Hire a house- or pet-sitter to keep an eye on your home and to have the appearance of someone being home. If that’s not possible, call your local police station’s non-emergency number and alert them that you’ll be gone. Many stations will do drive-bys to ensure nothing looks suspicious.

Place a hold on your mail if you’ll be gone more than a few days, and try not to schedule any package deliveries while you’re gone. If you subscribe to a newspaper, make sure you put it on hold, too. If you’re having someone house- or pet-sit, then they can bring them in, and in lieu of that, you can always ask a neighbor to pick them up for you.

Setting lights on a timer to come on and turn off at natural times can help it look like someone’s home. Additionally, outdoor motion sensor lights can deter potential intruders.

You never know who’s got less than innocent motives when they look at your facebook or twitter profiles. It can be difficult not to share in this day and age, but resisting the urge to tweet or post pictures of you on vacation until after you return is your best bet.

Firstly, make sure you’ve turned off and unplugged computers and televisions in case there’s any type of an electricity surge. Also consider turning off the power to your garage door opener to deter thieves with universal remote controls. Lastly, consider investing in a home security system that lets you keep your own eyes on your home while you’re away. Today’s technology allows not only for home video surveillance, but for monitoring via computer or cell phone. It’s a surefire way to know the moment something happens that it shouldn’t—and give you time to do something about it.