Inside: How to Protect Your Devices While Travelling. Collaborative post.
You can’t get very far without technology these days. Whether it’s booking transport, finding your way, or staying in touch, phones and laptops have become essential travel companions. But with this convenience comes real risks. The threats of theft and damage are constant while you’re away, but you can take steps to minimise those risks.
Keep Your Tech Physically Secure
First, the fundamentals – avoid leaving your phone or laptop exposed, especially in crowded public places. When walking around, keep any tech in a zipped bag and hold it tight.
It’s also worth investing in strong padlocks for your bags and durable cases for your devices to minimise the impact of drops. Try to carry all your tech in hand luggage on flights to avoid it getting damaged in checked baggage.
Use Strong Device Locks and Tracking
If your devices do fall into the wrong hands, it’s the device security you set up that dictates how much damage they can do. Biometric security, like fingerprint and face scanning, is among the most secure options for protecting devices, though it’s not completely foolproof. Combining biometrics with long, unique passcodes or complex passwords provides even greater protection..
Device tracking apps and tools are also invaluable when a device goes missing. Setting up something like Find My Device for Android or Find My for iOS could help you find a lost phone or laptop. It’s a small step, but one that could save you loads of money.
Backup and Encrypt Your Data
The data stored on your devices is just as important to protect, if not more so. Back up your phone and laptop to a cloud service before you leave, and continue to do so periodically throughout your trip, especially if you’ll be travelling for a while. This way, if you lose any of your devices, you won’t lose your data, such as photos, messages, and documents.
Secure Your Online Activity With a VPN
Travelling usually means connecting to various Wi-Fi networks in hotels, airports, and other places. While these might be free and convenient, unsecured networks leave you and your devices more vulnerable. Cybercriminals can monitor these networks and intercept your data without you even knowing.
Luckily, virtual private networks (VPNs) are an easy, accessible solution. By downloading a VPN for free and setting it up on your device, you can encrypt your internet traffic and route it through a secure, remote server. This re-routing process hides your data from snoopers, especially those looking to target users on public Wi-Fi networks.
Travel Safe With Your Devices
Staying safe and secure is important for happy travels, wherever you’re going. Phones and laptops make life on the road easier, so take some of these steps to protect them. There’s no point in taking chances.