December 08, 2025
Imagine you're halfway through a long five-hour drive heading to see family for the holidays. Your daughter turns to you and 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 worn out from prepping, still facing three more hours on the road, and honestly, entertaining her sounds like a relief. But is it safe?
Holiday travel creates unique security risks you don't encounter in your daily routine. Distractions, fatigue, connecting to unfamiliar networks, and mixing family time with quick work check-ins all increase vulnerability. Whether your trip is for business, leisure, or somewhere in between, here's how to protect your critical data and still enjoy the holiday.
Prioritize Security: 15 Minutes Before You Hit the Road
Dedicate just 15 minutes before traveling to safeguard your devices and data:
Set up your devices:
- Install all pending security updates immediately
- Back up essential files securely to the cloud
- Activate automatic screen locks with a maximum 2-minute timeout
- Ensure "Find My Device" features are enabled on phones and laptops
- Fully charge portable power banks for backup
- Bring your own charging cables and universal adapters
Talk with your family ahead of time:
- Clarify which gadgets are safe for kids to use during the trip
- Provide a dedicated family tablet or secondary device for entertainment
- Create a separate user profile on your laptop if children must use it
Pro tip: If kids need device time while traveling, pack a tablet that's completely separate from your work accounts. For less than $150, an iPad—or similar device—is a small price to pay to avoid costly data breaches.
Hotel WiFi Hazards: Why Everyone Gets It Wrong
Upon check-in, all devices—phones, tablets, gaming consoles—connect to hotel WiFi. Netflix streams, emails sync, and you scramble to finish work. But here's the catch: hotel networks are public and shared by many, some with malicious intent.
Real world example: A family unknowingly connected to a fraudulent hotspot mimicking their hotel's network. For two days, their online activities—including sensitive passwords and payment info—were intercepted.
Keep your data secure with these tips:
Confirm the exact WiFi network with the front desk. Don't guess or connect to unknown networks.
Use a VPN for work access to encrypt your internet traffic when checking emails or accessing company files.
For sensitive transactions, use your phone's hotspot instead of hotel WiFi when handling banking or confidential data.
Separate work from leisure: Let kids stream cartoons on hotel WiFi freely, but use your hotspot when dealing with client information.
The Dilemma: "Can I Use Your Laptop?"
Your work laptop holds extensive access—to emails, financials, customer data, and business systems. Meanwhile, your kids want to watch videos, play games, or chat online.
Why this matters: Kids can accidentally download malware, click unsafe pop-ups, share passwords, or leave accounts logged in. While unintentional, these behaviors put your business at risk.
How to handle it:
Simply say no to using work devices for entertainment. Offer them a separate device and stick to this rule firmly.
If sharing the work device is unavoidable:
- Set up a restricted user account specifically for kids
- Supervise their activity closely
- Block downloads and installations
- Avoid saving their passwords on your device
- Clear browsing history each time after use
Better alternative: Bring along a dedicated family device for travel—an older tablet or laptop unlinked to any work accounts does the trick.
Caution When Streaming on Hotel TVs: The Forgotten Logout
Family movie night at the hotel can lead to forgotten accounts. You log into Netflix on the smart TV and check out without logging out.
The risk: The next guest can access your account. Worse, if the same password is reused elsewhere (please don't!), it opens doors for broader breaches.
Prevent this with simple fixes:
- Use your own device and cast content to the TV—much safer
- Set a phone reminder to log out before checkout if you must sign in on the TV
- Download shows to your devices beforehand to bypass public TVs altogether
Avoid logging into these on hotel TVs:
- Banking apps
- Work email or accounts
- Social networks
- Any app with saved payment details
Lost Device? Act Fast!
Travel chaos means devices often get misplaced in hotels, rental cars, or airports. If your device disappears:
Within the first hour:
- Use "Find My Device" to locate or lock it remotely
- If recovery isn't immediate, change all critical account passwords
- Contact your IT support or MSP to revoke company system access
- Inform affected clients if sensitive information was on the device
Best practices before traveling:
- Enable remote tracking and wiping features
- Set strong passwords or biometric locks
- Encrypt data automatically
- Prepare to remotely wipe data if necessary
If a family member loses their device, apply the same steps urgently.
Rental Cars Often Store Your Data. Here's How to Protect Yourself
Connecting your phone to a rental car's Bluetooth may seem convenient, but the car often stores your contacts, recent calls, and sometimes message previews.
Without clearing this data, it's available to the next driver.
Quick 30-second cleanup before returning the vehicle:
- Remove your phone from the car's Bluetooth pairing list
- Clear saved destinations from the GPS system
- Or just avoid connecting—use an aux cable for music instead
Set Clear Boundaries for Work and Vacation
You promised family time but find yourself checking emails constantly, answering work calls, and sneaking in laptop sessions while everyone else enjoys activities.
This back-and-forth drains focus and lowers vigilance, raising the risk of security mistakes like clicking unsafe links or joining unsecured networks.
Practical advice: If unplugging fully is impossible, establish strict work boundaries:
- Limit email checks to two set times each day
- Access work through your phone's hotspot, not hotel WiFi
- Work only in private hotel rooms, avoiding public areas
- Be present with your family during downtime — don't multitask with work
Ultimately, take real time off when possible. Your business will survive, and you'll return more alert and secure.
Adopt a Security-First Mindset for Holiday Travel
Balancing work and family on holiday trips is complicated. Sometimes your child genuinely needs to use your laptop; sometimes urgent work demands must be handled mid-trip. The goal isn't perfect security, but thoughtful risk management.
- Prepare your devices thoroughly before travel
- Recognize which activities pose higher risks (e.g., hotel WiFi banking) versus safer alternatives like personal hotspots
- Keep work and family activities separated when feasible
- Have a clear response plan if security issues occur
- Set firm rules on device access—and enforce them consistently
Create Lasting Holiday Memories, Not Security Nightmares
The holiday season should focus on connections with loved ones—not recovering from a data breach or reassuring clients after a security failure.
With some simple preparations and guidelines, you can keep your business safe without sacrificing the holiday spirit. Family enjoys the trip, your business stays secure—everyone wins.
Need expert help to establish travel security protocols for your team and yourself? Click here or give us a call at 303-415-2702 to book a free 15-Minute Discovery Call with us. We'll help you create practical policies that protect your business without making travel impossible.
Because the best holiday story shouldn't be about "Remember when Dad's laptop got hacked?"
