Whenever there is a long weekend it usually means its a prime time to get together with family and friends, and a lot of homes are left vacant for a few days. These type of short holidays are also a favorite of thieves because it presents more break in opportunities for them.

Don’t let the fear of someone robbing your house deter you from going away for a few days, but do make sure it makes you a little more security conscious. Here are a few quick tips to make sure your home is well protected.

1. Don’t talk to strangers loosely about your plans for being away from home for the long weekend. It is easy to strike up a conversation with strangers while riding the bus home and it may be that they can easily spot where you live and are of an unscrupulous nature.

2. If you have the Saturday paper delivered to your home ask a friend or neighbor to take it in for you. Having this lay on your front step from Saturday to Monday is like putting a sign away that says we are away.

3. Ideally you will have your lights set up on a security timer, but you may also want to close some of your drapes as well. With the lights on and the drapes and blinds closed most likely some of the light will still show through and create enough of a doubt for the would be thieve.

4. Be sure to double check the doors and windows and set the security alarm when you are about to leave. Going away for a few days causes a lot of excitement and during this time it is easy to think that one of the other family members took on the security responsibilities.

5. It is not just burglar proofing that you have to think about. Often if you are hurrying to get out the door a stove can easily be left on, or a curling iron is not unplugged. It is important to do a walk through to ensure that all safety concerns are addressed.

6. Be sure to let a neighbor know that you are going to be away for a few days. If you don’t have a security monitoring plan in place, then you may also want to leave a number where you can be reached or an emergency number for a responsible person that could respond if needed.

It basically means not getting caught up in the excitement of this mini holiday to a point where you put security aside.