(How to Enjoy Your Trip Without Causing a Data Breach)

The holidays are supposed to be relaxing — but if you’re a business owner traveling with laptops, phones, and family members who love to “borrow” devices, your risk of a data breach goes up fast.

Picture this: You’re three hours into a five-hour road trip. Your daughter asks, “Can I play Roblox on your laptop?” She means your work laptop — the one loaded with client files, financial data, and access to your entire business. You’re tired, the drive is long, and saying yes feels easier.

But moments like this are exactly where security mistakes happen.

Holiday travel puts you into unfamiliar environments, unfamiliar networks, and unfamiliar routines. You’re tired, distracted, and often mixing personal life with “just a quick work check-in.” That’s a dangerous combination — unless you plan ahead.

Here’s how to protect your business without ruining anyone’s holiday.

Before You Leave: The 15-Minute Security Prep

Take 15 minutes before you travel to lock down your devices. These small steps prevent BIG headaches later.

Secure your devices:

• Install all software and security updates
• Back up important work files to the cloud
• Turn on automatic screen lock (no more than 2 minutes)
• Enable “Find My Device” on laptops, tablets, and phones
• Charge your portable power bank
• Pack your own charging cables (don’t rely on public ones)

Set expectations with your family:

• Tell kids what they can use… and what’s off-limits
• Bring a family tablet or entertainment device
• If absolutely necessary: create a separate “guest user” account on your laptop

Pro tip: A $150 tablet for the kids is much cheaper than a data breach that exposes your clients’ private information.

Hotel Wi-Fi: The Most Misused Technology on Vacation

You check into the hotel. Within five minutes, everyone’s connected to the Wi-Fi — phones, laptops, iPads, Nintendo Switches. It’s convenient… but it’s also risky.

Hotel Wi-Fi is used by hundreds of strangers. Some are honest travelers. Some are hackers waiting for someone to slip up.

Real-world example:
A family once connected to what looked like their hotel’s Wi-Fi. But it was actually a fake hotspot set up by someone in the parking lot. Those crooks saw every password, email, and credit card entry the family typed in for two full days.

Stay safe with these rules:

• Verify the exact Wi-Fi name with the front desk
• Use a VPN if you access any work-related information
• Use your phone’s hotspot for banking, email, or client data
• Keep kids on the hotel Wi-Fi, and keep your business data OFF it

Don’t mix work and personal activities on public networks.

The “Can I Use Your Laptop?” Problem

Kids don’t mean harm — but they can often accidentally download junk, click pop-ups, or install browser extensions with malware.

Your work device is not the place for that.

Best option:

• Just say no. Use a family device instead.

If you absolutely must allow access:

• Create a separate user account with limited permissions
• Supervise the activity
• Don’t allow downloads
• Clear the browsing history afterward
• Never let your kids’ accounts save passwords on your work device

Better idea: Bring a dedicated family laptop or tablet.

Streaming on Hotel TVs: The Hidden “Password Leak”

Holiday nights in the hotel often mean logging into Netflix, Hulu, or Disney+ on the room’s smart TV.

Here’s the problem:
If you forget to log out before you check out, the next guest has access to your accounts.

Even worse:
If you reuse passwords (and many people do), they might try that password elsewhere.

Safer alternatives:

• Cast from your own device to the TV
• Or download shows before the trip
• If you must log into the TV: set a reminder to log out before checkout

Never log into these on a hotel TV:

• Work accounts
• Banking apps
• Email
• Messaging apps
• Anything that stores payment info

What To Do If a Device Goes Missing

Travel is chaotic. Phones get left at TSA. Laptops get left in rental cars. Tablets get lost in restaurants.

Within the first hour:

1. Use “Find My Device” to locate it
2. If not found quickly, remotely lock it
3. Change passwords for critical accounts
4. Contact your IT provider to revoke business access
5. Notify clients or partners if sensitive data was involved

Before you travel, ensure your device has:

• Remote tracking enabled
• Strong password protection
• Automatic data encryption
• Remote wipe capability

A missing device doesn’t have to become a disaster — if you prepare for it.

The Rental Car Data Trap (Most People Have No Idea)

When you connect your phone to a rental car for Bluetooth or navigation, the car often stores:

• Your contacts
• Call history
• Text preview data
• GPS destinations

If you don’t wipe it before returning the car, the next driver can see it.

Fix it in 30 seconds:

• Delete your phone from the car’s Bluetooth menu
• Clear recent GPS locations
• Or avoid connecting in the first place

The “Working Vacation” Trap

You tell yourself you’re taking time off… but you still check email constantly, take calls, or “knock out something quick.”

Here’s the issue:
When you’re switching between relaxation and work, your guard drops. You’re more likely to click something suspicious or use unsafe Wi-Fi.

Set boundaries:

• Check email twice a day — not all day
• Use your hotspot for work tasks
• Work only in your hotel room, not public areas
• Close the laptop when it’s family time

Best practice: Actually take your vacation.
You’ll be more alert — and make fewer security mistakes — when you’re rested.

The Holiday Travel Security Mindset

Nobody is perfect when traveling. Kids get bored. Work pops up. You get tired.

The goal isn’t to be flawless.
The goal is to reduce risk through intention and awareness.

Remember these principles:

• Prepare devices before you leave
• Know the difference between safe and unsafe activities
• Separate work from family use
• Have a plan if something goes wrong
• Don’t be afraid to say: “This device is for work only.”

Make This Holiday Memorable for the Right Reasons

A data breach is the quickest way to ruin a vacation — and your business’s reputation.

But with a little preparation and a few smart habits, you can enjoy your trip, protect your data, and keep your business secure while still being present with your family.

Let your holiday be about memories — not cybersecurity cleanup.

👉 Want help building travel security guidelines for your team (and yourself)?
Schedule a free consultation and we’ll help you build simple, practical protections tailored to your business.

Book My 17-Minute Call

Because the best holiday story is never “Remember when Dad’s laptop got hacked?”