It's not easy to remember what in the house to shut off, turn on, turn down, lock up, and reset before you go away on vacation. Even if you can't hire a house sitter, you can make sure your home looks lived in and uninviting to burglars.

Real Simple has devised a pre-vacation checklist, which will also help you avoid returning to a blown-out television or a dried-up fern. So take off for your next trip without getting that nagging feeling that there's something you forgot to do.