Don't tell everyone you see that you're going away and leaving your home vacant, no matter how excited you are about going away. It's OK to tell a trusted neighbor your plans so he will keep an eye on your house while you're gone, but no one else. One misdirected slip and you could arrive home to a stripped house.
Light timers are worth every penny. Get a couple of them and attach them to a couple of lights in your house. Have them turn the lights on at sunset and you'll trick would-be burglers into thinking you're home.
Have the post office hold your mail because accumulated letters and catalogs are a dead give-away that the house is empty. However, do not arrange to have your newspaper stopped because your departure could become common knowledge to robbers. A better way would be to ask a trusted neighbor to retrieve the newspaper each day.
Ask your neighbor to park his car in your driveway while you're gone. It will create the illusion that your house is occupied.
Take pictures of your personal property for insurance purposes and that also goes for when your home will not be occupied. Even if you do everything possible to secure your home while you are away, there's always a chance you'll be robbed. Having pictures of what may be stolen will make recovery easier.
Notify the home security system installed in your home. Make sure that you call the company about your being away. Also, take that opportunity to tell them where you can be reached in case of emergency.
Consider installing motion sensors in your yard. Once activated, they make a loud noise when someone moves in your yard. There is no better way to scare away those who might have evil on their minds.
