How to Use Self Storage as a Frequent Traveler

Do you like to be on the move? Do you love traveling the country or even the world and seeing different places? Perhaps you’re lucky enough to have a job that lets you do exactly that. Perhaps you install computer systems, and your company sends you all over the U.S. Maybe you’re a very successful travel blogger, and you get to go all over the world, writing about different sites and cultures.

If you travel often but still have a home base, you may have some concerns leaving your belongings unattended for long periods of time. Here’s how self storage can help a frequent traveler like you.

Theft

Your home has locks, but does it have video surveillance, an alarm system, and gated access? If you make good money, it might! You may have a security company watching over your place. But most people don’t have high tech security features at home.

The vast majority of self storage facilities have all these security features and more. When you pick a unit, the facility should have a tall stone or cement wall surrounding it, gated access to the grounds, sometimes coded access to each building, lighting with motion detection, a camera surveillance system, an alarm system, and maybe a resident manager or nighttime security guards.

Wherever you live, your belongings are statistically safer in a self storage unit than in your home.

Price

Since self storage is not for human habitation, the price per square foot is much less than it is for a house or apartment.

So, here’s one thing to consider. Since you’re not at home for long periods of time, are there things in your place that you don’t use very often? Maybe you don’t intend to travel for work forever and will use some of those things once you settle into a non-travel job.

Consider renting a smaller place. Perhaps you have a two-bedroom apartment because it fits you and your belongings. You could save money by renting a 5x10 or 10x10 unit to contain that extra room’s worth of things, and save money at the same time.

Climate Control

It’s an uncomfortable fact of modern life that both cold, dry weather and hot, humid weather can cause a lot of damage to our belongings. From wooden furniture, to art, to musical instruments, to books, few of our valued possessions are safe from cracking, mold and mildew, and warping.

Depending on where you live, you probably have AC and heating at home, and possibly a dehumidifier for the summer and a humidifier for winter. Those not only keep you comfortable, but protect your things.

So, when you go on a trip and don’t want your belongings to suffer damage, you may keep the AC on. Instead, keep some of your most vulnerable items in self storage. Climate control adds about 25% to 30% to the price of a self storage unit, which is still probably much less than it costs to keep your AC running at home while you’re traveling the U.S. or abroad.

With this in mind, you should be able to find the right unit to match your needs, give you a sense of security, protect your goods, and save you money.