We use our cell phones every day, and it is easy to get careless with them. When you travel, you should take extra precautions to make sure they stay safe and secure. You don’t want your vacation ruined by a stolen cell phone, stolen data, or charges that you didn’t incur. Here are my cell phone safety tips to use when you travel.

5 Cell Phone Safety Tips For Travel

1. Always lock your cell phone in the safe when leaving it in your room.

There have been vacation horror stories of people returning to their hotel rooms to find either their cell phone missing or sometimes just the SIM card itself. Travelers have returned from vacation to find that hundreds of dollars have been charged on their cell phone account by someone stealing the SIM card out of their phone. Make sure that you always keep your cell phone in the safe if you won’t be in the room. Also, make sure to always travel with your phone in your carry-on luggage and not your checked bags.

2. Make sure “https” is in the url of the web address instead of “http” if you are using your cell phone for shopping. 

When a site is hosted over “https”, this creates a secure channel for you to enter your credit card information. You should never enter your financial data over an insecure network whether you are traveling or not. Protect your information by only using “https” websites for entering your personal information.

3. Always use a password on your cell phone.

In the event your cell phone is lost or gets stolen, having a password will make it harder for your personal information to be accessed by others. Make sure you use a strong password that won’t easily be guessed by someone else. Also, make sure to regularly back up your data, especially before traveling, so that if you do lose your phone, you don’t lose everything on it.

4. Install a security app on your phone.

Many people download apps for their phone without a second thought. But, many of these apps contain malicious software that will send unauthorized text messages or can get access to files on your phone which can lead to identity theft. Lookout is a good security app which will scan every app and protect your phone from malware. It will also block harmful websites which could also install malware on your phone. Also, make sure to install a “find your phone” app, so that if you do lose your phone, you can easily track it down. This is one of the most overlooked cell phone safety tips, yet can do a lot to protect your phone’s valuable information.

5. Switch your phone to “airplane” mode

Not only will this help you avoid unneccessary roaming charges, this will also prevent your phone from automatically connecting to Wi-Fi networks which can be harmful. Hackers often set up Wi-Fi networks which they then use to hack the data from your phone or computer. Make sure that the network you connect to is a safe one.

If you follow these cell phone safety tips, you will be more likely to keep your cell phone secure and free from harm the next time you travel. Happy travels!

photo credit: BangaloreIndiaCellphoneShots2011-24 via photopin (license)