It’s finally here, summer. The kids are out of school, the heat is here to stay and it’s time for a vacation. You may want to travel on a whim, or maybe you have been planning for months. In either case, it is important to keep security in mind.

When talking about security and travel, your mind may wander to the airport, waiting in line, putting all of your belongings into little tubs and walking through sensors. Though that type of security is important, not all types of travel security are as strenuous. Travel security does not only mean ensuring that you and your family are physically safe, but it also means making sure that your cyber presence is secure.

Personal Security

If you are traveling somewhere close to home or thousands of miles away, it is important to be aware of your surroundings in order to be as safe as possible. Here are a few things that you can do.

Look like a local
Locals can usually spot tourists from a mile away. Try wearing clothes that locals would wear, and avoid wearing nametags or matching shirts if you are traveling to a busy area. This can single you out as a tourist and make you an easy target for pickpocketing. If you’re headed somewhere that is quite different than your hometown, it can actually be fun to fully immerse yourself in the new atmosphere by dressing and acting the part!

Avoid the flash
Not like the flash on a camera, but rather avoid flashing nice items or cash. It is normal to carry a bit more cash on you than usual while traveling, so that makes it even more important to keep your personal items secure. Avoid fumbling with your wallet or bringing all of your favorite name brand items with you.

Copy that
It is always a good idea to have copies of your important documents. It is even more important when you are traveling to a foreign country. If you make copies of your identification documents, they need to be left in a safe place at home, or secured in your hotel. These are for emergencies if you were to lose your documents.

Cyber Security

Today, everything is online, so it is more important than ever to keep your online presence safe while you are traveling. If you look into these few simple steps, it may make your cyber presence that much more secure.

Be wary of public Wi-Fi
“Free Wi-Fi” could be two of the greatest words that one might see while traveling, but not all networks are created equal. Public Wi-Fi spots can be used by hackers to get into devices and access sensitive information. Try to find reliable networks or even pay for portable Wi-Fi devices so that you do not run into this.

Update and backup
No one wants to lose all of their information because their computer or device crashes. It is important to make sure that all of your software is updated and hard drives and devices are backed up to ensure that your information doesn’t get lost. In the event a device is stolen, you will not lose your data.

Keep passwords strong
One simple way to make your cyber presence more secure is by having strong passwords. It is important to make sure that passwords for your devices, as well as software and websites, are at least eight characters long with special characters, numbers and letters, including a mix of lower and upper case. Microsoft offers some advice on creating strong passwords here.

Bring the bare necessities
We all know how tempting it can be to bring a laptop, tablet and cell phone everywhere we go, especially if we’re gone for a long period of time. However, it may be best to only bring the electronic devices that you truly need. This will not only help protect your online presence but will give you piece of mind that it can’t get misplaced, lost or stolen.

Contact your bank
When traveling, you definitely want to let your bank know that you will be away. You could also begin to do your banking online. This will help you keep track of your finances on the go and monitor account activity. It is also important to make sure that your credit and debit cards will work wherever you go. Check the expiration dates and customer service numbers just in case something occurs.

Traveling can be both a bonding experience and a cause of some stress. The most important thing to keep in mind while traveling is safety. By being prepared before you go, it can make traveling much more stress-free and enjoyable. Safe travels!

 

A representative from Central Bank can help you with your online banking needs. To learn more about online and mobile banking with Central Bank please click here or, for on–the-go access, download the Central Bank mobile app today.