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

Imagine you're three hours into a long five-hour journey to see your family for the holidays. Your daughter asks, "Can I play Roblox on your laptop?"—your work laptop. This is the device holding sensitive client files, financial records, and full access to your business. After a tiring day of packing and with three hours still ahead, keeping her entertained seems like a relief. But what risks could this bring?

Holiday travel introduces unique security challenges absent from your daily routine. You're often tired, distracted, connecting to unfamiliar networks, and juggling family time with quick work check-ins. Whether you're traveling for business, leisure, or a mix of both, here's how to safeguard your data and enjoy a worry-free holiday.

Pre-Travel Essentials: Your 15-Minute Security Setup

Invest just 15 minutes before departure to fortify your devices and peace of mind:

Device fundamentals:

• Apply all pending security updates promptly
  
• Backup crucial documents securely to the cloud
  
• Enable automatic screen lock within two minutes
  
• Activate "Find My Device" features on phones and laptops
  
• Charge your portable power bank fully
  
• Bring dedicated charging cables and travel adapters
  

Family groundwork:

• Clarify which devices are suitable for children's use and which are off-limits
  
• Provide a shared iPad or secondary gadget specifically for entertainment
  
• Set up a guest or restricted user account on your laptop if children must use it

Pro tip: If your kids need device time in transit, pack a tablet separate from your work accounts. Investing $150 in an iPad beats the cost of a data breach.

Hotel WiFi Risks: What Everyone Gets Wrong

Upon check-in, everyone connects their devices—phones, tablets, laptops, game consoles—to the hotel WiFi. Your teenager streams Netflix, your partner checks email, and you scramble to finish that proposal.

But hotel networks are open to hundreds of guests, some with malicious intent.

Real-life example: A family unknowingly connected to a counterfeit hotel WiFi network broadcast from the parking lot. For two days, cybercriminals captured passwords, credit card info, and emails.

How to protect yourself:

Confirm the network name with the front desk—avoid guessing.

Use a VPN for all work-related email and file access to encrypt your connection.

Prefer your phone hotspot for banking or confidential tasks instead of hotel WiFi.

Separate work and leisure traffic: Let kids stream cartoons on hotel WiFi while you handle sensitive tasks on your secured hotspot.

Handling "Can I Use Your Laptop?" Moments

Your work laptop holds critical business data: emails, client files, financial systems. Kids want to play games, watch videos, or chat with friends.

Why it matters: Children may inadvertently download harmful files, click pop-ups, share passwords, or forget to sign out, putting your work data at risk. It's never malicious—just typical kid behavior.

Protect your work device:

Politely but firmly refuse: "This is my work laptop; you can use another device." Consistency is key.

If sharing is unavoidable:

• Create a restricted user account for them.
  
• Supervise device use carefully.
  
• Forbid downloads.
  
• Never save their passwords.
  
• Clear browsing history immediately after use.
  

Better yet: Bring a dedicated family device on travel—an older tablet or laptop that isn't linked to your work accounts.

Streaming on Hotel TVs: Avoid the Log-Out Oversight

Your family wants to watch Netflix on the hotel's smart TV. Someone logs into your account, but you forget to log out before checkout.

The risk: The next guest can access your Netflix, and if you reuse passwords (hopefully not), they might attempt to hack other accounts.

How to stay safe:

• Cast from your personal device to the TV whenever possible.
  
• If you must log in on the TV, set a reminder to log out before leaving.
  
• Best option: Download shows onto your devices ahead of time and skip hotel TVs entirely.
  

Never log into these accounts on hotel TVs:

• Banking apps
  
• Work-related platforms
  
• Email accounts
  
• Social media
  
• Any service with saved payment info
  

What To Do When a Device Goes Missing

Holiday travel can be chaotic—devices often get left behind in taxis, hotels, rental cars, or security checkpoints. If your device is lost:

Immediately (within the first hour):

1. Use "Find My Device" to track its location.
   
2. If recovery isn't possible, lock it remotely.
   
3. Change passwords on critical accounts from another device.
   
4. Contact your IT team or managed service provider to revoke business system access.
   
5. If sensitive data was stored, inform impacted parties promptly.
   

Essential device features before travel:

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

Lost device belonging to a family member? Follow the same protocol: lock remotely, change passwords, and try to locate it.

Beware the Rental Car Data Trap

When you connect your phone to the rental car's Bluetooth, the system stores your contacts, recent calls, and sometimes text message previews.

Unfortunately, this data often remains accessible to the car's next driver after you return it.

Quick 30-second safety check before handing back the keys:

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

Managing the "Working Vacation" Security Challenge

You promised a family vacation but find yourself checking email 47 times, taking three "quick" work calls, and working an hour while others play mini-golf.

This constant toggle between work and leisure reduces your security alertness. Distraction and rush increase the risk of clicking dangerous links or trusting unsafe networks.

Practical advice: If unplugging fully isn't an option, establish firm boundaries:

• Limit work email checks to twice a day at scheduled times.
  
• Use your phone hotspot—not hotel WiFi—for work tasks.
  
• Work privately in your hotel room instead of public areas.
  
• Be truly present with family when off the clock.
  

The strongest security move? Take a real break. Your business will survive a week without constant oversight, and you'll return refreshed and more vigilant.

Adopt the Holiday Travel Security Mindset

Traveling with family while managing work is inherently messy. Sometimes your child needs your laptop; sometimes, urgent emails demand attention en route.

The goal isn't perfection—it's deliberate risk management:

• Set up devices properly before leaving.
  
• Know which actions pose high risk (e.g., banking on hotel WiFi) versus low risk (using your hotspot for emails).
  
• Create boundaries between work data and family fun.
  
• Have a clear plan for potential security incidents.
  
• Learn to say, "Not on this device," and mean it.
  

Make This Holiday Season Secure and Enjoyable

The holidays are about making cherished memories—not dealing with data breaches or explaining security failures to clients.

With a bit of preparation and sensible habits, you can protect your business and still enjoy your vacation. Everyone wins when your family enjoys their time and your business stays secure.

Need help creating travel security protocols for your team and yourself? Click here or give us a call at 323-410-7785 to book a free 10-Minute Discovery Call with us.We'll help you create practical policies that protect your business without making travel impossible.

Because the best holiday memory shouldn't be "Remember when Dad's laptop got hacked?"