4 Tips To Keep Your Data Safe When Traveling

There are many different things to consider when you go traveling, whether you are heading off on an around the world adventure, or you’re taking a week’s vacation somewhere closer to home. When you are thinking about tickets, passport, money, where you’re going to go, and what you’re going to do once you get there, you might easily forget to think about keeping your data safe, but this is hugely important. Here are some ways to do it.

Don’t Use Public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi is something that many people find extremely useful, and it saves them money on their cell data, but it can be an issue when it comes to security. It’s especially important not to check your bank accounts or log into to PayPal using public Wi-Fi, but anything that involves inputting a password is also a bad idea. This is because anyone monitoring the Wi-Fi may be able to access your accounts once you have logged in, and you could lose a lot of money.

To combat this issue, invest in a USB Wi-Fi adaptor from your local carrier. When you want to log on, do so using this, and you will be much safer – depending on where you are traveling this will cost you something, but that cost is much cheaper than having your bank account emptied, so it is worth doing.

Don’t Use Public Computers

Along similar lines to the problems with public Wi-Fi, public computers in places such as internet cafes also have security problems associated with them. You won’t be able to tell what might have been installed on these computers by previous users, and it could be a program that captures personal data and then sends it to the program’s owner. They will then have all your login details for emails, social media, and your bank account information (depending on what you have used the computer to do). Your identity and your money will no longer be safe, and once it has happened it is often too late to do anything about it.

Use A VPN

Using a VPN (virtual private network) on your travels is a great way of keeping all of your data safe. You will be using the internet through this network rather than directly through your laptop browser, giving you an extra layer of security. Everything that goes through a VPN will be encrypted, ensuring that if anyone did manage to find it, they wouldn’t be able to do anything with it anyway. If you need help finding the right VPN for you, take a look at these AlwaysVPN best vpns reviews. If you already have a VPN, make sure it’s suitable for traveling to different countries.

Back It Up

All kinds of mishaps can occur when you’re traveling, and that can mean that any equipment such as laptops, cellphones, or even data sticks can be damaged (heat can affect them, for example). Before you leave home ensure that everything is backed up safely so that should the worst happen, you can at least restore everything to how it was before you went away. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than losing everything forever. Alternatively, if you travel a lot you might want to consider buying a separate ‘travel laptop’ (or tablet, or phone and so on). This can be a cheap device that is used solely for traveling, and if something happened to it all your important and more sensitive data would be safe on your main device at home.