Prepping For Snowbird Season

October 6, 2014

Many Sunbelt parks combine RV sites with park models

Winter is a time for boots, snow shovels, and icy roads… unless you’re a snowbird who RVs to the Sun Belt. Snowbirds are typically retired seniors who have the desire and financial ability to be away from home for extended periods of time.

The entire history of the human race is largely a search for comfort. Warm southern winters certainly rate high on my comfort scale.

The snowbird lifestyle is to our liking because we can take our home with us when the cold weather arrives and snow begins to falls. For us the snowbird lifestyle is the best of both worlds.

Prepping for Travel

Preparing your home for an extended absence requires thorough thought and planning. Before heading south, snowbirds need to take steps to secure and winterize their homes. Creating customized checklists is one way to stay organized when prepping for snowbird season. Consider the following tips as a starting point when creating your winter-ready checklist.

Check expiration dates for travel documents, insurance, and credit cards.
Check with your insurance to determine how extended absences may affect coverage.
You are escaping the snow, but your home is not. Arrange with a neighbor, relative, friend, or snow removal service to keep sidewalks clear and your home secure.
Ask a friend, trustworthy neighbor, or relative to be the contact person for your home. It’s important to have someone check your home on a regular basis, remove sales flyers, and be available in emergency situations. Your home should look like someone is living there.
Be careful what you post on social media. Burglars have started crawling social media websites to find times when a house will be empty.

This list is a good place to start, but you may take additional steps to secure your home.