Those of us old enough to remember traveling before the age of smartphones and mobile internet know we have it pretty good these days. You can find the best flights using comparison sites, choose among hundreds of hotels on a single booking site, get tickets sent to your phone rather than picking them up in person, check in online, order a ride and you’re off.
All this, of course, comes with downsides and trade-offs.
Most people’s biggest concerns are “getting hacked,” which, when you get down to it, really means “being robbed in ways I don’t quite understand.” But that’s one of those risks that, although very real, is unlikely to happen if you take the usual precautions.
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A couple on vacation (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
The dangers few think about until it’s too late
In a time when personal information is said to be worth more than oil, bad actors are often interested in getting their hands on your personal data as much as your money. And a “bad actor” need not be some guy with his hood up, hunched over a laptop in the back of a coffee shop.
In 2024, for example, ClassAction.org reported on suspicions of major cruise lines illegally sharing consumers’ data with Facebook. Cruise lines RoyalCaribbean.com, CelebrityCruises.com, Princess.com and HollandAmerica.com are suspected of collecting personal information through the sneaky “Meta tracking pixel” and sending it to Facebook without users’ consent.
Booking.com, a site most of us have used at one time or another, has also had its fair share of problems. The website has been battling waves of hacking attacks aimed at defrauding its customers; it’s faced accusations of not doing enough to protect its customers and has even been fined for failing to disclose a data breach on time.
Data gathered from these kinds of incidents often ends up circulating online, being added to what was already out there before, just waiting for someone or some company to make use of it.
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A woman pulling her luggage while traveling (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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What you can do to protect your personal data
Avoiding cruise lines and booking sites altogether is hardly a practical solution when you need to book a cruise or accommodation. Here are some things you can do to dramatically reduce the risk when booking flights, cruises, vehicles and accommodation.
1. Invest in personal data removal services: While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.
2. Use personal security caution: Don’t sign in to anything using your social media accounts. Sign in with your email instead and be sure to use an email address you’ve set aside just for these kinds of situations.
3. Do your homework online: Do an online search for the booking website, cruise line or travel agency in question, keeping an eye out for any recent reports of scams or other issues.
4. Check company reputation carefully: Check ClassAction.org, the Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot specifically. This will help you gain comprehensive insights into a company’s track record, customer experiences and potential issues.
5. Verify communication legitimacy: Whenever you receive a call, email or text message from a booking service, confirm that it’s really them by first checking your account directly and then contacting the company through official, publicly listed channels (not social media).
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More ways to protect yourself online when traveling: Here’s how to stay safe
Here are some of the “usual precautions” that can protect you from “getting hacked” while traveling.
1. Update all your apps and operating systems before heading off: All those security patches are that much more important while you’re traveling. You’ll want to download and install all pending updates at least 24-48 hours before your departure, ensuring you have the latest security protections and giving yourself time to troubleshoot any potential update-related issues that might arise.
2. Lock everything down: Use strong, unique passwords and a reliable password manager to keep track of them.
3. Turn on two-factor authentication where available: Prioritize using authenticator apps over SMS-based codes. This provides a more secure second layer of verification, as authenticator apps are less vulnerable to SIM swapping attacks and interception compared to text message-based authentication. Choose reputable authenticator apps, which generate time-based one-time passwords that change frequently and are tied directly to your device.
4. Keep location services turned off: NFC, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi should also be turned off while you’re not using them. That’ll make your battery last longer as a side benefit.
5. Go dark: Don’t publicly share news of your trip until you’re back. Avoid posting about your vacation on social media or keeping a blog about your adventures, as this information can be used by criminals to piece together a snapshot of your life.
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6. Limit social media use: Scammers and hackers often exploit social media to gather personal information and target travelers. To stay secure, avoid sharing trip details publicly and use a privacy-focused messaging app like Signal to stay in touch with family and friends.
7. Use privacy-focused browsers: You should consider using browsers like Brave or Firefox with privacy extensions. Enabling “do not track” settings and utilizing private/incognito mode can provide an extra layer of digital protection.
8. Disable automatic Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections: Disable settings that automatically connect to networks and manually select and verify networks before connecting. This prevents your device from inadvertently joining potentially unsecured networks.
9. Use encrypted messaging and email: Protect your private communications by using services that offer end-to-end encryption for both messaging and email. These platforms ensure your data remains secure from unauthorized access, with features like encryption for non-users, multifactor authentication and tracking protection. See my review of the best secure and private email services here.
10. Travel with minimal digital gear: Consider bringing a “travel-only” phone or laptop with minimal personal data.
11. Be cautious of public charging stations: Avoid using public USB charging ports that could potentially compromise your device. Instead, carry a portable phone charger with you.
12. Monitor your accounts: Set up transaction alerts on financial accounts and use credit cards with strong fraud protection. Regularly check your accounts while traveling to quickly detect any suspicious activity.
13. Bring your own internet access with you: Find a local or international SIM, a mobile hot spot and a trusted VPN (virtual private network) service for those times you can’t help but use public Wi-Fi. Using a VPN can enhance your privacy by encrypting your internet traffic, making it harder for hackers and third parties to intercept your data, especially on public Wi-Fi. A VPN masks your IP address, helping to obscure your location and online activity. While VPNs don’t directly prevent phishing emails, they reduce the exposure of your browsing habits to trackers that may use this data maliciously. With a VPN, you can securely access your email accounts from anywhere, even in areas with restrictive internet policies. For the best VPN software, see my expert review of the best VPNs for browsing the web privately on your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
A man holding his passport (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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Kurt’s key takeaways
There’s plenty of good advice out there when it comes to avoiding public Wi-Fi and protecting your documents while traveling. To really stay safe, though, it’s important to start thinking about your data privacy and data security before even booking your trip. It doesn’t take much when all is said and done, but it could make a huge difference to how you remember your trip for years to come.
When was the last time technology made your travel more stressful instead of easier? What happened? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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