December 08, 2025
Imagine you're three hours into a five-hour journey to visit family for the holidays. Your daughter asks, "Can I play Roblox on your laptop?" Your work laptop—the one containing sensitive client files, financial records, and full access to your business. You're exhausted from packing, still facing three more hours on the road, and honestly, keeping her occupied sounds like a blessing. What could possibly go wrong?
The truth is, holiday travel introduces unique security risks you wouldn't normally encounter. Distractions, fatigue, connecting to unknown networks, and blurring the lines between leisure and work all elevate the chance of data breaches. Whether your trip is for business, pleasure, or a tricky mix of both, here's how to safeguard your sensitive information without putting a damper on the holiday mood.
Pre-Trip Essentials: The 15-Minute Security Routine
Before you hit the road, invest just 15 minutes in the following steps to enhance your security:
Device Fundamentals:
- Update your devices with the latest security patches and software updates
- Back up all crucial files securely to a trusted cloud service
- Enable automatic screen locking, set to activate within two minutes
- Activate "Find My Device" features on phones and laptops
- Fully charge your portable power bank to stay powered on the go
- Pack your personal charging cables and adapters—don't rely on provided ones
Discuss Device Usage With Your Family:
- Clarify which gadgets children are allowed to use and which are off-limits
- Prepare a dedicated family device such as an iPad or secondary tablet for entertainment
- Create a separate user profile on your laptop if children must access it
Pro Tip: If your kids need screen time during the trip, bring a device not linked to your work accounts. Spending $150 on a tablet is far cheaper than dealing with a data breach.
Hotel WiFi: Common Mistakes and Safer Habits
After checking into the hotel, everyone connects to the WiFi—phones, tablets, laptops, gaming devices. Your teenager streams Netflix; your partner checks emails; you try to finish that proposal ahead of tomorrow's meeting.
The issue? Hotel WiFi networks are shared by many guests, some of whom might have malicious intent.
Real-World Example: A family connected to what appeared to be their hotel's official WiFi, but it was a phishing network set up by a hacker in the parking lot. For two days, everything they typed—passwords, credit card details, emails—was intercepted.
How To Protect Yourself:
Confirm the network name with the hotel front desk before connecting. Never guess or connect to unfamiliar WiFi.
Use a VPN when accessing work emails or sensitive files; it encrypts your connection, keeping data private.
Utilize your phone's mobile hotspot for confidential tasks like banking or company work instead of hotel WiFi.
Separate work and leisure activities: Allow kids to stream cartoons on hotel WiFi, but use secure connections when accessing business information.
Handling Laptop Sharing Requests Safely
Your work laptop is a treasure trove of email, bank info, client documents, and business systems. Meanwhile, your kids want to watch videos, play games, or video chat with friends.
Why this matters: Children can unintentionally introduce security risks by downloading harmful files, clicking on suspicious pop-ups, sharing passwords, or neglecting to log out. While unintentional, these actions compromise your business data.
Recommended Approach:
Enforce a strict "no" to work device sharing. Kindly but firmly explain: "This is my work laptop; you can use [alternative device]." Consistency is key.
If sharing is unavoidable:
- Create a restricted user account for children
- Supervise their activity closely
- Prevent downloads or installations
- Avoid saving any passwords on the work device
- Clear browsing history immediately after use
Even better: Travel with a dedicated family device like an older tablet or laptop that is isolated from your work accounts.
Streaming on Hotel TVs: Don't Forget to Log Out!
When your family streams Netflix on a hotel smart TV, logging into your account is convenient—but forgetting to log out can expose your credentials to subsequent guests.
Risks: The next guest might access your streaming accounts—and worse, if you reuse passwords elsewhere (please don't), it could lead to broader compromises.
How to Prevent This:
- Use your personal device to cast content to the TV, providing greater control and security.
- If you must log in on the smart TV, set a phone alarm or reminder to log out before checkout.
- Download your favorite shows onto devices before traveling so you can avoid hotel TVs altogether.
Avoid logging into these accounts on hotel TVs:
- Banking applications
- Work-related accounts
- Email services
- Social media platforms
- Any accounts storing payment information
Lost Device? Here's Your Emergency Action Plan
Travel chaos means devices can be misplaced—left behind in restaurants, hotel rooms, rental cars, or airport checkpoints. If your device goes missing, act swiftly:
Within the first hour:
- Use "Find My Device" to track its location.
- If recovery seems unlikely, remotely lock the device to prevent unauthorized access.
- From a secure device, change passwords for sensitive accounts.
- Contact your IT support or managed service provider to revoke company system access.
- If sensitive client data was on the device, inform affected parties promptly.
Security Settings Your Device Should Have Before Traveling:
- Enabled remote tracking capabilities
- Enforced strong password protection
- Data encryption activated automatically
- Remote wipe functionality installed
Lost device belongs to a family member? Apply the same immediate actions—lock it remotely, change passwords, and try to locate it.
The Rental Car Bluetooth Trap
Connecting your phone to a rental car's Bluetooth to play music or use navigation is convenient—but these systems often store your contacts, call logs, and even text message previews.
Sadly, that data is frequently left on the car after you return it, available to the next driver.
Quick, 30-Second Steps Before Returning The Car:
- Remove your phone from the car's Bluetooth device list.
- Clear all recent destinations and browsing history from the GPS.
- Better yet, avoid Bluetooth altogether by using an aux cable or offline options.
Establishing Boundaries On Your "Working Vacation"
It's tempting to check emails 47 times, take multiple quick calls, or rush through work tasks while the family enjoys mini-golf. But juggling work and vacation reduces your security alertness, increasing the risk of mistakes like clicking malicious links or connecting to unsafe networks.
Practical Advice: If unplugging completely isn't possible, set clear, firm boundaries:
- Limit checking work emails to two specific times per day.
- Use your phone's hotspot for work instead of hotel WiFi.
- Work in private hotel rooms rather than public spaces to protect screen visibility.
- Be fully present during family time; avoid multitasking.
Ultimately, the best defense is to take real time off. Your business will survive the short break, and you'll return more focused and security-conscious.
Adopting a Holiday Travel Security Mindset
Balancing work and family during holiday travel is rarely perfect. Your child may genuinely need to use your laptop, or an urgent email demands attention while your spouse drives. Life happens.
The goal isn't perfection — it's adopting a mindful approach to risk:
- Prepare all devices with security in mind before departure.
- Distinguish between high-risk activities (e.g., banking on hotel WiFi) and safer alternatives (using your own hotspot).
- Create clear separations between work data and family use.
- Have a plan ready in case of security incidents.
- Learn to say "Not on this device," and stick to it.
Make This Holiday Season Unforgettable For Positive Reasons
The holidays should be about cherished moments with loved ones—not recovering from a data breach or explaining a security lapse to clients.
With a little preparation and smart practices, you can keep your business safe without spoiling anyone's vacation. Your family enjoys the holiday. Your business stays protected. Everyone wins.
Need assistance developing travel security protocols for your team and yourself? Click here or call us at 1-310-798-0405 to schedule a complimentary 15-Minute Discovery Call. We'll help you design effective security policies that make travel safe and manageable.
After all, the perfect holiday memory isn't "Remember when Dad's laptop got hacked?"
