TRAVEL IN THE DIGITAL AGE

By Lookout, Inc.

OUR MOBILE PHONES ARE CAPABLE OF A TON, AND THAT’S

REVOLUTIONIZED TRAVEL

YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELYuse all of the great apps out there

to get the most of your trip.

See our favo

rite

trave

l apps

— but —

YOU SHOULD NEVERput your safety or personal

data at risk.

BEFORE YOU GO

MAKE A CHECKLIST

Did you grab that phone charger? Did you download a few

good books for the flight? You’ll be less flustered (i.e. less

prone to making careless mistakes) if you get all of your

ducks in a row well ahead of time. Use an app like Evernote

to make sure everything is accounted for.

STORE IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS

#

You never know when you’ll need to contact your hotel or

airline, so save time and avoid stress by looking up any

numbers you may need ahead of time. Storing important

contact info in your phone’s address book is as good as

having your trip itinerary on speed dial.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR FINANCES

$

There’s a good chance that you won’t always have a secure

connection while you’re away, so you should’t provide any

more sensitive personal information than absolutely

necessary. Avoid having to use banking apps or providing

your credit card number by scheduling your bill payments

and making mobile deposits or purchases before you leave.

CHECK YOUR CARRIER’S ROAMING POLICY

The last thing you want to come home to is a six-figure phone

bill, so make sure you’re familiar with your carrier’s policy

about using your phone in other countries. Knowing when

you’ll need to rely on Wi-Fi vs. your data connection can help

you plan how you’ll use your phone on your trip.

SET A STRONG PASSCODE

****

Read the blog

If somebody other than yourself ends up with your phone, a

passcode is the first line of defense for your personal data. To

keep your information private, create a strong passcode

(read: not 1234 or 0000) for your phone and set your screen

to auto-lock within five minutes.

BACK UP EVERYTHING

Hopefully nothing bad will happen to your phone while

you’re on your trip (knock on wood), but it’s not a bad idea to

save a copy of anything you care about. Use a service like

Lookout to make sure your photos and contacts will be safe

no matter what your phone goes through.

DOWNLOAD MOBILE SECURITY

You’re probably depending on your phone for a lot, so do

what you can to make sure nothing bad happens to it. Install

the Lookout app as a layer of insurance for phone loss. You’ll

be able to locate your lost phone and even lock and wipe it

if you want to protect your sensitive data.

DURING YOUR TRIP

STAY NATIVE

When you go to a new country, you probably don’t know much

about the app ecosystem, which could expose you to threats

you’re not even aware of. Make sure your device settings reflect

your native or regular IP address. The Google Play Store

should be available to your device as normal, so keep using

the store as it will be subject to Google's usual scrutiny. 

BE CAREFUL ON WI-FI

80 percent of public Wi-Fi networks are open or poorly

protected, including those free networks that you detect

while sitting in an airport waiting for your flight. As a general

rule, avoid unprotected Wi-Fi when traveling and don't use

any sensitive sites or apps (whether it's a bank or Facebook)

over Wi-Fi — stick to Buzzfeed.

KEEP YOUR EYES ON YOUR DEVICE

From installing malware to taking the device itself, you never

know what might happen to your phone when you’re not

watching it closely. Never leave your device unattended. It only

takes a moment for something bad to happen.

KEEP YOUR LOCATION TO YOURSELF

It can be tempting to brag about all of the adventures you’re

finding on your trip, but telling everyone that you’re not at home

can make your home an easy target for burglary. After you snap

that photo at the Taj Mahal on your phone, be cautious not to

geo-tag it for all the world to know your location.

WHEN YOU GET HOME

BACK UP ALL OF THE PHOTOS YOU TOOK

You know all of those great memories you just made? It would

be a such a shame if something, you know, happened to them.

Use Lookout again to make sure your vacation pics and new

friends’ contact info will last longer than your suntan.

SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Now that you’re home safe and sound, there’s no

better time to serve your Facebook friends all of the

vacay pics they can handle. In addition to skipping the

danger of having told everyone that you weren’t

home, you’ll get to relive your trip all over again.

KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR BILLS

You religiously checked currency conversion rates and were

really careful to abide by your data usage policy, but

unexpected charges can still weasel into your bills. Keep an eye

on your bank statement and cell phone bill following your trip

so you can catch any foul play before it’s too late.

For more mobile security tips, follow