The Selfie Effect: Allstate reminds you to wait until the end of your trip to post that summer vacation selfie

Commissioned survey finds about one-third of Canadian respondents share their travel plans on social media, which can put their homes at risk for a break-in

TORONTO, June 13, 2022 /CNW/ - Canadians are starting to travel again, and a majority may be planning to take a trip this summer with the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. In fact, a recent survey commissioned by Allstate Insurance Company of Canada ("Allstate") showed that 62% of Canadian respondents who are active on social media said they were planning to take a trip this summer and, for about two-fifths of them, this will be their first trip in over two years. Allstate is launching a public awareness campaign called "The Selfie Effect" to help people avoid inviting unwanted attention to their unattended homes by cautioning people against sharing their travel dates and vacation whereabouts on social media before their departure or while travelling, and instead, waiting until after they have returned to share any vacation and travel details.

"We found it concerning that almost one out of three respondents who are active on social media post details about their vacation before or during a trip. That 'post-pandemic travel selfie' can be very tempting for many people, but it could also lead uninvited visitors to your home and risk a break-in," says Melissa Marquis, Director of Business Development, Allstate. "We're asking Canadians to think twice before posting that quintessential beach selfie or dreamy sunset photo to social media until after their return from vacation; otherwise, they could be drawing attention to the fact that no one is home."

The Léger survey asked Canadians, who are active on social media, to assess their level of concern regarding home security while they are on a trip. While 29% of respondents who are active on social media post details about their vacation before or during a trip, that number rises among those respondents aged 18-34 years of age (46%) and those who plan on going on vacation this summer away from home (36%). Among all respondents who share their travel details to social media, 10% post in anticipation of their trip to share their travel plans and 24% post during the trip, revealing that they are away.

A return to travel for many Canadians

Among Canadian respondents who are active on social media, 62% say they plan to leave their home for at least a few days of vacation this summer, whether it's outside their city (37%), their province (14%) or internationally (12%). As well, for 42% of respondents who plan to vacation, this will be their first trip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020.

"Canadians are eager to take time off to relax, sightsee and enjoy life, and that's a great thing, but it should not be made at the expense of putting your home at risk," said Marquis.

Social Media Tips for Travelling

Here are some tips from Allstate when it comes to sharing vacation and travel details on social media.

• Avoid telling people, other than trusted neighbours, family or friends, that you'll be away from home. This includes posts to social media profiles.
• Be aware of how you use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social networks. Do not publish your vacation departure dates to social media and remind people you live with to avoid doing so as well. Even if you have set rigid privacy settings for your social media accounts, it's still possible for others to view what you post through the accounts of friends and followers.
• Check the privacy and security settings of your social media accounts, and review who has access to your personal information. For example, on Facebook you can set the parameters to only allow "friends" access to detailed personal information rather than "everybody" or "friends of friends".
• Review pictures previously posted on your profiles and remove any information someone might use to find your home address. For example, house or apartment numbers and street names can sometimes be found in the background of photos.
• Avoid posting photos with geotagging. Most smart phones and many digital cameras can record the location where a photo was taken. This geotagging can reveal the street address of where you live or, when on vacation, that you're on a trip. 

For more tips on home safety while travelling, go to the GOOD HANDS® blog at blog.allstate.ca/social-media-home-theft-travelling.

About the Léger survey

Léger was commissioned by Allstate to conduct a survey among Canadians to find out their travel plans for the summer. In order to meet research objectives, a web survey was conducted May 6-9, 2022, among a sample of 1,534 Canadians of which 1,076 are active on social media, aged 18 and over. To ensure a representative sample of the population, the results were weighted according to the gender, age, mother tongue, province, education and the presence of children in the household.

About Allstate Insurance Company of Canada

Allstate Insurance Company of Canada is a leading home and auto insurer focused on providing its customers prevention and protection products and services for every stage of life. Serving Canadians since 1953, Allstate strives to reassure both customers and employees with its "You're in Good Hands®" promise and is proud to have been named a Best Employer in Canada for nine consecutive years. Allstate is committed to making a positive difference in the communities in which it operates through partnerships with charitable organizations, employee giving and volunteerism. To learn more, visit www.allstate.ca. For safety tips and advice, visit www.goodhandsadvice.ca

SOURCE Allstate Insurance Company of Canada

Jessica Hoffeldt, Agnostic on behalf of Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, 647-269-7438, [email protected]; Travon Smith, Public Relations Specialist, Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, 437-229-1577, [email protected]