People sometimes stay away from their home for prolonged periods during the holidays. Unfortunately this means their house is left unprotected which can put both the house and their personal property in danger. Burglars use the owner's absence to their own advantage. They are well aware that people travel during the holiday season and use this time to break into those unprotected houses while the owners are away from home.

A burglar will always choose houses that have the least amount of obstacles to entering quickly and easily. But the very first thing they check is whether the owner of the house is at home and next, how long he or she will be away from home. So you have to do something to avoid this risk. The best way to protect your house is to make your house look as if it's occupied. You can do this in many different ways. Here is a list of 10 steps that will give the illusion that you are at home. These simple precautions will ensure the safety of your house and precious belongings.

The first step is to stop your mail and your newspaper delivery. You can contact your post office and ask them not to deliver mail when you are away. It is easy to keep the newspaper delivery on hold and you just call your newspaper delivery service directly. Or you can ask a friend or neighbor to pick up your mail and newspapers and hold them for you until you return. The reason behind this precaution is that letters piling up in your mailbox and a collection of newspapers on your doorway (or worse, blown all over your lawn by the wind) clearly indicates that you are not at home and haven't been there for several days.

Don't leave a phone recording that says that you are away from home. Better to record a simple message that you are busy but will call back shortly. Don't forget this tip. An experienced burglar can easily manage to find your home phone number and can quickly find out that you are away from home by listening to your detailed message that tells him exactly the information he needs to plan his break-in – not only that you are away, but when you will be coming back!

Make some arrangements so that your lights come on in the evening. You can ask your neighbor or friend to turn your lights on in the evening. Or you can buy an inexpensive timer that will turn your lights on and off at specific intervals. Use the same idea to turn your TV or radio on and off at regular times.

Ask your neighbor to park his or her car in your driveway or on the street in front of your house. This will create a false impression that someone is at home. Hire a house sitter who will stay at your house while you are gone. Unless your house sitter is a friend this can be expensive. Ask your neighbors to keep an eye on your house and to inform the police immediately if they see anything unusual. Give your emergency contact information to your neighbor so they can notify you in a case of emergency.

Check to make sure you have locked all your doors and windows securely. If there are other access points such as a garage door or gate to the yard, lock these as well. Another safety tip is to store all of your valuables (such as jewelry and important papers) in a safe deposit box in the bank. This will ensure the security of your treasured and expensive possessions. There's really no point in keeping them at home while you are gone. If you don't have a safe deposit box in your bank, you can arrange for one. At least store your valuable things in a safe.

Be sure to turn your alarm system on before you leave (if you have one). In addition to the alarm system you can install a motion detector. The last tip is to sign up for the alarm system monitoring service which notifies the police if an alarm goes off in your absence.

Follow these tips and you will be sure to have an enjoyable, tension-free vacation.