The amount of time we’ve continuously spent away from home has slowly crept up over the past several years. First we traveled for a month in our RV during my sabbatical. It felt absolutely daring to leave for an entire month!
Then we increased our longest time away to 6 weeks, enjoying warmer weather in Florida for a few winters. In 2024 we bumped up to 3 months. Finally in 2025 we spent 4.5 months continuously away from our house as we explored the Pacific Northwest (curious how much that cost?).
People are often surprised we have a home when we share how long we’re away. The first question we hear 98% of the time is some combination of:
“How do you leave your house for so long?” OR, “Who takes care of your house while you are away?”
Leaving your home for an extended period of time can be overwhelming when you first start thinking about it. Who will get your mail, water your plants, mow your grass, shovel your driveway, etc. It can feel like a lot!
Just like most things, repetition helps hone in on a process. As we’ve continued to leave our home for longer periods (most recently three weeks ago to winter in Florida) we’ve learned little hacks and developed a check-list. At this point we feel like pros confidently leaving our home for an extended period of time. Since we have a bit of experience, I thought I would share what we do and important considerations.
Of course, everyone’s living situation is different. What I share today isn’t going to cover every living situation. Regardless, while maybe not the most exciting blog post, I think you’ll find the information useful.
What Do You Do About Mail?
Mail is the first issue people bring up.
We’ve tried a couple solutions for mail while we’re away. Early on we just had family stop by on a weekly basis and bring our mail inside for us, which worked okay. For our trips over a month though, we needed a better solution.
We have since discovered we can put a hold on our mail service for up to a month at a time through our post office. Before we leave we’ll go online and simply set up the mail hold for the maximum length allowed (a month), and set a calendar reminder when the period is up. We then have the post office deliver our bundle of (mostly junk) mail, and at the same time set up a new mail hold if we’re still traveling.
Who picks up the big bundle of delivered mail? We are very lucky to have family members who live close by (within 20 minutes), so they swing by once the mail is delivered and bring it inside for us.
I encourage you to think about who you trust (friend, family, neighbor, etc.) if you need someone to physically go to your home while you are away.
In 2025 we tried a virtual mailbox for a monthly fee when we were away for 4.5 months. It took a bit of coordination between us, our post office, and the virtual service for the initial set up. But it worked pretty well once it was up and running. If you receive a lot of important documents in the mail, a virtual mailbox may be your best option. You can opt to have a specific piece of mail opened and scanned to you, which is a really nice benefit.
For us the virtual mailbox wasn’t worth the ongoing cost. We’ll place the hold on our mail at the post office and then have it delivered, even if we’re gone months at a time.
When it comes to important documents coming in the mail, we go to great lengths to avoid receiving hard copies. Give thought to important documents you receive in the mail ahead of time, and adjust your account settings appropriately (if you can) for all your various accounts (utilities, financial institutions, bills, etc.).
Realize there is only so much you can do to avoid receiving important documents in the mail. So far we haven’t had an issue. However, I’m sure it will happen at some point if we keep traveling the way we have.
What Do You Do With Your Yard & Physical Property?
Our biggest pain point when we leave for an extended period of time (especially April to October) is related to our yard. During these months our (small-ish) yard requires weekly mowing if we have consistent rain. We also know our large tree in the front yard will dump it’s leaves in October, requiring quite a bit of raking and cleaning up.
During our 2024 three-month trip we arranged to have a neighbor’s teen mow our yard as needed, with an agreed upon fee per mow.
When we thought about leaving for 4-5 months, we reached out to lawncare services to get quotes for regular mowing and yard maintenance.
However, my (wonderful) father-in-law is retired, enjoys being outside, and volunteered to mow weekly for us while we were gone. Whether you find someone you know and pay them or arrange for a service, you definitely have options.
Think about the daily, weekly, monthly, etc. maintenance needs that will come up while you’re away given the time of year and how long you’ll be gone. Then think about who could help with these tasks, and how you can thank or compensate them for their time.
Other House-Keeping Considerations
- Utilities: To save money, we debated disconnecting home utilities when we’re gone for long periods of time. Ultimately we decided it wasn’t worth the hoops (and fees) we’d have to jump through to disconnect and then reconnect. We continue our home internet, mostly for security purposes, which I’ll touch on below.
- Temperature control: We live in the mid-west so our winters and summers temperatures fluctuate (anecdotally it’s currently 14 degrees with over a foot of snow on the ground at home). We invested in a smart thermostat so we can remotely access and adjust the temperature (as long as we have internet!). We’ll bump the temperature up or down to save on energy costs, and then adjust it ahead of our arrival home to be comfortable.
- Water & Pipes: Every time we prepare to leave we discuss turning off the water to our house. During the summer when we’re away we allow other RV’ers to use our driveway for quick overnights, so we try to leave it on. In the cold winters it’s a no-brainer to turn off the water. During the winter we’ll open cabinets for pipes we know are prone to freeze.
- Water Heater: We turn off our water heater when we travel. No one needs hot water while we’re gone, so why waste the energy to heat it? Pro tip: Remember to turn the water heater back ON right after you get home (when you desperately want a hot shower).
- Refrigerator: If it’s possible, I recommend emptying your fridge/freezer and turn it off while you’re away. Admittedly it is a bit easier for us since everything goes straight into our RV refrigerator. You get to decide at what length of time away this makes sense. We did this during our first month-long trip, and have continued to empty and turn off our fridge. Turning off the fridge means we have one less thing to worry about if we lose power while we’re away. Bonus: It’s been a great way to routinely purge food (condiments, frozen veggies!) and clean our fridge!
- Unplug Appliances: To save on power bills and cut down risk of a fire, we unplug and turn off as many home electronics and appliances as possible (toaster, printer, shredder, Google Home, etc.).
What Do You Do Regarding Security Measures For Your Home?
We are lucky and blessed to live in a great neighborhood. However, we never take general security for granted. While we don’t have a home security system, there are several things we do to help reduce the risk or break-ins and other security risks.
- Lock doors: Pretty basic, but an important step. Double check windows and doors you may not use or open frequently.
- Home cameras: We have several internal and external cameras installed around our property and house. The cameras require internet to send us alerts and allow us to check in when we want. We pay for home internet while we’re away to access the cameras. We get some peace of mind knowing we have a base level of monitoring while we’re thousands of miles away.
- Notify close neighbors: We have a few close neighbors who we always notify when we’re leaving for extended periods of time. This way they can keep an eye out and reach out to us if they see anything of note.
- Periodic Walk-Throughs: Mike’s parents will periodically stop in to our house for a quick walk-through. They check for anything generally amiss. It’s so helpful to identify at least one person you can trust to walk through periodically.
- Light Timers: We have a light timer on our main living room light that goes on and off at a certain time each day.
What Do You Do About Doctor Appointments?
Once we assure folks our mail and physical property is squared away, sometimes they ask about logistics for doctors appointments, etc.
Everyone’s health and medication needs are different.
For us, the most important health consideration has been ensuring we have enough of the prescription medications when we travel.
Depending on your refill cycle, how many doses the pharmacy fills, where you are traveling to, etc. you may not have to stock up on prescription medications. But it’s definitely something to think about ahead of time so you can make the proper arrangements.
Last year our trip was open-ended. We didn’t know how long we’d be gone. We ended up contacting our doctors and insurance to explain the situation so the pharmacy could fill our medications for 6-months. It wasn’t a big deal, but it definitely took some thought to estimate how much we needed to make it through our trip.
Even if you do run out of a prescription while traveling, chances are you can figure out a solution. During one of our Florida winters I ran out of a prescription. I was using Walgreens (at home) at the time and luckily my home Walgreens was able to call it into a Walgreens in Florida.
Since we generally have an idea of when we’ll be traveling, required and/or routine doctor appointments haven’t been an issue. We’ve learned to schedule out the appointments so they are on the calendar, and then adjust if needed as it gets closer.
What About Your Pet(s)?
We can’t forget our pets and furry family members!
Is your pet(s) staying home, boarding, or traveling with you? There are lots of different scenarios when it comes to travel, pets, and necessary arrangements!
We are so incredibly lucky that most of the time Ziggy is able to travel with us in our RV (so spoiled!). Here are the things we’ve learned preparing to travel with a dog:
- Know What Vaccinations are Required: Our RV travels have been contained to the US, and the required vaccines for dogs are pretty standard across the states. However, check where you are going and if there are certain requirements. I always consider too what shots Ziggy would need to get into doggy-daycare in a pinch or if we had to emergency board him for some reason. I have found the vaccine requirements are not always standard across facilities.
- Updated Vaccinations: Review when your pet’s vaccinations are due ahead of your travels. If they will expire while traveling, consider updating them sooner. We’ve done this several times with Ziggy’s shots, and once we explain the situation to our vet they help us figure out what to do. We’ve also taken advantage of multi-year vaccines.
- Bring Documentation: We bring Ziggy’s shot record and rabies certificate with us (as well as digital copies). Some of the campgrounds we stay at require proof of rabies vaccine, and anytime we arranged doggy day care we had to provide his shot record.
- Grooming schedule: Kudos to you if your pet doesn’t require regular grooming! Unfortunately grooming is a pain point for us because Ziggy can be difficult for a groomer he is familiar with, much less a completely new person. Pre-departure we schedule to groom him (very short) right before, in hopes we can make the trip without another groom. However, depending on length of travel that is not always possible! Last year we did have to find a groomer while on the road, which was very stressful. Luckily it turned out okay, and she did require (as I would hope!) his shot record and rabies vaccine.
- Medications: Similar to our prescriptions, we stock up on Ziggy’s flea, tick, and heartworm medications before we leave. You may have to work with your vet for extra supply depending on what you pet needs.
While we are lucky Ziggy mostly travels with us, there are times when of course it’s not possible. If you need to identify a boarding facility or an in-home pet sitter for your pet, do that sooner than later. This is especially true if you’re leaving for an extended period of time.
We relied on other dog owners we know for the boarding facility we take Ziggy. But we also have close family watch Ziggy from time to time when they are available. It’s good to have a couple options if possible.
Other Options
We’re often asked if we would consider renting out our house when we travel for months at a time. We have thought about that option.
We’ve also considered using Trusted HouseSitters to find someone to stay and care for our home while we’re away. Both are legitimate options.
So far the hurdle of preparing our house for someone to live in we don’t know is too high. Even though the potential benefits are significant (passive income, having our home cared for, etc.), it just doesn’t feel right. In addition, we admit we’re particular about our stuff. And yes, we are in a privileged position to make this choice. Maybe one day it will feel right.
We’re also asked about alternate living arrangements, such as, would we ever sell our house and go full-time in the RV? Then we wouldn’t have to worry about mowing our yard or any home maintenance! We certainly could live full-time in our RV. But again, that doesn’t feel right.
We both have aging parents within 20 minutes of our house in Cincinnati, as well as other close family and friends nearby. Our house works really well for us when we’re home. It’s not perfect, but it is certainly “enough.” While we’ll never rule out RVing full-time for a period of time in the future, we seem to agree we want a home base to come back to. And for now, our home base is in Cincinnati.
While these options are not currently on the table for us, they certainly could be on the table for you as you think about how to prepare to leave your home for an extended period of time.
I’m curious to hear from you about what steps you take when you leave your home for an extended period of time! What did I leave out, or what surprised you? Tell me in the comments!
P.S. Departing for Florida after the new year was the right idea! We are already halfway into our RV resort stay and thoroughly enjoying “wintering” in a warmer and *sunny* spot.
Other Blog Posts You May Find Interesting:
I also utilize the hold mail strategy and leaning on friends to stop by to water plants. I haven’t been gone longer than a month though. This will be helpful in the future if we do decide to do a longer trip!
It’s so nice to have a friend who can physically go to your home. I’m glad you found this helpful!