When preparing for your next adventure and traveling, it’s crucial to take specific cybersecurity measures to protect yourself online. Start by only packing the essential devices, backing up your data, and securing your accounts with strong, unique passwords.
While on the go, continue to safeguard your digital presence by being mindful of what you share on social media, avoiding public Wi-Fi networks, and keeping your devices in secure locations at all times.
Read on to discover more in-depth strategies to ensure your online safety before and during your travels, and understand the importance of these precautions.
How to Stay Connected and Travel Safely?
1. Lock Your Devices
When you travel, safeguarding your devices is essential. Phones, in particular, are highly susceptible to theft or loss, and they contain sensitive information that you wouldn’t want falling into the wrong hands. Pickpocketing is a frequent issue for travelers, necessitating heightened awareness of your phone’s location to avoid theft.
For those traveling with multiple devices and staying in a hotel, it’s advisable to use the hotel’s safe to secure your belongings, protecting them from potential thieves.
2. Use a VPN
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a tool that you can install on any of your devices. VPNs are designed to secure your internet connection by encrypting it, which helps protect your online activities. Additionally, VPNs hide your IP address, ensuring your online identity remains private while you browse the web. Of course, a lot depends on the provider. If you are looking for a VPN provider with a good reputation, try VeePN service. VeePN has good reviews, a lot of advanced security systems and good Internet speed.
This is everything you need for the traveler who wants to stay connected and safe.3. Purchase an International SIM Card
Before embarking on your journey, consider purchasing an international SIM card to ensure you remain connected no matter where you go. An international SIM card is an ideal solution for maintaining communication, offering a convenient and affordable way to stay in touch with family and friends while traveling. The best part? You can keep using your phone number, just as you would back home!
4. Be Careful With Public Wi-Fi Networks
While using phones internationally, you should be careful with public Wi-Fi networks. They are often eavesdropped, hacked, or even infect users’ devices with viruses. Ideally, you should stop using them. If the offer is too attractive to refuse, you can use a VPN.
Having a VPN installed on your devices is especially useful when you need to connect to public WiFi networks during your travels. Public WiFi networks can expose you to “Man-in-the-Middle” (MITM) attacks, where cybercriminals try to intercept the data exchanged between two parties to steal it for malicious purposes. With the best VPN app iOS you can prevent all of these and similar cyberattacks. In such situations, a VPN can safeguard your internet connection and protect your personal data.
5. Buy a Portable Wi-Fi Device
Traveling with a squad and need to stay online? Portable Wi-Fi hotspots are your go-to solution. Don’t let the absence of an internet connection put a damper on your group excursion! These devices ensure that everyone remains connected, no matter how far off the grid you venture. For a minimal cost, you’ll get unlimited data access, allowing you to share every moment and stay in touch with ease. Equip yourself with portable Wi-Fi and make every trip a seamless, connected adventure.
6. Turn On Find My Device
Both Android and iOS come equipped with advanced device tracking features. Be sure to activate these settings prior to travel, enabling you to remotely erase your data or display a customized message on the screen for the person who may find your lost device.
7. Stop Auto Connecting
When you’re not at home, make sure to turn off remote connectivity and Bluetooth on your devices. Many gadgets will automatically try to connect to any available wireless networks. Bluetooth allows your device to wirelessly link up with other gadgets, like headphones or car infotainment systems. It’s a good idea to disable these features so you connect only when you choose to. If they’re not necessary, just switch them off. Keeping these features active while you’re out and about can give cybercriminals an easy way to access your devices.
8. Backup Before You Go
When you’re away from your home base, the impact of losing or having your device stolen can be even more severe. To protect yourself, ensure you have up-to-date backups of all your vital data. Importantly, store these backups separately from the devices you’re traveling with.
Conclusion
Though the precautions we’ve discussed should be part of our daily routine, they often aren’t top of mind when planning that amazing trip you’ve been anticipating all year. However, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Wishing you a safe and enjoyable journey!