The Business Owner’s Guide To Holiday Travel (That Won’t End In A Data Breach)

Imagine you're three hours into a five-hour drive to visit family during the holidays. Suddenly, your daughter asks, "Can I play Roblox on your laptop?" Your work laptop — the one holding sensitive client files, financial records, and access to your entire business. You're tired from all the packing, still have hours to go, and honestly, keeping her entertained sounds appealing. But is it really harmless?

Holiday travel brings unique security challenges you don't encounter in your daily routine. You're often distracted, fatigued, connecting to unfamiliar networks, and mixing family time with quick work check-ins. Whether your trip is for business, pleasure, or a blend of both, here's how to secure your data while keeping the holiday spirit intact.

Pre-Trip Security: Your 15-Minute Checklist

Spend just 15 minutes before you hit the road to safeguard your devices and peace of mind:

Device Essentials:

• Install all pending security updates immediately
  
• Back up crucial files to the cloud
  
• Set your devices to auto-lock after no more than two minutes of inactivity
  
• Enable "Find My Device" on all phones and laptops
  
• Charge your portable power bank fully
  
• Pack your own charging cables and adapters to ensure compatibility
  

Discuss Digital Boundaries With Your Family:

• Clarify which gadgets kids are allowed to use, and which are off-limits
  
• Consider bringing a dedicated family tablet for entertainment
  
• Create separate user accounts on your laptop if kids must use it
  

Expert tip: To avoid costly security breaches, provide your children with a tablet not linked to your work accounts. Investing in an affordable $150 iPad or similar device is far safer.

Hotel WiFi: Avoid Common Network Pitfalls

Upon check-in, everyone eagerly connects to the hotel WiFi — phones, tablets, laptops, gaming systems. Your teenager streams shows, your spouse checks email, and you scramble to finish a work proposal.

However, hotel networks are shared hotspots used by many guests, some with malicious intent.

True story: A family unknowingly connected to a fake hotel WiFi created in the parking lot. For two days, their online actions — including passwords, credit card details, and emails — were compromised.

How to protect yourself:

Confirm the network name with the front desk. Never connect to unknown or guessed networks.

Use a VPN for work-related tasks — it encrypts your internet traffic, shielding sensitive info.

For banking or confidential data, rely on your phone's mobile hotspot instead of hotel WiFi.

Keep work and leisure separate: Allow kids to stream cartoons on hotel WiFi, but access sensitive work data only through your phone's hotspot.

Handling "Can I Use Your Laptop?" Requests

Your work laptop holds vital info — emails, bank details, client data, business systems. Kids want to watch videos, play games, or video chat.

Why this matters: Kids may unintentionally download unsafe files, click on pop-ups, share passwords, or leave accounts logged in. These innocent actions can pose serious security risks on your professional device.

Safe strategies:

Say no to sharing work devices: "This is my work laptop, but you can use [another device]." Consistency is key.

When sharing is unavoidable:

• Set up a restricted user account for them
  
• Supervise their activities
  
• Prevent downloads
  
• Avoid saving their passwords
  
• Clear browsing history after use
  

Better yet: Bring a designated family device for travel, such as an older tablet or laptop separate from work accounts.

Streaming on Hotel TVs: Don't Forget to Log Out

Watching Netflix on the hotel smart TV is fun — until you forget to log out. The next guest gains access to your account, and if passwords overlap with others, your other accounts could be at risk.

Protect yourself:

• Use your own device and cast content to the TV for safer access
  
• If logging into the TV, set a reminder on your phone to log out before checkout
  
• Better option: Download shows on your personal devices before traveling to avoid using shared TVs
  

Never log into the following on hotel TVs:

• Banking apps
  
• Work accounts
  
• Email
  
• Social media
  
• Any account storing payment information
  

What to Do If a Device Goes Missing

With holiday chaos, devices can be misplaced in various places — hotels, airports, restaurants. If your device is lost:

Within the first hour:

1. Activate "Find My Device" to locate it immediately
   
2. If recovery isn't possible, remotely lock it
   
3. Change passwords for all critical accounts from another device
   
4. Contact your IT team or service provider to revoke system access
   
5. Inform affected parties if sensitive business data was involved
   

Ensure before travel that your device has:

• Remote tracking enabled
  
• Strong password or biometric protection
  
• Automatic data encryption
  
• Remote wipe capabilities
  

Family member lost their device? Apply the same steps: lock it remotely, change passwords, and try to locate it.

The Rental Car Data Danger

Linking your phone to a rental car's Bluetooth to play music or navigate is convenient, but the car often stores contacts, call history, and even text previews.

When returned, that information can be accessed by the next driver.

Quick 30-second fix before returning the car:

• Remove your phone from the car's Bluetooth settings
  
• Clear recent GPS destinations
  
• Or avoid pairing by using an aux cable or not connecting at all
  

Maintaining Boundaries During a "Working Vacation"

You promised family time, yet you've checked email 47 times, answered three "quick" calls, and spent an hour on your laptop while everyone else was playing mini-golf.

This constant juggling increases distractions, reduces vigilance, and makes you more prone to security mistakes like clicking unsafe links or using insecure networks.

Advice: If unplugging entirely isn't an option, set firm boundaries:

• Check work emails only twice daily at designated times
  
• Use your phone's hotspot, not public hotel WiFi, for work
  
• Work privately in your hotel room instead of public areas
  
• Fully engage with your family when not working
  

The best security tip? Take a real break. Your business can survive a week offline, and you'll be sharper and safer once rested.

Adopt a Holiday Travel Security Mindset

Let's face it: blending work and family during holiday trips is complicated. Sometimes your child genuinely needs your laptop; sometimes urgent work emails demand attention.

The goal isn't perfection — it's deliberate risk management:

• Prepare your devices before departure
  
• Understand which activities pose high risks (e.g., banking on hotel WiFi) vs. safer options (using your hotspot)
  
• Separate work data from family use whenever possible
  
• Have a clear plan for incidents
  
• Know when to say, "Not on this device," and stick to it
  

Make This Holiday Season Secure and Stress-Free

The holidays should be about cherishing moments with loved ones — not managing data breaches or explaining security mishaps to your clients.

With a bit of planning and simple rules, you can protect your business and enjoy your vacation. Everyone wins: your family gets quality time, and your business stays secure.

Need assistance crafting effective travel security protocols for your team and yourself? Click here or call us at (646) 989-9900 to schedule a free Business Technology Alignment Assessment. We'll help you develop practical guidelines that safeguard your business while keeping travel hassle-free.

Because the best holiday memory isn't "Remember when Dad's laptop got hacked?"