Technology

Technology has made every explorer’s life more convenient, transforming smart devices, gadgets, offline maps, and numerous travel apps into some of the key travel essentials.

Unfortunately, it opened the door to cybercrime as well. Using technology to stay connected while traveling can put your personal and sensitive data at risk, especially if you lose a smartphone, laptop, or another mobile device.

Here’s what you can do to safeguard your data even in case of device loss or theft.

1. Password-Protect Your Mobile Devices

Even if your mobile devices have a fingerprint scanner, you’d need to set a password or a PIN as well to enable a screen lock. Make sure it’s strong so that no one would be able to guess it. Furthermore, avoid using patterns as many researchers see them as the weakest link when it comes to passwords for your smartphone.

Password managers are all the rage these days, as they provide an extra layer of security to mobile devices and online accounts. They store passwords in an encrypted vault, protect them with a master password, and can generate strong passwords for all your accounts.

If anyone ever cracks one of your login credentials, your password manager will change it automatically and restrict their access.

2. Back-Up Your Data

You wouldn’t want to lose important data if you lost a mobile device during your trip, would you? Just think of all those photos of breathtaking locations that you’d never see again.

While that would be devastating, a bigger problem would be losing all the business documents, bank reports, or other sensitive information you may store on your devices.

Using a reliable cloud storage solution to back up all your data automatically will give you much-needed peace of mind.

3. Update Every Device’s Software

Keeping every device’s software up to date is one of the best ways to protect against cybersecurity threats.

The latest updates come with bug fixes and security patches that address various software vulnerabilities. They close any security gaps that potential hackers could use to crawl into your system, thus keeping your devices and data safe.

4. Enable a Remote Device Tracking Service

Hopefully, you won’t leave your devices unattended while traveling. But even when you’re careful, there’s still a chance of encountering a thief or your phone slipping out of your pocket. If that happens, you’d want to know that no one would gain access to your data.

To prevent your personal or sensitive information from getting into someone else’s hands, enable a remote device tracking service.

Google, Microsoft, and Apple offer “Find My Device” services that let you locate a lost or stolen device and lock or wipe it remotely. Even if you don’t have everything backed up, erasing all the data remotely is a no-brainer.

5. Stay Away from Public Wi-Fi Networks

Public Wi-Fi networks don’t use encryption, which means that potential hackers can intercept all the communications and gain access to the connected devices.

As much as it may be tempting to connect to free, open Wi-Fi networks in restaurants, cafes, or airports, resist the urge and stick to their password-protected counterparts. While you are at it, disable auto-join feature to avoid having your device connect to a dangerous network.

6. Disable Bluetooth Connectivity

When your Bluetooth is on, anyone nearby can detect your device. If there’s a cybercriminal in the vicinity, they could gain access to your device, probably even without you noticing.

So, don’t forget to turn off Bluetooth before heading for your next travel adventure.

7. Use a VPN

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) can be your best line of defense against potential cyberattacks.

If you have an online VPN, you can keep all your data away from prying eyes. A Virtual Private Network can defend you against snooping when you do connect to public Wi-Fi. Basically, you’ll be invisible online, with network managers unable to detect you or see your online activity.

One of the best things about VPNs is establishing a secure connection over public Wi-Fi. No matter where you are, your VPN will hide all the data you send and receive, even on wireless connections.

Ready to Explore the World?

Follow these essential tips for keeping your data safe and secure, and your every travel adventure will be entirely stress-free. Instead of worrying about the potential dangers of using tech to stay connected, you’ll enjoy every moment and make unforgettable memories.

These days, tech and travel go together like love and marriage. Unfortunately, loving marriages have a lot of rough spots along the way. In the same way, tech can let you down in devastating ways. An alarm that doesn’t go off means that you are late for your flight. A message that didn’t get sent means you are not on the excursion list. And so on…

In fact, the number of things that can go wrong with your personal tech to ruin a trip outweighs the number of things that can go right. But we still rely on our tech because when things do go right, our trip, and indeed our lives are much better than it would have been without the tech.

So the first thing you need to do to make sure that tech is your friend on your next vacation is carefully plan out the tech you will need well in advance of the trip. It will not do for you to just toss a few things in your carry on while zipping out the door. Plan it in advance. And pack it in advance. Here are a few more tips for getting the most out of tech and travel:

Check the Tech Guidelines for Your Tours and Excursions

Have you ever been on a vacation and noticed a lot of people in a group who seemed to be having a lot more fun than you? That is because they were very likely on a paid excursion that you thought was a waste of money. You let some cynical “travel expert” talk you out of it because those “tourist traps” are just for suckers. And you wanted to be one of the cool kids.

Lesson learned. Don’t make that mistake again. People on tours seem to be having fun because they are. So when you get ready to book yours, be sure to ask about tech requirements and or restrictions. Groups like Tourme can let you know in advance if flash photography is prohibited, or if you might want to rent a good zoom lens for your DSLR.You might also check and see if they have bags and supplies for waterproofing your camera or smartphone. If you have accessibility needs, they will be able to tell you about closed captioning, and other options that may come in handy for people with disabilities. For the best time, make sure your tours and tech are compatible.

Choose Your Gadgets Wisely

Don’t pack gadgets you don’t need. In doing so, you just make yourself a bigger target for thieves, have more to lose if your baggage is lost or stolen, and have more to charge when plug-ins are at a premium. What you should do is decide which travel gadgets and accessories you will want to pack based on what you really need for the trip.

Bluetooth speakers and headphones can be very convenient because you can use them with all of your devices, including the ones with no headphone Jack. But Bluetooth accessories need to be charged rather frequently. And if they die when you are nowhere near a plug, you have no backup. For this reason, wired headphones are probably a better choice for travel.

Make Safety Your Priority

Just because you are away from home, that is no excuse to start texting and driving. You will also want to protect your personal information by using pass codes, fingerprint locks, and facial recognition. All of these things make it harder for information thieves to casually steel your data, even if they steal your smartphone, you will be able to remote wipe it before they can crack your code.

You also need to protect your devices by putting them in protective cases. On vacation, your devices stand an even greater chance of being dropped, bumped, fumbled, and trampled by a herd of alpacas. Vacations are hard on devices, especially those with glass on the back and the front.Tech and travel go hand in hand. But they don’t always connect when you bring the wrong tech for the tour, pack the wrong gadgets for the trip, and make safety an option rather than a priority.