December 08, 2025
Imagine you're three hours into a five-hour holiday drive to visit family. Your daughter asks, "Can I use your work laptop to play Roblox?" This is the same laptop that holds sensitive client files, financial records, and full access to your business data. You're tired from packing and still have a long way to go. Entertaining her seems tempting—but is it safe?
Traveling during the holidays exposes your digital security to risks not common in daily life. You're often distracted, fatigued, connecting to unknown networks, and mixing family fun with quick work check-ins. Whether your trip is for business, leisure, or both, here's how to safeguard your data without spoiling the holiday joy.
Quick 15-Minute Digital Security Setup Before You Hit the Road
Spend a quarter of an hour prepping your devices to avoid headaches later:
Essential device steps:
- Install the latest security patches and updates
- Backup crucial files securely to the cloud
- Enable automatic screen lock within two minutes
- Turn on "Find My Device" for smartphones and laptops
- Fully charge portable power banks
- Pack your own charging cables and necessary adapters
Discuss technology use with your family:
- Clarify which devices children can safely use and which are off-limits
- Provide a family tablet or secondary device dedicated to entertainment
- Set up separate user profiles on your laptop if kids need access
Pro tip: If kids need screen time on the go, bring a tablet unlinked to your work systems. Investing $150 in a separate device is a smart defense against costly data breaches.
Hotel WiFi: The Hidden Dangers Everyone Ignores
Arriving at the hotel, your entire family connects their devices to the WiFi—phones, laptops, tablets, gaming consoles. Your teen streams movies, your spouse checks emails, and you're reviewing a crucial proposal.
But hotel networks are shared with hundreds of guests, many of whom could exploit unsecured connections for malicious purposes.
True story: A family connected to a fake hotel WiFi set up by a fraudster in the parking lot. For two days, all their online activities—passwords, credit card info, emails—were intercepted.
Stay protected with these tips:
Confirm the exact WiFi network name directly from the front desk—never guess.
Use a VPN for any work-related browsing—it encrypts your data and keeps hackers at bay.
Rely on your phone's hotspot for sensitive tasks like banking or accessing confidential files instead of hotel WiFi.
Keep leisure and work online activities separate: let kids stream cartoons on hotel WiFi, but use your secure hotspot for handling business data.
The Risks of Letting Kids Use Your Work Laptop
Your work laptop holds critical resources—emails, bank information, client files, and company software. Meanwhile, kids want to watch videos or chat online.
Why it's risky: Kids can accidentally download malware, click on unsafe links, share passwords, or forget to log out. These innocent actions become serious security vulnerabilities on your work device.
How to handle this challenge:
Refuse access to work devices for kids: Firmly say, "This is for work only, but you can use [other device]." Consistency is key.
If sharing is unavoidable:
- Set up a separate restricted user account
- Closely supervise their activities
- Prohibit downloads
- Do not save their passwords on your system
- Clear browsing history immediately after use
Better option: Bring a dedicated family device for travel—an older tablet or laptop disconnected from your work accounts offers peace of mind.
Watch Out For Streaming on Hotel Smart TVs: The Logout Oversight
Enjoying a movie on Netflix at the hotel? Someone logs in on the smart TV, but upon checkout, forgets to log out.
Risk: The next guest inherits access to your account—and if you use shared passwords elsewhere, hackers can exploit that too.
How to avoid this pitfall:
- Cast content from your personal device for safer viewing
- Set phone reminders to log out before departure
- Better: pre-download shows to your devices and skip hotel TVs entirely
Never log into these on hotel TVs:
- Banking platforms
- Work-related accounts
- Email services
- Social media
- Any accounts with stored payment details
Lost Device? Take Action Quickly
Holiday trips are hectic and devices frequently get misplaced—in restaurants, hotel rooms, rental cars, or airport checkpoints. If your device disappears…
Act within the first hour:
- Use "Find My Device" to locate it immediately
- If not found, remotely lock it to prevent unauthorized access
- Update passwords for critical accounts via another device
- Inform your IT or MSP team to block company system access
- Notify anyone affected if sensitive business data was stored on it
Make sure devices have these security features set before travel:
- Enabled remote tracking capabilities
- Strong, complex password protection
- Automatic encryption of data
- Ability to wipe device remotely if compromised
If a family member loses their device, follow the same immediate response steps to protect your digital safety.
Beware the Rental Car Bluetooth Data Trap
Connecting your phone to a rental car's Bluetooth might seem convenient, but the car stores recent contacts, call logs, and message previews.
When you return the vehicle, this private data can remain accessible to the next driver.
Your quick 30-second fix before turning in the car:
- Remove your phone from the car's Bluetooth pairing list
- Clear recent destinations and history from the GPS system
- Even better: use an aux cable or avoid connecting at all
Set Clear Boundaries Between Work and Vacation
You promised quality family time, but you find yourself checking email multiple times, taking quick work calls, and working late while others enjoy mini-golf.
Mixing work and travel compromises your focus on security—you're more prone to mistakes or unsafe network choices when rushed and distracted.
The smart approach: If unplugging completely isn't possible, establish firm boundaries:
- Limit work email checks to two scheduled times per day
- Use your phone's hotspot—not hotel WiFi—for work-related browsing
- Work privately in your hotel room, avoiding public spaces
- Be fully engaged with your family during off-work moments
The ultimate security strategy is simple: take genuine time off. Your business will thrive, and your alertness to threats will improve when well-rested.
Adopt a Practical Holiday Travel Security Mindset
In reality, blending work and family on holiday trips creates challenges. Kids sometimes need your laptop, and urgent emails demand your attention mid-drive. Life is unpredictable.
Rather than aiming for perfect security, focus on managing risks intelligently:
- Prepare your devices thoroughly before departure
- Differ between high-risk activities (like banking on hotel WiFi) and safer ones (using your own hotspot)
- Separate work and family device usage where you can
- Have a clear action plan if security issues arise
- Know when to say, "Not on this device," and stick to it
Make Your Holiday Season Safe and Stress-Free
The holidays should center on making memories with loved ones, not fighting data breaches or reporting compromised client information.
With a little preparation and mindful digital habits, you can secure your business while letting everyone enjoy their vacation. Everyone benefits.
Need expert guidance to establish travel-ready security policies for your team and yourself? Click here or give us a call at (760) 266-5444 to book a free Discovery Call with us.We'll help you create practical policies that protect your business without making travel impossible.
Because the best holiday memories should be about joy, not a hacked laptop.
