Home Alone – Survey shows Business Travelers leave behind Scared Spouses

Nearly 74% of business travelers say their stay-behind spouse has shown concern about being left home alone and they’re not the only ones worrying. 79% frequently worry about their significant other when traveling for business. These are the findings of a national survey conducted by Wakefield Research and paid for by Logitech.

According to a Logitech press release, while business travel is hard, it’s even harder on the spouse who has decided to stay at home. More than half of spouses have felt anxious when their significant other was away on a business trip and there is reason to worry. That’s because 75% of business travelers know someone who has had their home broken into.

“My husband was on the road for work almost every week,” said Allison Travers, a home owner in Denver. “Our house is in an ‘up and coming’ neighborhood, and one morning I found a bullet hole in our guest room window. I was terrified every moment I was alone, and his absence played a role in our separation.”

According to the survey, more than half of stay-at-home spouses use conventional tricks to make them feel secure, such as leaving the TV on (56%) or turning on more lights than usual (53%). Other coping mechanisms are a bit more off – 15% of spouses talk to themselves, and nearly one in ten find security by sleeping with a stuffed animal.

Additional findings include:

• 59% of business travelers will look for a job that requires less travel when the economy improves.
• Despite the tight economy, 54% would take a $5,000 pay cut if it meant they’d never have to travel for work again.

“When people are on the road, home security becomes a very real and intense concern,” notes Evan Tree, a 25-year veteran of the home security industry and chief product officer for Logitech’s Digital Video Security business. “Most people don’t realize that a video security system, with motion detection, remote viewing via the Internet and cell phone alerts is an affordable, easy-to-install option that can put their conscience at ease.”

Tree offers several tips for homeowners to improve their security:

• Think of your home’s security plan like an onion, not an egg. Multiple layers are the best deterrent and the best defense against break-ins.
• Use timers to turn lights and radios on and off when you’re not at home to make your house appear lived-in at all times.
• Consider installing lighting with an infrared detector at the entrances to your home. Most thieves don’t want to be observed trying to get in a door.
• Trees or shrubbery close to your home give burglars an easy place to hide. Keep shrubs low and regularly trim larger bushes and tree branches to remove dark shadows that help hide intruders.
• Install a video security system. Systems start at less than $300, and can take fewer than 15 minutes to setup, plus they offer live video feeds and e-mail alerts that notify you if there is motion at your property.