Global travel, either with family or on your own, requires intentional planning to protect your devices and personal information. Digital safety covers everything from securing devices before departure to managing online activity on the road, and without thinking about these things before you leave, you could be putting yourself in danger. But with a few smart precautions, families can travel with confidence and focus on enjoying the experience.
Before You Go: Prepare Your Tech
Pre-trip planning for your digital safety should focus on reducing the number of devices carried and ensuring that all software is patched and protected.
Take Only What You Need
Limit the number of gadgets you pack. Fewer devices mean fewer chances for loss, theft, or accidental exposure. Bring only the phones, tablets, or laptops that serve a clear purpose, and leave backups or nonessential electronics safely at home.
- Cybersecurity While Traveling Tip Sheet: Be aware of cybersecurity threats and know how to protect yourself before you travel.
Update Your Devices and Apps
Install the latest software updates on every device you plan to bring. Updates often include important security patches that fix known weaknesses, giving you the strongest protection available when you start your trip.
Turn on Device Locks
Use strong, unique PINs, passcodes, or biometric locks (like Face ID or fingerprint scanning) on all electronic devices. These features serve as the primary security layer protecting your stored data if your phone or tablet is lost or stolen.
Enable “Find My Device” Features
Activate remote tracking tools for phones and tablets. These features can help you locate a missing device and, if necessary, remotely lock or wipe it.
- Mobile Device Security Guide: These guidelines are focused on helping organizations to secure mobile devices before travel.
Adjust Privacy Settings
Review the privacy settings across all your apps and social media platforms. Limit who can view your activity, disable unnecessary location tracking, and restrict any features that share more information than you’re comfortable with.
Back Up Your Data
Create a full backup of your photos, documents, and important files with a cloud service or external drive. If a device is lost or breaks during the trip, your data will remain safe and recoverable.
- Keeping Your Data Safe: The laws of other countries can affect the privacy of your data and the legality of precautions you might take to protect it.
- Protecting Your Digital Footprint While on the Move: This comprehensive guide offers detailed strategies for protecting personal data, securing mobile devices, and mitigating risks associated with public Wi-Fi during travel.
- Recommendations for International Travel: Find out more about how to protect yourself from the potential dangers of travel abroad with your digital devices.
While You Travel: Stay Smart on the Go
Once your trip begins, staying aware of digital risks helps prevent avoidable problems. Connectivity on the go is convenient, but it can open the door to security threats if not managed carefully.
Manage Location-Sharing
Keep location services turned off unless they’re necessary for navigation or essential apps. This reduces data collection, saves battery life, and limits how much of your real-time activity is publicly visible.
- International Travel Advisories and Safety Information: The U.S. Department of State provides official, up-to-date alerts and safety levels for every country worldwide to help travelers assess risks before planning a trip.
Think Before You Post
Real-time vacation updates can be fun, but they also signal to thieves that your home is empty. To reduce risks, wait to share photos and trip details until after you’ve returned home.
Avoid Public Wi-Fi Risks
Free Wi-Fi in airports, hotels, and cafés often lacks basic security. Avoid logging into sensitive accounts, such as banking or email accounts, while connected to public networks. When you need a secure connection, use a VPN or your phone’s hotspot.
- Be Aware: Connect With Care: Learn best practices for using public Wi-Fi and when you shouldn’t use it at all.
Secure Your Devices
Keep your devices close, and never leave them unattended in public places. When you’re not using them in your hotel room, store them in the room safe. Physical security is just as important as digital protection.
- Safe Computing While Traveling: This guide offers guidance on securing mobile devices, both physically and digitally, while traveling or in public settings.
Disable Auto-Connect
Turn off auto-connect for both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Automatically joining unfamiliar networks can expose your device to malicious access without you realizing it.
- Mobile Best Practices: Disable auto-connect features to prevent accidental connections to malicious or unknown networks.
Be Cautious With Public Computers
Avoid signing into personal accounts on public computers whenever possible. If you must use one, never save passwords, and always manually log out of your accounts; closing the browser alone may still leave your information accessible.
- Tips to Minimize IT Security Risks: This resource outlines the security risks associated with using public Wi-Fi and recommends using VPNs or cellular data for all sensitive transactions.
Wrap Up Your Trip Safely
Once you’re home, take a few minutes to confirm that none of your accounts or devices were compromised during your travels.
Review Account Activity
Check your email, financial accounts, and social media for anything unusual, such as unfamiliar logins or unexpected password reset attempts. Quick detection helps you respond effectively to potential security issues.
- Have You Been Hacked? If you notice these signs, your accounts or your device may have been compromised.
Remove Unused Travel Apps
If you downloaded travel-specific apps like transit tools or attraction guides, uninstall them after the trip. Removing them cuts off ongoing access to your location, photos, or personal data and keeps your device cleaner and more secure.
- Social Media Privacy: Security experts recommend conducting a post-trip privacy review, with a particular focus on social media sharing permissions granted while traveling.
- What You Should Know About Identity Theft: The FTC provides guidance on how to know when your identity has been stolen, how to avoid it, and what to do if it happens on this page.
- Unused Apps Can Impact Smartphone Storage and Security: Removing unused apps frees up storage space and gets rid of potential security vulnerabilities.
Additional Cybersecurity Tips for Travelers
- Traveling Overseas With Electronic Devices: Your digital data is much more likely to be at risk when you travel abroad.
- Your Security Plan: Protecting Yourself From Digital Surveillance: To begin planning for your digital safety, consider what you need to protect and why.
- Cybersecurity Protection Tips: Taking precautions before you leave can make sure that your vacation doesn’t have a higher cost than you planned.
- Stop, Think, Connect: This printable guide provides foundational cybersecurity tips for individuals, emphasizing basic practices such as using strong passwords and recognizing phishing scams.
- Cybersecurity While Traveling: Be vigilant about your online safety to protect your personal information while you travel.
- Keep an Eye Out for Travel Scams: The AARP put together this guide to travel-specific scams, such as fraudulent booking offers and credit card compromises, to help travelers avoid financial losses.
- Be Cautious When Connected: Taking basic precautions can help you keep your data safe.
- Google Safety Center: Account Security: Take advantage of safety features built into commonly used apps.
- Travel Securely: Bring only the devices you absolutely need when you travel, and secure them as much as possible before you leave and during your trip.
- Cybersecurity Guidelines for International Travel: The amount of danger your data could be in varies depending on the country you’re visiting.
General Travel Safety Information
- Travel Safety Tips: A few common-sense precautions can help you keep yourself and your belongings safe while you travel.
- Safety and Security While Abroad: Follow this advice to avoid drawing unwanted attention to yourself.
- International Travel Health Advice: Learn what you need to know to keep yourself healthy as you travel.
- Outdoor Hazards in Parks: The National Park Service offers guidance on outdoor physical safety, including preparation for the weather, navigation, and interaction with wildlife in natural environments.
- International Travel Safety Tips: Read these tips from the Red Cross to protect your health and safety.
- Travel Safety Guide: Hazards you may face on your trip can range from crime to accidents to natural disasters.
- How to Get Ready for a Road Trip: Practical safety tips on this page cover everything from securing luggage and hotel rooms to mitigating the risk of credit card theft.
Staying Healthy While You Travel: Parents should make sure that they and their children have all of the vaccinations they need before international travel.
