch David Letterman or something like that. Set that television in there to come on at 10:30 and go off at 11:30 every night," Bookout said. "You can set lamps and radios to come on and go off. Make it consistent with your habits."

When a house will be empty for a while, City Utilities recommends leaving thermostats on settings appropriate to the time of year.

"Anywhere between 50 and 55 degrees normally allows enough heat loss to the floors and walls to keep pipes from freezing" in the winter, said Cara Shaefer, CU's director of residential marketing and energy management. In warmer weather, customers should leave thermostats on the highest setting or turn the air conditioning off.

Clients of Jeff Etem's While You're Away leave a checklist of everything they want done around the house.

"Every pattern they go through, everything that's a scheduled routine, I try to keep it as much as possible," Etem said, adding that he often picks up mail and newspapers, staggers lights and provides a lived-in appearance.

Making sure their pets are taken care of is top priority for most of Etem's clients, who often leave their pets at home rather than in a kennel.

Pets that will be traveling with their owners will need to be up-to-date on their shots, said Sherry Bekebrede of Cobblestone Veterinary Hospital in Nixa. They'll also need a carrier and possibly motion sickness medication. "You may even need a health certificate if you're crossing borders or state lines," Bekebrede said.

Another top concern for travelers is taking care of their mail. The U.S. Postal Service offers several choices to suit customers' needs, including holding or forwarding mail.

Mail can be held a minimum of three days and a maximum of 30 days by filling out a form at any post office or online at www.usps.com. A temporary forward can last as long as a year, however, customers may not receive all of their mail.

"Banks put an endorsement on their envelope that instructs us not to forward, just by the terms: change service requested or return service requested," said Pam Roy, secretary to Springfield's postmaster. Such mail is returned to the sender marked "Temporarily away."

Roy suggests customers traveling for extended periods take advantage of "snowbird" service. Customers pick up priority mail envelopes, which are available at no charge, purchase first-class postage for each, and self-address the envelopes. Arrangements may be made with their letter carrier or a neighbor to fill the envelope with the customer's mail as often as they wish, and drop it in the mail. Customers then receive their mail wherever they desire, often at the home of a family member or at an RV park.

City Utilities bills do not carry endorsements that would prevent them from being forwarded. Two other options are available as well.

"We do have an EZ Pay program that automatically takes your utility payment out of your checking or savings account every month," Shaefer said. CU also accepts payments electronically from customers that sign up at My Check Free, a free service at www.mycheckfree.com. "People can access that from anywhere."

If flying is in your future, the Transportation Security Administration's Web site at www.tsa.gov includes a list of permitted and prohibited items.

Angie Getso, manager of Great Southern Travel's airport office, said many travelers pack things without realizing they are prohibited pocket knives and large cans of hair spray, for example.

"We have a safe here, and our clients know that if they've got something that can't go through security and they're coming back through, we'll keep it for them," Getso said. "A lot of people end up mailing their pocket knives back home to themselves."

Bookout also suggests leaving a house key with a trusted friend or neighbor in case of emergency, along with contact information.

Many of While You're Away's clients leave their keys with Etem once they've returned from their trip.

"Ninety percent of my clients tell me to hold onto their key in case of a last-minute trip." With their preferences already on file, Etem said, "all I need to do is take a phone call and I've got all of their information and I start whenever they need me to."