Getting out of the house, hitting the beach, and soaking in the sun are just some of the joys of summertime. Along with popsicles and the ice cream truck and cook-outs at least once a week, these are the things that dreams are made of for many hardworking Americans. And anyone who has a car can get out of town on their three-day weekends and have an even better time with the ample sunlight and agreeable temperatures.

Unfortunately, the summertime blues can strike quickly if overly excited homeowners and families forget to take care of their basic security needs before hitting the road for the beach or the woods, only to return home and find that they've been robbed. It's an all-too-common mistake that people tend to make more often around big weekends like Labor Day and Memorial Day. So when you're planning for big trips away this summer, don't just remember to pack the sunscreen and leave before the highway gets too clogged with traffic; also be remembering how important taking care of your home security is to a great weekend.

In the summer, you might be more inclined to leave windows open and thus unlocked if it's particularly hot outside, and sometimes if you're in the habit of doing this while you go to work each day, you'll forget and leave the windows open for an entire three-day weekend. This makes a burglar's job even easier, because there's no need to force entry if there's a window open. Be sure that you remember to shut and lock all windows in your home before heading off for a three-day weekend, and try to get in the habit of shutting and locking windows even when you're off to work or the beach for the afternoon. After all, taking simple steps in home security on a daily basis is the easiest way to make those habits, which is a lot better for the safety of your home and family.

Another thing to consider when rushing out the door on vacation, even if it's just for three days and one of them is a federal holiday, is making sure that you don't make it too obvious that you aren't going to be home. For instance, the most obvious tell that you and your family haven't been home in a couple of days is any presence of newspapers or mail on your front steps or even in your mailbox. A savvy robber will check a day later to see if things are still where they were the day before, and if your newspaper still sits unread on your front steps, that's a very bad sign for your home security. Make it harder on robbers and easier on yourself, and be sure to put your mail and your newspaper delivery on hold, even if it's just for the weekend. This way, it's a lot more difficult to figure out if you're home or not, and burglars have less of an incentive to choose your house over someone else's.

Remembering those small, simple steps--like locking the doors and setting the home alarm system before hopping in the car--are what can make or break your endless summer of fun. So take a couple of minutes to get done what needs to get done before hitting the road, and you're sure to avoid the summertime blues--at least until the days start getting shorter and colder again.