As travel shifts into high gear, we want to lend some friendly advice to our followers. Below we've outlined a few quick and simple tips to protect yourself, your home and your presents as you travel for the holidays!

1. Minimize Airport Frustration

Catching a plane to a faraway destination for the holiday? For many that also means packing up surprises for friends and family. We caution you to think twice before wrapping all of those gifts and packing them away in your suitcase. Whether it's your carry-on or your checked luggage, TSA may need to get a closer look at one of those gifts and they may unwrap them for you before Christmas morning. We recommend packing gift bags or planning to wrap gifts upon arrival at your destination. It will save you a lot of time and frustration during the airport screening process. 

2. Protect Your Home from Burglary

It's common tradition that families will travel around Rhode Island as well as venture to our neighboring states Connecticut or Massachusetts for a day trip to celebrate the holiday. Whether you are away for an extended set of hours or plan to be away for a few days, it's important to keep your home's routine as close to its usual structure as possible. If the shades are usually up during the day, open them before you leave. If your home is brightly lit in the evening it should be well lit even when you are away. There are plenty of options for gadgets to control your home's lights. There are wall timers available to turn a lamp on or off during set hours and as technology has advanced there are now ‘smart plugs' which can be controlled from an app on your smart phone. You can now be hundreds of miles away from your home and turn on your living room lamp or even your Christmas Tree's lights. Burglars will look for homes that look ‘shut down' during this time of year, lights off and the shades drawn signal a home's been left for an extended period of time. A home's routine that has continued to function close to normal is less likely to be targeted.

3. Traveling by Car

Upcoming holidays can also mean road trips for you and your family, this also means frequent pit stops along the way. This time of year, many cars hold valuable gifts. It's important to place these in your trunk or cover them up if they are visible through the windows. Lastly, limit your cash on hand, stay alert and you are less likely to become a victim.