With travel restrictions lifted, people with stocked-up vacation time may be heading out for adventure, but in Florida, leaving home means taking steps to make sure travelers don’t return to a flood, mold, or missing windows, thanks to hurricane damage.

Diane Pisani is founder of Home Watch Academy, a program dedicated to training home watch professionals. She said when it comes to leaving for shorter trips, it’s important to turn off water utilities and that it’s okay to have a trusted friend or family member come by.

“If it's anything longer than a week, you see the value of having a home watch professional make a visit," said Pesani. "One of the reasons that's important is they know what to look for as far as the early signs of damage, and if there is severe damage that needs to be reported to an insurance company, it's going to be important that a visit has been documented.”

She added that while trained home watch professionals can’t stop damage from happening, they are trained to find damage in the early stages and in many cases, stop it before it becomes a disaster.

Most standard home insurance policies do not cover a house if it is left unoccupied for more than 30 days.

Pisani said while having friends or neighbors check in may sound like an easy choice, she advises a professional is better because it’s a different level of responsibility and accountability.

For more information on home watch training visit home-watch-academy.learnworlds.com/