Trick or Treating Made Easy with App Guiding You Through Your Neighborhood

I truly believe that navigating the whole Trick or Treat thing is a mastered art form.  Keeping the kids focused and within earshot, making it door to door without incident, and figuring out how to cover as much ground as you can in as little time possible takes planning and patience. Hey...listen up...there's an app for that.

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Nextdoor, the community app really seems like it will take some of the guesswork out of Halloween to ensure you find the best route possible for your Halloween candy haul. The Halloween Treat Map allows you to find the best areas to go trick-or-treating in your neighborhood and lets you know what homes will be dishing out the sweets. You still may have to gamble on which houses give king-size Hersheys versus Bit-o-Honey's, but that's still part of the experience.

To celebrate the 10th year of offering the Halloween extra to its app, Nextdoor is adding some more fun to the map. Not only will you once again be able to let your neighbors know you are handing out candy, but you can also let them know a few other details according to the site.

• Select the candy pin for treats: If you are filling your candy cauldron and handing out treats, mark your home with the candy icon so trick-or-treaters can be sure to stop by.
• Select the decorating outside pin for a decked-out home: If your home will be decked out as a haunted house in ghoulish adornments, tap the haunted decor icon to attract fright seekers as they pass through the neighborhood.
• Select the Beggin’ pin for pet-friendly treats: If you are giving out goodies for furry trick-or-treaters, select the Beggin’ pin on the map. Once your home is marked as a pet-friendly destination, get ready to see precious pets in costumes on your doorstep! This feature is only available to neighbors in the U.S.

Simply log on to the app on your phone or computer and map out your path for trick or treating. It's that simple! I use the app myself and quite a few homes have already added their homes to the map.

If you aren't familiar, Nextdoor is a social network specifically for your neighborhood and community. It allows you to privately talk with your neighbors, and set up programs like a neighborhood watch group, block parties, lost pets, or babysitting rotation. Not all neighborhoods use it, but some totally swear by it.

As always, when using any type of social media or app that requires you to give location information or address, to be diligent in keeping personal information to a minimum. Although this is a great opportunity to connect with neighbors, it's always best to keep your guard up and be careful.

The Nextdoor app is free to download if you're interested, or you can visit nextdoor.com/halloween to get the whole neighborhood of fun and Happy Halloween!