December 08, 2025
Imagine you're halfway through a five-hour road trip to visit family during the holidays. Your daughter asks, "Can I play Roblox on your laptop?" But it's your work laptop—the one loaded with sensitive client information, financial records, and complete access to your business. You're drained from packing, still have three hours left to go, and frankly, keeping her entertained sounds like a lifesaver. What could possibly go wrong?
The reality is that holiday travel introduces unique security risks that you wouldn't encounter during your daily routine. Fatigue, distractions, unknown Wi-Fi networks, and juggling family time with quick work check-ins all increase vulnerability. Whether you're traveling strictly for business, leisure, or the tricky blend of both, here's how to safeguard your data and enjoy your holiday worry-free.
Pre-Trip Essentials: Quick 15-Minute Security Check
Spend just 15 minutes before your journey to get everything locked down:
Essential device setup:
- Ensure all security patches and updates are installed
- Back up critical files securely to the cloud
- Activate automatic screen locking with a maximum two-minute timeout
- Enable "Find My Device" features on all phones and laptops
- Fully charge portable power banks
- Bring your own charging cables and compatible adapters
Setting expectations with the family:
- Clarify which devices kids can safely use and which are off-limits
- Prepare a dedicated family device like an iPad or tablet for entertainment
- If children must use your laptop, create a separate, limited-access user profile
Pro tip: If your kids want to use devices on the road, bring a dedicated tablet unlinked from your work accounts. Investing in a $150 iPad beats the cost and stress of a data breach.
Hotel Wi-Fi Security: The Common Pitfall Everyone Makes
Once your family settles into the hotel, everyone connects their phones, tablets, laptops, and gaming devices to the free Wi-Fi. While your teenager streams Netflix and your spouse checks email, you attempt to finalize a work proposal.
But here's the catch: hotel networks are public and often packed with hundreds of users, some of whom may have malicious intent.
True story: One family unknowingly connected to a fake hotel Wi-Fi set up by someone outside. For two days, everything they typed—including passwords, credit card details, and emails—was intercepted.
Stay protected with these steps:
Confirm the network name—Always get the exact Wi-Fi name from the front desk. Never assume.
Use a VPN for work access—Encrypt your connection when checking work emails or accessing company systems.
Prefer your phone's hotspot for sensitive activities—Banking, client info, or sensitive data? Use your mobile data instead of hotel Wi-Fi.
Separate leisure from work—Kids can stream cartoons on hotel Wi-Fi, but use a secured hotspot for anything related to work.
The Risks of Sharing Your Work Laptop
Your work computer holds everything essential—emails, banking, client files, company software. Kids might want to watch YouTube, play games, or video chat with friends.
Why this is risky: Children might unintentionally download malware, click on harmful ads, share passwords, or forget to log out. It's innocent behavior but potentially catastrophic for your business security.
Your best defense:
Keep work laptops off-limits. Tell your kids, "This is my work device, but you can use [other device]." Stick to this rule firmly.
If sharing is unavoidable:
- Create a restricted guest user profile
- Closely monitor their activity
- Block all downloads
- Avoid saving passwords on the device
- Clear browsing data after each session
Even better: Bring a separate family device on the trip, like an older tablet or laptop not linked to your work accounts.
Streaming on Hotel TVs: Don't Forget to Log Out
Your family crowds around the hotel room TV to watch Netflix. Someone logs in to their account. You leave the hotel the next day, forgetting to sign out.
The consequence: The next guest gains access to your streaming account, and if you reuse passwords (we hope not!), worse could happen.
How to avoid this:
- Use your own device and cast to the TV—that's safer
- If you must log in on the TV, set a phone reminder to log out before checkout
- Consider downloading shows in advance to avoid hotel TV use altogether
Avoid signing into these accounts on hotel TVs:
- Banking apps
- Work accounts
- Email
- Social media
- Any accounts that save payment details
Lost Device? Act Fast
Holiday travel is hectic. Devices can get left behind in restaurants, hotel rooms, rental cars, or airport checkpoints. If your device goes missing...
Immediately (within the first hour):
- Utilize "Find My Device" to locate it
- If retrieval isn't possible, remotely lock your device
- Change passwords for sensitive accounts from a different device
- Notify your IT specialist or managed service provider to disable company access
- Inform affected clients if confidential business data was stored on the device
To prepare your device before traveling:
- Enable remote tracking
- Establish strong password protections
- Ensure automatic data encryption is activated
- Set up remote wipe capabilities
If a family member loses their device, apply the same steps—remote lock, password changes, and tracking.
Beware the Rental Car Data Trap
Connecting your phone to a rental car's Bluetooth for music or navigation sounds convenient—but be aware it stores your contacts, call history, and sometimes even message previews.
When you return the car, this information often remains accessible to the next driver.
Quick 30-second clean-up before handing back the car:
- Remove your phone from the car's Bluetooth devices list
- Clear recent GPS destinations
- Or better yet, use an aux cable or avoid connecting entirely
Balancing Work and Vacation: Setting Clear Boundaries
You meant for this trip to be downtime with family, yet you've checked email 47 times, answered several "quick" calls, and spent an hour working while everyone else played mini-golf.
This constant toggling reduces your focus and security awareness, increasing the risk of accidental mistakes or unsafe network connections.
Here's honest advice: If you can't unplug 100%, establish clear rules:
- Limit checking work emails to twice daily at set times
- Use your phone's mobile hotspot for work, avoiding hotel Wi-Fi
- Work privately in your hotel room instead of public areas
- Fully engage with your family during non-work times
And remember, the best security comes with taking real time off. Your business can survive a few days without you, and you'll return more alert and secure.
Adopting a Holiday Travel Security Mindset
Truth is, blending work and family during holiday travel is complicated. Sometimes your child truly needs your laptop. Occasionally, urgent work emails pop up while your spouse drives. Life happens.
The goal isn't perfection; it's about making smart, intentional choices to reduce risk:
- Prepare your devices thoroughly before leaving
- Recognize which activities carry high risk (e.g., bank transactions on hotel Wi-Fi) versus safer alternatives like mobile hotspots
- Create clear separations between work data and family use when possible
- Have a recovery plan ready if something goes wrong
- Know when to say, "Not on this device," and stand by it
Make This Holiday Season Truly Memorable
The holidays should be about cherishing moments with loved ones—not scrambling to fix a data breach or reassure clients after a security incident.
A little planning and simple guidelines can secure your business while everyone enjoys their well-earned break. Your family gets the holiday they deserve, and your business remains protected. Everyone wins.
Need expert help creating travel security protocols for your team and yourself? Click here or call us at 435-313-8132 to schedule a free 10-Minute Conversation. We'll equip you with actionable policies that shield your business without making travel a headache.
Because the best holiday memory should never be, "Remember when Dad's laptop got hacked?"
