Planning your next vacation on the beach somewhere seems easy when you’ve got the money and the time, but you should prioritize other things as well, such as the safety of your online data, before booking the trip. You should know that you are more likely to be the victim of an online scam during seasonal peaks, such as in the summer months when everyone travels, so you have to practice maximum caution than usual.
This means you must be selective about the websites you make payments on, and choose only reputable booking brands that can ensure the safety of your funds. For example, it can be a red flag when a booking company has only one payment method, since many businesses want to expand their options to attract more customers, including Visa and MasterCard, PayPal, and even embedded payments through P2P Bitcoin. But there’s more you should know about safe payments before and during your trip, so let’s talk about them.
Don’t rely on public Wi-Fi
Regardless of how excited you are for the next trip, wait until you get home or can access a safe Wi-Fi connection, because using public ones is a big no. You should avoid these public networks, especially when you are in another country, because you expose your bank account and data privacy to financial fraud and cyberattacks. The fact that you can access them freely without a password in places like the airport or a café is the reason why cybercriminals can access your data effortlessly and attack with common strategies like phishing, malware, and man-in-the-middle.
Private Wi-Fi connections are much safer because the password they require makes it almost impossible for illicit attacks to happen, as it restricts access. So, it’s much better to book accommodation or buy plane tickets when you are at home or at work, and the Wi-Fi network benefits from an additional layer of safety.
Use a VPN
However, if you still must rely on public VPNs at times, such as if you’re traveling for business, you could use a VPN to protect your information through encryption, as the technology supports a safe channel between the device you use, whether mobile or desktop, and the websites you visit. So, when the VPN encrypts data, it reduces the risks of cybercriminals intercepting your data and using it.
Still, remember that a VPN does not fully protect you from attacks and scams, and you should still have a decent base of cyber knowledge to be fully safe. For example, you should use a complex password, and it must be different for every account you own, as well as never enter on suspicious websites that don’t have SSL encryption, so check the presence of HTTPS at the start of a link.
Be extra careful with the links you access
As mentioned before, if you are traveling right in the middle of the high season, you should expect traps to be set anywhere you click, so you should watch out for the signs of an unsafe website. First, before clicking on a link, hover your mouse on it and look at the bottom left corner of the website to see the destination of the URL. If the text of the link and the one on the website differ, you should stray away from this website.
When you are using websites from common domains, look out for typos that could indicate hackers have registered a fake website that looks like the original one. The same applies to short URLs, which can hide dangerous destinations instead of a genuine website, so check the link in a URL expander tool to see if you can trust it or not.
Back up your online information
A serious backup of banking data or any other information that’s useful for you during the trip is necessary in case you lose access to the device you own. For example, experts use the 3-2-1 method, through which you have three copies of your data on two different storage types, and these can include a USB or another device, like a laptop, and have at least one copy in an off-site cloud. This way, you can avoid uncomfortable situations in which you cannot leave the country without your identification documents because you lost them or someone stole them from you.
Choose reputable brands for your data back-up as well, and ensure the service has multi-factor authentication and layered data encryption, so only you can access the data. In addition, remember to regularly update the files from the provider you choose, so not only before your trip but at least every month.
Balance digital wallets with cash
Finally, a more practical tip about the money you will use includes always having cash and card money. Depending on the country you will visit, as well as the jurisdiction, your accommodation will be you may need cash money for small purchases like coffee or souvenirs, so keep a small amount of cash in a good place (maybe not your wallet but a money belt worn under your clothes).
At the same time, you should be able to switch between digital wallets and payment options during travel, so besides a digital wallet for cryptocurrencies, have your credit card and debit card at hand. You might also want to consider different accounts for multiple currencies, such as one for the country you’re visiting and another for the jurisdiction you live in. You can also have an additional account with some of the most common currencies, like the dollar or euro.
Final considerations
We know the feeling of finally traveling after a long time at work, but you shouldn’t leave the excitement of a new trip to the coast to make you forget about adult stuff, such as the safety of your money and data online. So, next time you book an accommodation overseas, remember to never click links without checking them, use only private and safe Wi-Fi networks, and consider a VPN if necessary. Moreover, have multiple backup options for your banking information and identification data that could save you in case of an unfortunate event.
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