Summer trip-ups: over a third of holiday makers putting homes at risk
36% of holiday makers admit to posting vacation photos on social media while away - which could make their homes an easy target
While we’re on vacation and in ‘holiday mode’, the last thing we want to think about is home security - but new research indicates over a third of people could be making their homes a tempting target for thieves, by posting holiday photos to social media while they’re away.
The research from Go.Compare found that 36% of holiday makers post their holiday pics during the trip, while a further third (35%) wait until they’re home to share their holiday highlights.*
Nathan Blackler, Go.Compare home insurance spokesperson, said: “Holidays are all about relaxing - so the last thing you want is to come home and find everything isn’t as it should be. As tempting as it is to show off the tropical scenery or your impressive tan while you’re away, we’d urge you to hold off until you’re back at home.
“Sharing that you’re on holiday is essentially a way of broadcasting that your home is unoccupied - and opportunistic thieves could use this to their advantage, particularly if your social profiles aren’t fully private.
“If the worst does happen, sharing holiday photos could also create issues with your home insurance. Although insurers don’t explicitly say that posting on social media will invalidate your insurance, as a policyholder, you’re obligated to keep your belongings secure, and posting publicly that your property is empty could be deemed as not taking the proper precautions to protect your home
“So, play it safe and wait until your trip is over before you start posting to socials. And to keep your home extra secure, we recommend:
- Cancelling any regular deliveries
- Hiding and securing any valuables before you go.
- Asking a neighbour or someone you trust to pick up your post, water plants and periodically check the property for you.
- Setting automatic timers to switch lights, TVs and radios on and off.
- Check your insurance - some policies will specify a maximum time you can be away from home (for instance, 30 days), so make sure you know the limit.”
For more information about home security and insurance, please visit: https://www.gocompare.com/home-insurance/guide/security/.
Contact Information
Rubie Barker
Notes to editors
*The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 2,000 nationally representative UK respondents (aged 16+). ‘Holiday makers’ throughout this release refers to the 1523 who said they plan on going / may go on holidays or trips away from home this year. The data was collected between 30.05.2025 - 03.06.2025. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council.
For further information please contact:
Lynsey Walden on lynsey.walden@gocompare.com, or Kath Chadwick on Kathryn.chadwick@gocompare.com
Keep up-to-date with Go.Compare on X (Twitter); @GoCompare
About Go.Compare
Go.Compare is a comparison website that enables people to compare the costs and features of a wide variety of insurance policies, financial products and energy tariffs.
It does not charge people to use its services and does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. Go.Compare makes its money through fees paid by the providers of products that appear on its various comparison services when a customer buys through the site.
When it launched in 2006, it was the first comparison site to focus on displaying policy details rather than just listing prices, with the aim of helping people to make better-informed decisions when buying their insurance. It is this approach to comparing products that secured the company an invitation to join the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) in 2008, and it is still the only comparison site to be a member of this organisation.
Go.Compare has remained dedicated to helping people choose the most appropriate products rather than just the cheapest and works with Defaqto, the independent financial researcher, to integrate additional policy information into a number of its insurance comparison services. This allows people to compare up to an extra 30 features of cover.
Go.Compare is part of Future Plc and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
More information can be found here www.gocompare.com or here https://www.futureplc.com/brands/.