The two things that damage an empty house are water and cold, and they are the same thing: a pipe that freezes, splits, then thaws and runs for six days into a floor nobody is standing on.
Before you go
Leave the heat on — low, not off. If you are gone longer than a few days in real cold, shut the water off at the main and drain the lines. Cabinet doors open under sinks on exterior walls. Nothing perishable. Lights on timers rather than a hall light burning for a week. And take a photo of the water shutoff and breaker panel, so the person you are about to ask for help can find them.
And tell one person, properly
"Keep an eye on the place" is not instructions. The neighbor with a key needs to know where the shutoff is, who to call, and that they have permission to act without reaching you first. That last one is the part people forget, and it is the part that turns a burst pipe into a small problem.