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

Imagine you're midway through a five-hour drive to visit family during the holidays. Your daughter asks, "Can I play Roblox on your laptop?" Your work laptop—the one holding sensitive client files, financial records, and full access to your business. You're tired from packing, still have hours ahead, and frankly, handing her the laptop to keep her entertained sounds tempting. What's the risk?

Here's the truth: Traveling during the holidays exposes your devices to unique security risks you usually wouldn't encounter. You're often fatigued, distracted, connecting to unfamiliar WiFi networks, and juggling family time with urgent work check-ins. Whether your trip is for business, pleasure, or both, here's how you can safeguard your data without spoiling the festive spirit.

Pre-Travel Essentials: Your 15-Minute Security Checklist

Spend just 15 minutes before hitting the road to fortify your devices:

Device fundamentals:

• Install all pending security and system updates immediately
• Back up critical files securely to the cloud
• Set your devices to auto-lock after two minutes of inactivity
• Enable "Find My Device" features on phones and laptops
• Fully charge your portable power banks before departure
• Don't forget to pack your personal charging cables and adapters

Discuss device use with family:

• Clarify which devices are appropriate for your children
• Provide a dedicated family tablet or extra device for their entertainment
• Set up separate, restricted user accounts if kids must use your laptop

Insider tip: If the kids need screen time on the road, bring a tablet disconnected from your work accounts—a modest investment like a $150 iPad can save you from a costly data breach.

Hotel WiFi: Avoid Common Pitfalls

Upon arrival, everyone eagerly connects their phones, tablets, and laptops to the hotel WiFi. Your teenager streams shows, your spouse checks email, and you're trying to finalize a work proposal.

The danger: Hotel networks are shared spaces with hundreds of users, not all trustworthy.

True story: A family unknowingly joined a fake WiFi network impersonating their hotel's. Over two days, hackers captured their passwords, credit card details, and emails.

How to shield yourself:

Confirm the exact network name with the front desk—never guess.

Always use a VPN for work-related tasks, encrypting your online activity securely.

For sensitive transactions, rely on your phone's hotspot instead of public WiFi.

Separate work from leisure: Let kids stream on hotel WiFi, but reserve your work tasks for secure connections.

Why Sharing Your Work Laptop is a Bad Idea

Your work device grants access to critical emails, financial systems, and client information. Kids naturally want to use it for YouTube or games.

Why it matters: Innocent clicks, accidental downloads, saved passwords, or shared accounts by children pose significant security threats.

Best practice:

Keep work devices off-limits—"This is for work only, here's a different device for you"—and stick to this rule strictly.

When you must share:

• Create a restricted user profile with limited permissions
• Closely supervise their activity
• Block downloads entirely
• Avoid saving passwords on your device
• Clear browsing history once they're done

Even better: Bring a dedicated family device that doesn't link to your work accounts—a simple tablet or old laptop works wonders.

Logging Into Streaming Services on Hotel TVs? Be Careful

Your family wants to enjoy Netflix on the hotel's smart TV. Someone logs in, but you forget to log out before checkout.

The risk: The next guest can access your account. If you reuse passwords elsewhere (please don't), your other accounts could be compromised.

Stay secure by following these steps:

• Cast shows from your own device instead of logging in on the TV
• Set a phone reminder to log out before checking out if you must use the TV
• Better yet, download shows on your devices ahead of time to avoid hotel TVs

Never use hotel TVs to log into:

• Banking applications
• Work email and accounts
• Social media platforms
• Any account tied to stored payment methods

Lost Device? Act Fast

Travel chaos can lead to lost phones or laptops—in restaurants, hotels, rental cars, or airports. If your device goes missing...

Within the first hour, you should:

1. Attempt to locate it using "Find My Device" features
2. If unrecoverable, remotely lock access immediately
3. Change passwords on all critical accounts from a safe device
4. Notify your IT team or service provider to revoke company system access
5. Inform affected parties if sensitive business data was on the device

Ensure your devices are equipped with before you travel:

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

Family member lost a device? Apply the same protocols: lock it, change passwords, and attempt recovery.

Beware the Rental Car Bluetooth Data Trap

When you connect your phone to a rental car's Bluetooth, it may store your contacts, recent calls, and message previews.

That data often remains in the vehicle, accessible to the next driver.

Quick 30-second fix before returning your car:

• Remove your phone from the car's Bluetooth settings
• Clear recent GPS destinations
• Or avoid connecting—use an aux cable or your device's speakers instead

Set Boundaries for the "Working Vacation"

It's tempting to keep checking emails and taking calls during family trips. But juggling work and leisure can increase your security risks, leading to careless clicks or unsafe network use.

Here's a better approach:

• Limit work email checks to two specific times per day
• Always use your phone's hotspot—never hotel WiFi—for work activities
• Work privately in your room, not in public areas
• Be fully present when spending quality time with family

The ultimate tip: Take real time off. Your business will thrive better when you're rested and alert.

Adopt a Smart Holiday Travel Security Mindset

Separating work and family during holiday travel isn't always clean-cut. Sometimes your child genuinely needs your laptop, or a last-minute email must be checked. The key is to manage risk intentionally:

• Prepare your devices thoroughly before departure
• Recognize which activities hold greater risk (such as banking on hotel WiFi) and which are safer (using a mobile hotspot)
• Implement barriers between work data and family use where possible
• Have a plan ready if security issues arise
• Firmly enforce "not on this device" rules when needed

Make This Holiday Season One to Remember—for All the Right Reasons

Holidays are for connecting with loved ones, not battling data breaches or breaking bad news to clients. With simple preparation and clear guidelines, you can keep your business secure and your family happy.

Need help building travel security policies for your team and yourself? Click here or call us at 858-202-0304 to schedule a complimentary 15-Minute Discovery Call. We'll guide you to practical protections that keep your data safe without complicating your travels.

Because the best holiday memories should never be about "When Dad's laptop got hacked."