First in a series on snowbird travel.
So you’ve planned to hit the Sun Belt to avoid the cold winter weather. Even if you’ve got your RV all packed up and ready to go, you need to attend to your other dwelling—your house.
Leaving your regular home for extended periods of time raises unique issues and risks you might not otherwise consider, both for your home and yourself personally.
Long before you leave, start making checklists on items you’ll need to address or make arrangements for. Spend time brainstorming on how your absence might effect things like mail delivery, snow removal and instances of emergency (such as a burst-pipe or broken window).
Use the following tips as a good starting point to get the ball rolling on your Snowbird checklist:
• Contact your insurance provider to ask how your absence will affect your coverage, and whether semi-regular check-ins will be required
• Inform your neighbors of your trip, how long you’ll be away, where you’ll be going and how to contact you in the event of an emergency
• Ask a friend, family member or neighbor to regularly check your grounds, keep your sidewalks and driveway shoveled and ensure that your doors and windows are securely fastened
• To prevent risk of blowouts and fire, disconnect all major appliances and electrical devices, including microwave, washer and dryer, stove, refrigerator, coffee maker, televisions and stereo systems
• Make sure all smoke alarms are properly installed, in working order and are equipped with fresh batteries
• Place a temporary hold on you newspaper delivery, and arrange with your local postal office to have your mail forwarded to a mail forwarding service by the Good Sam Club (see www.goodsamclub.com for more details)
• Double-check the expiry dates of all personal identification, travel documents, RV insurance and credit cards
Attend to this business well before you leave. You don’t want to let any distractions cloud your enjoyment of your snowbird getaway!
