Traveling around the world on your own brings with it a range of risks, which will need to be managed. For example, if you intend to travel in an unfamiliar city using an unfamiliar subway system, you would probably be well advised to secure your belongings to your person.
But as well as thinking about your physical security, you’ll also need to think about how your digital life might be put at risk by travel. Let’s take a look at the threats you might face, and the action you might take to protect yourself.
Why Digital Security Matters for Solo Travelers
When you’re taking devices with you, and using the internet in an unfamiliar place, you run the risk of your data being lost or intercepted. If you’re traveling solo, the risk is greater, as there will be no one there to help you out if you are made unreachable by a security lapse.
Protecting Your Devices from Theft or Loss
If you can physically tether your phone, laptop, or tablet to your person, then it will be that much less likely to be taken. Sensible precautions around phone use in public are also wise. In major cities like London, there is a notorious blight of phone-snatching. In 2024, 60,000 phones were stolen. The highest anywhere in the world.
Safe Use of Public Wi-Fi and Networks
If you’re going to be making use of an unfamiliar WiFi network, like the one attached to your hotel room, then you’ll need to be sure that your data isn’t going to be intercepted by anyone else on the network. A good VPN for iPhone is often a fantastic way to quickly and conveniently protect yourself.
Strong Passwords and Two-Factor Authentication
The more difficult your passwords are to guess, the less likely they are to be compromised. A password manager represents the ideal, here. Make sure that important services, like your bank accounts, are also guarded by multi-factor authentication.
Securing Travel Documents and Online Accounts
It might be that you need to present travel documents, like boarding passes, visas, and your passport, as you move from place to place. When you’re using digital versions of these documents, you’ll need to be sure that they can actually be retrieved – and that they’re suitably encrypted, so that malicious third parties can’t access them
Backups, Updates, and Ongoing Digital Hygiene
If you don’t regularly update the operating system on your phone, or your laptop, then it might be that your system conceals a vulnerability that might be exploited. Downloading and installing the latest update will ensure that your security is as tight as possible.
Important files might also be backed up using cloud services. If you’re carrying an essential presentation, and the only copy of it is on your laptop’s storage drive, then you run the risk that it will be irretrievably lost. Don’t take the risk!
