Protecting Your Property and Packages During Holiday Travel

The Thanksgiving holiday brings together family, friends, and time away from home. Whether you’re planning a road trip or heading out of town for a few days, travel means your home may be less attended—and your gift-giving season begins early. To make the most of the holiday, this guide walks homeowners and renters through two key themes:

1. How to protect your home while you travel
2. How to save on gifts smartly and avoid holiday package theft

Let’s dive into each area with practical tips, local relevance, and peace-of-mind strategies.

Part 1: Protecting Your Home While You Travel

1. Notify a Trusted Neighbor or House Sitter

One of the best ways to secure your home when you head out for Thanksgiving: ask a trusted neighbor, friend, or family member to keep tabs. They can pick up flyers, bring in mail, park a car in your driveway, and ensure the house appears lived-in. According to the National Neighborhood Watch’s holiday safety advice, unattended homes and stacked mail are red flags to thieves. nnw.org
Share your travel dates, emergency contact info, and ask them to contact you if anything seems off.

2. Secure Doors, Windows & Visible Entry Points

Before travel, walk the exterior of your home. Confirm all doors are locked (including garage doors) and windows are secure. Install or engage deadbolts, window pins, and ensure sliding doors have anti-lift devices. Overgrown shrubs near windows should be trimmed to eliminate hiding spots. Also, double-check that your outdoor lights are set on timers or motion sensors.

3. Adjust Deliveries and Prevent Package Build-Up

If you’ll be away for a few days during Thanksgiving, shipments and holiday gift boxes arriving unattended are a major risk. Research shows packages left on porches are prime targets. You can have the deliveries sent to your workplace or a locker, schedule a hold, or reroute packages to arrive after you return.

4. Use Smart Home Tech & Simulate Occupancy

Set timers on indoor and outdoor lights to simulate activity during evening hours. Smart plugs can turn on a television or radio intermittently. Install a video doorbell or outdoor camera if you don’t already have one—visible surveillance can deter would-be thieves. If your system sends alerts, you’ll know when someone approaches your entrance.

5. Set Up Mail Holds & Trash/Box Management

Ask your neighbor to collect mail and remove emptied cartons. Large gift-packaging boxes left in view are an invitation to thieves. Flatten large packaging into trash bags or recycle bins immediately.

6. Secure Valuables & Add Inventory Documentation

Before leaving, secure valuables—jewelry, electronics, heirlooms in a locked cabinet or safe. Create or update an inventory list with photos and serial numbers in case of burglary. Some insurers require documentation for claims. Store a copy of your inventory off-site or in the cloud.

7. Manage Thermostat & HVAC Settings

If you’ll be away for several days, set your thermostat to a moderate level to avoid freezing pipes (if temperatures drop) and conserve energy. Don’t shut off your HVAC system entirely unless your home is winterized. On Thanksgiving travel, sudden drops in temperature may stress plumbing if your system stays off.

8. Unplug Non-essential Electronics & Turn Off Water to Exterior

To reduce fire risk and avoid flood damage, unplug appliances you won’t use and turn off exterior water lines (sprinklers, hoses). If you’ll be gone for more than a few days and there's a risk of freezing, consider draining exterior lines or keeping faucets cracked slightly open.

9. Confirm Security Systems & Alarms Are Functional

Check that your alarm system, smoke detectors, and any CO alarms are working and that backup batteries are fresh. Notify your landlord or property manager if any devices are faulty. Consider placing a spare key or lock-box code with your trusted neighbor.

10. Review Insurance Policy & Emergency Contacts

Holiday travel often coincides with increased risk of home emergencies (e.g., fallen trees, storms). Review your homeowner or renter policy to confirm coverage for theft, fire, or weather-related damage. Leave contact numbers for your insurance agent and landlord/property manager with your house-sitter or neighbor.

Part 2: 10 Ways to Save on Gifts & Avoid Holiday Package Theft

With Thanksgiving often marking the start of major holiday buying, it’s smart to combine savings tactics with home security measures.

1. Set a Budget and Use Price-Tracking Tools

Before buying gifts, set a firm budget. Use browser extensions and price-tracking websites (such as CamelCamelCamel, Honey) to monitor deals. Savvy shoppers wait until tech or toy items drop in price, often seen in late November.

2. Buy Early and Ship Smart

Purchasing gifts early helps you avoid shipping delays and reduces the time packages spend unattended on your porch. Early shipping also helps you take advantage of promotions and free shipping.

3. Choose Alternative Delivery Locations

Send gifts to a workplace, a friend’s or family member’s house if you’ll be out of town. Many households in multi-unit residences or gated communities use parcel lockers or secure delivery rooms. Check if your community or building offers a secure package drop area.

4. Require Signature or Secure Drop Instructions

For high-value items, select “signature required” delivery or set drop-off instructions (behind a gate, inside the garage, with neighbor). These options reduce the risk of theft from your front porch. cpisecurity.com

5. Use Smart Lockers & Pick-Up Points

Retailers such as Amazon, FedEx and UPS offer lockers or hubs where you collect your parcel personally. These reduce the chance of package interception.Look for locker locations near your home or workspace.

6. Conceal and Scatter Shipping Information

When tracking arrives, make sure no one can see your package listing outside your door. Request delivery to a less visible spot or ask the driver to hide it. Some thieves duplicate tracking notifications and move fast.

7. Invest in Security Cameras & Lockable Drop Boxes

Front-door cameras, motion sensors, and lockable parcel boxes are excellent deterrents and give you video evidence if theft occurs.  A lockable drop box with a padlock or smart-lock can secure several packages.

8. Team Up with Neighbors or HOA Community Watch

Coordinate with neighbors or HOA community groups to monitor deliveries and suspicious activity. If someone is home to retrieve packages, the risk of theft drops considerably.

9. Reschedule Deliveries or Use Holiday Holds

If you know you will be away over Thanksgiving travel, pause or reschedule package deliveries. Many carriers allow you to hold packages until you return.

10. Insure or Track Your Gifts

For valuable items, consider purchase insurance, keep detailed receipts, tracking numbers and take photographs. If theft occurs, you’ll be better equipped to report to the carrier or insurance. mapfreinsurance.com
Keep serial numbers and proof of purchase stored safely.

Thanksgiving is about gratitude, gathering and sometimes travel—but it also signals the beginning of the busiest gift-shipping and home-security season. By combining smart holiday travel preparation with proactive gift-savings and anti-theft habits, you can enjoy the holiday with less stress and greater security.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday with confidence—protect your home, protect your gifts, and come back to ease and comfort.