How To Stay Safe Online While Traveling 

Updated on November 13, 2023.

To stay safe online while you’re traveling, you’ll need to take a few cybersecurity steps beforehand such as only packing the necessary devices, backing up your data and securing your accounts with strong passwords. There are also a few cybersecurity tips you should follow while traveling such as being cautious of how much you share on social media, not using public WiFi networks and ensuring your devices are always kept in a secure location. 

Continue reading to learn more about how to stay safe online before and during your next big trip, and why it’s important to do so.

The Importance of Staying Safe Online

Traveling is always something to look forward to, but it can come with challenges like putting your online data at risk. It’s always important to make sure that you’re taking cybersecurity precautions before and while traveling because things can happen on your trip that can place your sensitive data at risk of being compromised.

One circumstance that is far too common is losing your phone or getting it stolen while traveling. According to Zawya, 20% of Americans have had their phones stolen while on vacation and 23% of Americans have lost their phones while traveling abroad. Phones contain large amounts of sensitive data, so losing your phone or having it stolen places the stored data at risk of being lost forever. In some cases, a lost or stolen phone can also lead to having your identity stolen. 

Cybersecurity Steps To Take Before Traveling 

Here are the cybersecurity steps you need to take before you travel. 

Only bring the necessary devices

The devices you take with you on your trip should be devices that you know you’ll need and use. Bringing more devices than you need increases the risk of losing or misplacing them, which can lead to your data being compromised or lost forever. 

Back up your data

Regularly backing up your data is a cybersecurity best practice that keeps your data protected in worst-case scenarios like losing your device. By backing up your data, you’re ensuring that you’ll always have access to your data, no matter what happens to your devices. 

There are several ways you can back up your data such as using an external hard drive or a USB hard drive. However, the best and most secure way to back up your data is by using an encrypted cloud service that offers data storage, like a password manager. Make sure that the storage you use to back up your data offers zero-knowledge encryption, as this is the most secure encryption available and ensures that no one but you has access to the stored data. 

Set up a “find my device” feature on all your devices

Most devices have a feature you can enable that’ll allow you to locate your devices in case you lose them. It’s important to always have this feature enabled because it’s not uncommon to lose or misplace items, especially phones. 

Any device you have that is a part of the Apple ecosystem has a feature called “Find my iPhone, iPad, or Mac.” All you need to do to enable this feature is open the Settings app > tap your name > tap Find My > tap Find My [device] > and toggle to enable the Find My feature. If you want to be able to find your device even when it’s offline or powered off, make sure to also toggle where it says Find My network. 

Android devices also have a similar feature. To enable this feature on Android devices you’ll need to open the Settings app > tap Security > tap Find My Device > enable the Find My Device feature if it isn’t already. For Find My Device to work on Android, you must be signed in to your Google account and have your location turned on at all times. 

Make sure all your accounts have strong, unique passwords

A strong password is a password that is at least 16 characters long and uses a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. To ensure your accounts are always protected, you need to ensure that each one of them has a strong, unique password. One of the best ways to ensure your accounts always have strong passwords is by using a password manager. Password managers aid users in generating strong passwords and securely storing them so users don’t have to worry about remembering them.

While you’re traveling, the least of your worries should be of one of your online accounts becoming compromised, so make sure you take the necessary steps to secure them. 

Update all of your devices

Software and Operating Systems (OS) are crucial to keep up to date. These updates don’t only add new features or enhance existing ones, they also fix bug issues, improve performance and patch security flaws. When updates aren’t installed as soon as they’re made available, they act as holes that make it easier for cybercriminals to infect your devices with malicious software known as malware.

Malware can do different things like spy on your device’s screen, access your camera and microphone or even track your keystrokes to determine what you’re typing. By updating your device, you ensure it’s running to the best of its ability and can’t be easily infected with viruses or malware. 

Install a VPN

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an application you can install on any of your devices. VPNs are used to protect a user’s internet connection by encrypting it. VPNs also mask IP addresses to protect a user’s online identity as they’re surfing the web. Having a VPN already installed on your devices helps protect you in case you need to connect to a public WiFi network while you’re traveling. 

Public WiFi networks place you at risk of Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks. A MITM attack is when a cybercriminal attempts to intercept the data being sent between two individuals so they can steal it and use it for malicious purposes. If you have no other choice but to connect to a public WiFi network while you’re traveling, you can use the VPN you’ve installed to secure your internet connection and protect your data. 

Tips To Keep You Safe Online While You Travel

Now that you know the necessary cybersecurity precautions to take before traveling, it’s time to learn how to maintain your cybersecurity while you’re traveling. Here are a few cybersecurity tips to follow.

Be cautious of how much you share on social media

It can be tempting to post about everything on social media when you’re traveling, but this could be extremely dangerous. If you decide to post, try not to mention the exact location where you are, especially if you’re currently at that location when making the post. This makes it extremely easy for anyone to target you. 

As a tourist, you might not realize how easy it is for locals to find your location, but they know the ins and outs of where they live – making it easy to locate exactly where you are. Instead, consider posting about where you were after leaving the location, or consider waiting to post your trip altogether until you’re back home.

Avoid using public WiFi

As mentioned, using public WiFi presents various risks to your online security and data. While it’s best to avoid using public WiFi in general, sometimes there’s no other choice but to connect to it. If this is the case, make sure you’re using a VPN to protect your internet connection and sensitive data. 

Keep your devices in a secure location at all times

When traveling, it’s important to keep a close eye on your devices. Phones especially are at risk of being stolen or lost and your phone has plenty of sensitive data that you wouldn’t want anyone else to get a hold of. Pickpockets are extremely common when traveling abroad, so you’ll need to be extra vigilant about where you have your phone to prevent it from getting stolen.

If you’ve brought multiple devices with you on your trip and are staying at a hotel, use the hotel’s safe box to prevent anyone with malicious intentions from getting a hold of them.

Be cautious of ATMs

A common threat when it comes to using any ATM, in the U.S. or abroad, is credit card skimming. Credit card skimming is a common method used by threat actors to steal your credit or debit card information. Credit card skimmers are attached to actual card readers like the ones on ATMs. When a victim inserts their card into a skimmer, the skimmer will scan the card and send the card information to the threat actor via Bluetooth. The transaction or withdrawal will go through normally and the victim won’t know their card has been skimmed until it’s too late. 

Just like that, a threat actor can get your cardholder’s name, number and expiration date, which is everything they need to commit credit card fraud. While you’re traveling, be cautious of which ATMs you use and look closely at the card reader before choosing to insert your card. The FTC has a helpful guide with pictures to help you detect card skimmers so you can prevent falling for them. 

Keep Yourself and Your Data Safe While Traveling

Traveling is meant to be a non-stressful getaway from your day-to-day life, but it’s important to understand all the risks associated with traveling when it comes to staying safe online. By taking the necessary precautionary steps before you travel and while on your trip, you’re setting yourself up to have a secure travel experience without worrying about your online security.