Traveling Often? Here are Four Privacy Tips for Travelers That are Useful Everywhere
The Internet has opened up endless economic possibilities, allowing people from all corners of the world to connect. If you’re a digital nomad and like working remotely from all over the world, or simply often just get to chance to visit new places, read this page. We’ll share with you the four must-know privacy tips for travelers that will help you stay private and secure online no matter where you go.
Secure Your Devices
In today’s online world, good password habits are a must-have. This especially goes if you’re frequently traveling from one new location to another one. While it may seem like an unnecessary hassle, make sure to set up unique passwords for each account and device you have. That way, if one account falls into the wrong hands, the others will still remain uncompromised. Use long passwords and install a trusted password manager if you have too many accounts to keep track of.
Moreover, if you lose a device while traveling abroad, make sure that those who find it can’t retrieve any valuable information from it. Stats show that around seventy million smartphones are lost each year, and only seven percent of those are recovered. When traveling, places like coffee shops, bars, and restaurants are the places where you should be the most careful about losing your phone, or even worse, someone stealing it.
Never Use Public Computers
This may sound like a no-brainer, but a lot of people use public computers when traveling, especially when they have to book accommodations or log into one of their online accounts. We would strongly discourage you from doing this. These computers might not only be connected to insecure networks but also be infected by various monitoring and tracking programs that can copy all of the information you share with the computer.
If you must use a public computer when traveling abroad, try to keep all of the essential data to yourself. Avoid entering any private or financial information, and if you absolutely must do so in case of urgent situations, do a quick check-up of the PC before proceeding. Open the task manager and see if any unrecognizable programs are running and inspect if any hard-drives or USB’s are inserted into the computer.
But, even with all of these precautionary measures we just mentioned, the information you enter can still be retrieved through different techniques, such as hidden keyloggers. That’s why we advise you never to use a public computer. If you’re not traveling with a laptop, always keep at least one handy device charged and close to you.
Turn off as Many Features as you Can
This can be a tricky one if you’re traveling alone somewhere for the first time, especially when it comes to turning off navigation apps. The reasoning behind this is that all of the geo-tracking apps collect a lot of tracking information of you and update it in real-time.
Furthermore, a lot of apps that are tracking your location and activities don’t even need to be doing so. The easiest way to check this is to go to the Settings tab of your device and review all of the permissions you give to specific apps. Often, this is to push targeted advertisements to you, but you never know which app is vulnerable and can be broken in by a nearby hacker.
Avoid Network Surveillance with a VPN
Nowadays, most privacy-conscientious online users are aware that they should never sign into a public Wi-Fi network without an additional layer of protection. Regardless if it’s a hotel lobby network or a Wi-Fi spot on an airport or train station, you never can know who else can be connected on the same network, watching everything you do and collecting your information. If you’re traveling through one country for an extended period, you can buy a cheap prepaid SIM and use it for mobile data. This is a simple and efficient way to avoid the hassle of looking for a trustworthy Wi-Fi hotspot.
With that said, if you’re often traveling and visiting many different countries, consider subscribing to a VPN service. This is a much cheaper option in the long run and allows you the comfort of accessing all public Wi-Fi networks without having to worry about your privacy and security, no matter where you go. Of course, not all VPN services are equally reliable and worth your attention. If you’re looking for a trusted VPN that offers excellent all-around service at affordable prices, ZoogVPN ticks all of the boxes. Enjoy every adventure the road brings, but keep your private details close. Get ZoogVPN today and secure all of your sensitive information.
Yaroslav S.CEO at ZoogVPN. Yaroslav is a versatile manager with extensive customer support experience. His historical background and a deep passion for philosophy perfectly complete a real desire to create meaningful content and tech products.
