Christmas has passed and a new year has come and gone, yet the cold weather remains. This, for a lot of us, screams travel plans. In fact, the winter months are quite possibly the most travelled; holiday visits to family members aside, some of us just simply need to get away and enjoy a little warmth in the sunny south. So if all the shoveling and ice scraping and bundling has got you down, it might be time for you to escape those winter blues and pack your suitcases!
Often times, it’s the monetary cost of time away that prevents us to just pack up and go. Understandable, of course. There are, however, budget-friendly (short-term and long-term) vacation options that you and your loved ones can undoubtedly afford without hesitation. A popular hotspot, for example, is Florida. It’s a great place to travel to if you’re looking to have a little fun at (multiple) theme parks, or if you’re simply looking to escape and wind down from the craziness of the holiday season by just relaxing on a beach. In Florida, you have options. It’s extremely family-friendly, is home to Disneyland, has reasonably priced flights, and has multiple destinations within that are common must-sees: Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Jacksonville, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and so on. For more travel tips and inexpensive places to venture to this winter, follow this link!
With all the excitement of travel plans, we mustn’t forget to consider the safety of our homes. There are periods of time where we might not be home for weeks at a time, and it becomes our responsibilities to make certain that our homes are safe while we are away. It’s important to keep a few significant safety precautions front of mind when planning out your getaways – and this goes beyond the routine locking of your doors. You essentially want to create the illusion that someone is home. For example, set your lights on a timer so that your home is never in complete darkness. “You can also set the television and radio on a timer to create the typical noise and flickering lights of an average family home at night”.
Another great piece of advice is to arrange for a neighbour or close friend (ideally one you feel comfortable enough lending a spare key to to access your home if in the event there is an emergency while you are away) to shovel your laneway after a heavy snowfall, and to check your mailbox regularly. This way, your driveway will be clear and your mail won’t pile up, leaving your doorstep overcrowded with parcels, envelopes and newspapers. An alternative to this would be to forward your mail. Canada Post has mail forwarding programs so that, if you’re away from your home for long periods of time, you can “rest easy, knowing you’re not missing important mail”.
Traveling over the winter months should be something that you and your families look forward to, stress-free (at all costs); and it’s doable if you plan accordingly and are diligent in taking the necessary precautions toward safeguarding your home. Happy travels!
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Source: Blog