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

Imagine being three hours into a five-hour drive for the holidays when your daughter asks, "Can I play Roblox on your work laptop?" This isn't just any laptop — it holds client files, financial records, and access to your entire business. You're tired from packing and still have miles to go. Keeping her entertained sounds tempting, but what risks does that bring?

Holiday travel introduces unique security risks you don't encounter in your daily routine. Distraction, fatigue, unfamiliar networks, and mixing family time with quick work check-ins all add up. Whether traveling for business, pleasure, or both, here's how you can safeguard your data while keeping the season joyful for everyone.

Pre-Trip Security: Your 15-Minute Checklist

Spend just 15 minutes before leaving to fortify your devices:

Essential device prep:

• Install all pending security updates immediately.
  
• Backup critical files safely to the cloud.
  
• Set your screen to lock automatically within two minutes.
  
• Activate "Find My Device" on all phones and laptops.
  
• Fully charge your portable power bank.
  
• Bring your own charging cables and adapters.
  

Family device guidelines:

• Clarify which devices children are allowed to use.
  
• Prepare a dedicated family tablet or secondary device for entertainment.
  
• Create a separate, restricted user account on your laptop if children must use it.
  

Pro Tip: If kids need screen time during travel, offer a tablet that's completely independent from your work accounts. Investing in a $150 tablet is a small price to avoid a costly data breach.

Hotel WiFi Dangers: What You Need to Know

Once you check into a hotel, everyone quickly connects their devices to the WiFi — phones, tablets, laptops, gaming consoles. Your teenager streams Netflix, your spouse checks emails, and you try to wrap up last-minute work.

Here's the catch: Hotel WiFi is shared among hundreds of guests, some of whom might have malicious intentions.

True story: A family unknowingly connected to a fake WiFi network impersonating their hotel's. For two days, hackers intercepted their passwords, credit cards, and emails.

How to protect yourself:

Confirm the network name — Always ask the front desk for the exact WiFi network to avoid scams.

Use a VPN for any work-related tasks — A VPN encrypts your data, shielding work emails and files from prying eyes.

For sensitive activities, rely on your phone's hotspot — Online banking or client data? Use your mobile network instead of hotel WiFi.

Separate work from leisure — Kids streaming cartoons on hotel WiFi is fine, but use your hotspot for accessing confidential work data.

Handling the "Can I Use Your Laptop?" Dilemma

Your work laptop gives access to emails, financial information, client documents, and critical business systems. Kids want to watch videos or play games.

Why this matters: Kids might accidentally install malware, click unsafe links, share passwords unknowingly, or leave accounts logged in. These simple mistakes create major security risks on work devices.

Best practice:

Politely but firmly say no to children using work computers — Provide an alternative device strictly for their use and enforce this boundary consistently.

If sharing is unavoidable:

• Set up a restricted user profile without admin rights.
  
• Supervise closely while they use it.
  
• Prohibit downloads.
  
• Never save their passwords on your device.
  
• Clear browsing history and logout after use.
  

Even better: Bring a dedicated family device, like an older tablet or laptop with no connection to your business accounts.

Streaming on Hotel TVs? Beware Forgetting to Log Out

Your family logs into Netflix on the smart TV. If you forget to log out before checking out, the next guest gains access to your account. Worse, if you reuse passwords (we hope not!), they could try accessing other services.

How to avoid this risk:

• Cast content from your personal device to the TV where possible.
  
• If logging into the TV is necessary, set a phone reminder to log out before leaving.
  
• Preferably, download entertainment to devices before traveling and avoid using hotel TVs.
  

Never sign into the following on hotel smart TVs:

• Banking applications
  
• Work-related accounts
  
• Email
  
• Social media
  
• Any platform with saved payment data
  

Lost Device? Act Fast to Limit Damage

Travel chaos often leads to misplaced phones, laptops, or tablets. If your device goes missing...

Within the first hour, you should:

1. Activate "Find My Device" to locate it.
   
2. If it's unrecoverable, remotely lock the device immediately.
   
3. Change passwords for critical accounts using another device.
   
4. Inform your IT team or managed service provider to revoke access to company systems.
   
5. Notify clients or affected parties if sensitive business data was stored.
   

Essential device features to enable before travel:

• Remote tracking capabilities.
  
• Strong password protection.
  
• Automatic data encryption.
  
• Remote wipe function.
  

Lost device belonging to a family member? Follow these same steps promptly.

Avoid the Rental Car Data Pitfall

Connecting your phone to a rental car's Bluetooth syncs your contacts, call history, and sometimes message previews. Concerningly, this data often remains accessible after you return the vehicle.

Quick fixes before handing back the car:

• Remove your phone from the car's Bluetooth settings.
  
• Clear all recent GPS destinations.
  
• Or better yet, use an aux cable or avoid connecting altogether.
  

Setting Boundaries During a Working Vacation

Although it's supposed to be family time, the lure of work can be hard to resist — checking email multiple times, taking calls, and spending hours on your laptop while others play. This constant toggling between work and vacation lowers your focus on security, making you prone to mistakes like clicking unsafe links or connecting to risky networks.

Honest advice: If unplugging completely isn't feasible, establish firm boundaries:

• Limit work email checks to two specific times daily.
  
• Always use your phone's hotspot for work tasks instead of hotel WiFi.
  
• Work privately in your hotel room rather than public areas.
  
• Give your full attention to family when offline — no half-measures.
  

Ultimately, the smartest security move is to take genuine time off. Your business won't collapse in a week, and you'll return refreshed and more alert.

Adopt a Holiday Travel Security Mindset

Real life is messy: Sometimes your child genuinely needs your laptop, or an urgent work email pops up while your partner drives. The goal isn't perfect security, but managing risk thoughtfully.

Focus on:

• Preparing devices thoroughly before departure.
  
• Recognizing risky activities (e.g., banking over hotel WiFi) versus safer choices (checking email via hotspot).
  
• Creating clear barriers between work data and family use.
  
• Having a solid plan ready if something goes wrong.
  
• Knowing when to say "Not on this device" — and standing by it.
  

Make This Holiday Season Secure and Stress-Free

Holidays are for cherishing moments with loved ones — not managing data breaches or fielding client concerns about compromised information.

A little planning and simple security rules keep your business protected and preserve your family's holiday spirit. Everyone wins.

Need help crafting effective travel security protocols for your team and yourself? Click here or call us at (419) 522-4001 to schedule a free 15-Minute Discovery Call. We'll guide you in creating practical policies that secure your business without making travel a headache.

Because the best holiday memory should never be, "Remember when Dad's laptop got hacked?"