Vacation security to avoid home insurance claim

insurance

Millions of homeowners will pack up the family and head off on holiday road trips. Others are flying across the country to visit winter vacation spots or loved ones.

And, as the weather turns colder, snowbirds are locking up their homes and leaving for a few months in a more pleasant clime.

Whenever you choose to get away, your pre-trip preparations should include home security measures, so you won't leave the family's most expensive possession -- your home -- vulnerable to burglars.

A few simple steps can mitigate the risk of a break-in -- and a home insurance claim, says Lynne McChristian, Florida representative for the Insurance Information Institute, a trade group.

"Do everything possible to make yourself a lousy target for thieves," she says.

How? By following this list of five things to check before leaving home.

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Vacation security to avoid home insurance claim