Planning For World Travelers
Although all travel requires planning and can involve risk and complications, international travel requires taking extra steps and addressing additional considerations.
You will want to take steps to secure your home while you are away, it can be easy to overlook the topic of home security. Additionally, due to the complexities of international travel, it may be more difficult to handle emergencies that occur back home while you are away. Have a proper decision makers in place so that emergencies can be addressed as quickly as possible.
Your friendly Real Estate Agent is a great source for important tips to keep your home safe, including:
Making it seem like somebody’s home
- Install timers on lamps throughout the house and program them to turn on regularly
- If you want a higher-tech option, consider investing in smart lighting, which can learn your lighting patterns.
- If you normally leave some window curtains or blinds open, don’t shutter up the house.
Enlist some help
- Stop your mail and paper delivery and alert a neighbor(s) about your travel plans and ask them to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.
- If you utilize housecleaning or landscaping services, you may wish to maintain them.
- If possible, have a relative check on the home occasionally to enhance the appearance of someone being home.
Be discrete
- If you’re leaving town, you shouldn’t broadcast that information. But many of us make this mistake unintentionally thanks to social media.
In addition to the typical tasks you may do before your trip, you should be sure to take care of the following important responsibilities:
- Meet with an experienced Estate Planning Attorney to create an Estate Plan or update an existing one.
- Have the proper documentation prepared to legally give someone the ability to make decisions and legally appoint someone to handle your financial matters.
- Research how to name a medical decision maker in the country you will be visiting.
- Contact your health insurance company to see if they will cover you while you are abroad.
- Review any existing life insurance policies to make sure that the beneficiaries are properly named and all activities will not void coverage.
Happy traveling from The Property Sisters.
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Look for The Property Sisters monthly segment in Stroll Palos Park, or contact:
Bridget Gricus (708) 814-6253, bridgetgricus@gmail.com
Eileen Kerlin Walsh (708) 448-5169, Eileen@KerlinWalshLaw.com
