It doesn’t matter if you are bringing only your smartphone or a boatload of tech with you. You have to be cautious with your devices if you want to bring them home and in one piece. Before you travel with your tech, here are some safety precautions that you must remember:
1. Bring proper storage bags
You don’t want your best American-made drone to get banged up during your trip, do you? To prevent devices from getting damaged while on the go, ensure that you pack them in appropriate storage bags that can cushion falls and prevent jostling. This is especially important for fragile devices, such as camera lenses and external hard-drives.
2. Buy a heavy-duty phone case
Ditch your jelly case and buy a heavy-duty hard case for your smartphone before traveling. In addition to a phone case, you should also have tempered glass to protect your screen in case you drop your phone.
3. Back-up your data
Even if you are super careful with your devices, you can’t eliminate the risk of losing or damaging them during your trip. So to avoid losing precious data, back-up your files on a physical device (to leave at home) and on the cloud before you go. If you want, you can also back-up essential files you create during the trip so that you don’t lose them in case your device gets stolen or damaged.
4. Track your devices
Install tracker apps on your devices or buy physical trackers for devices that can’t support apps. In this way, you can detect where you might have left your device or if it was stolen, you can show the approximate location to the local authorities.
5. Keep an eye on your devices
No matter how safe the environment might seem, do not leave your devices unattended. If you have to leave the table at the restaurant or get off your laptop for a bit, take your device with you or ask a companion to watch over it.
6. Enable passwords
Never travel without having password protection on your phone. Besides serving as the first line of defense for your data, passwords also make it harder for thieves to break into your phone and disable it.
Make sure that your password or passcode is hard to guess. Better yet, enable fingerprint authentication or face recognition for added security.
7. Be aware of pickpockets
Place your devices in your front pockets or inside your bag. Moreover, keep your bag closed and your devices out of sight until you need to use it. Pickpockets can be anywhere, and they usually target people who look like tourists. Always be wary of your surroundings and look out for suspicious activity.
8. Protect your privacy
Here are several tips to help you protect your privacy while traveling:
- Use privacy screens on your laptop and smartphone
- Put tape over your laptop camera
- Avoid accessing private data in public places
- Use a VPN
- Keep your devices locked whenever you’re not using them
- Turn off WiFi and Bluetooth when not in use
9. Update anti-virus
Before you go, update your anti-virus software to protect your devices against malware.
10. Keep your devices in a safe
If you must leave your devices at the hotel, use the hotel safe for storage.
11. Don’t take out your devices in risky situations
This is pretty obvious, but many travelers still manage to lose or damage their devices in situations wherein they’re not supposed to be using them anyway. If you are taking a hike through rough terrain, riding on a boat, or passing through a very crowded area, avoid using your devices lest they get stolen or damaged.
12. Leave your devices at home
Take as few devices as possible on your trip. The less you have, the better. Besides, who wants to spend their vacation babysitting a bunch of expensive gadgets that you didn’t really need to bring? Your smartphone might be the only device you need since it can be a camera and computer in one.
Losing devices during a trip is all too common among travelers. If you don’t want to come home with a broken device or no device at all, take these things to heart before and during your trip. Some of these strategies might seem like overkill, but trust us, it’s worth getting to keep your devices in good shape.
Do you have other device safety tips to share with us? Let us know in the comments below.
