December 08, 2025
Imagine you're three hours into a five-hour drive heading to visit family for the holidays. Your daughter asks, "Can I use your laptop to play Roblox?" That laptop is your work device—the one holding sensitive client files, financial records, and full access to your business operations. You're exhausted from packing, still have three hours to go, and honestly, keeping her entertained sounds like a lifesaver. But is it really harmless?
Holiday travel introduces unique security risks that don't exist in your regular routine. You're fatigued, distracted, connecting to unknown networks, and blending family time with quick work check-ins. Whether traveling for business, pleasure, or both, here are essential steps to safeguard your data while keeping the holidays joyful.
Pre-Trip Essentials: 15 Minutes for Stronger Security
Spend just 15 minutes before you hit the road to protect yourself:
Device Preparation:
- Install the latest security updates immediately
- Back up crucial files securely to the cloud
- Set your device to auto-lock within two minutes of inactivity
- Activate "Find My Device" on all phones and laptops
- Fully charge a portable power bank
- Bring your own chargers and adapters to avoid borrowing unknown cables
Family Device Guidelines:
- Clarify which devices are safe for kids to use and which are off-limits
- Provide a dedicated family tablet or device for entertainment on the go
- Set up separate user accounts with restrictions on your work laptop if kids must use it
Insider Tip: To avoid data risks, bring a tablet that's NOT linked to any work accounts—keeping your business safe costs far less than a potential breach.
Hotel WiFi: How to Avoid Common Pitfalls
Upon checking into the hotel, your whole family connects to the WiFi—smartphones, tablets, laptops, and gaming devices. Netflix streams on your teen's device while your spouse checks email, and you're trying to finalize a proposal.
The catch: Hotel networks are shared by numerous guests, some of whom may have malicious intent.
True Story: A family unknowingly connected to a fraudulent hotspot mimicking the hotel's WiFi. Over two days, every online action—including passwords, credit card info, and emails—was intercepted.
Stay Protected with These Tips:
Confirm the exact WiFi network name — always get it from the front desk; never assume.
Use a VPN for work-related tasks — encrypts your connection to keep company data safe.
Switch to your phone's hotspot for sensitive activities — banking, client data, and confidential info are best handled off public WiFi.
Separate work and leisure traffic — let kids stream cartoons on hotel WiFi; use your mobile hotspot for accessing business files.
Handling Kids Asking to Use Your Work Laptop
Your work laptop grants access to emails, bank accounts, client details, and critical business systems. When kids want to watch videos or play games, it can put your data at risk.
Why this is critical: Kids might inadvertently download malware, click on risky pop-ups, share passwords, or forget to log out. While harmless from their perspective, these actions pose serious security threats on work devices.
Practical Solutions:
Maintain a strict "no work device sharing" policy — offer an alternative device and stick to it.
If sharing is unavoidable:
- Create a limited-permission user account
- Supervise their activity carefully
- Block all downloads
- Do not save their passwords
- Clear browsing histories after use
Even better: Bring a dedicated travel device exclusively for family use; an older tablet or laptop unlinked from business accounts works perfectly.
Cautious Streaming on Hotel Smart TVs
Your family wants to watch Netflix in the hotel room on the smart TV. Someone logs into their account, but at checkout, logging out is forgotten.
The risk: The next guest can access your streaming account, and if passwords overlap with other services (let's hope not), they could exploit those too.
Safeguard Your Accounts:
- Use your personal device to cast content to the TV for safer access
- If logging in on the TV, set a phone reminder to log out before checkout
- Alternatively, download movies and shows onto your devices before traveling to avoid relying on the TV
Avoid logging into sensitive accounts on hotel TVs, such as:
- Banking apps
- Work emails and applications
- Personal emails
- Social media platforms
- Any service with stored payment info
Lost Device? Act Fast to Protect Your Data
Traveling during the holidays can be hectic, and devices often get misplaced in restaurants, hotel rooms, rental cars, or security checkpoints. If your device is lost:
Within the first hour, do this:
- Use "Find My Device" features to pinpoint its location
- If you can't retrieve it promptly, lock the device remotely
- Change passwords for critical accounts using another secure device
- Alert your IT team or MSP to revoke corporate access
- If sensitive info was on the device, inform affected individuals promptly
Make sure your device has these pre-travel security measures:
- Enabled remote tracking
- Strong, unique password protection
- Automatic data encryption
- Remote wipe capabilities
Family member lost their device? Apply these exact steps immediately.
Beware the Rental Car Bluetooth Data Risk
Connecting your phone to a rental car's Bluetooth to stream music or get navigation directions might seem harmless, but the vehicle often stores contacts, call history, and message previews.
Without proper cleanup, that private data stays accessible to the next driver.
Quick 30-Second Checklist Before Returning Your Rental:
- Remove your phone from the car's Bluetooth device list
- Clear any recent navigation destinations in the GPS
- Better yet, use an aux cable or avoid connecting your phone altogether
Managing the "Working Vacation" Security Challenge
Trying to juggle work during a family holiday can lead to distractions, tension, and lapses in security. Constantly checking emails, answering calls, and working in public spaces increases your risk of a security breach.
Be upfront: If fully unplugging isn't possible, set clear boundaries:
- Limit checking work email to twice a day during specific times
- Use your phone's hotspot, not public or hotel WiFi, for work-related activities
- Work privately in your hotel room, avoiding visible screens in public
- Be present during family time—don't multitask with work
Best advice? Take true time off. Your business won't fall apart in a few days, and you'll return more alert and security-conscious.
Adopting a Holiday Travel Security Mindset
The truth is, blending work and family life on holiday is complex. Sometimes your child genuinely needs the laptop, sometimes urgent emails can't wait. Life happens.
The key is to be intentional and strategic about managing risks:
- Prepare and secure your devices before departure
- Recognize high-risk activities (like banking on hotel WiFi) versus low-risk ones (checking emails via your hotspot)
- Separate work data from family activities wherever possible
- Have a clear response plan if a security incident occurs
- Be firm when saying "Not on this device," and uphold the rule
Create Holiday Memories — Not Data Nightmares
The holidays are for quality time with loved ones—not for grappling with data breaches or client fallout due to compromised information.
A little preparation and straightforward rules can keep your business secure and your family happy. Everyone enjoys the holiday, and your company remains protected.
Need expert help implementing travel security policies for your team and yourself? Click here or call (802) 331-1900 to schedule a free Discovery Call. We'll guide you in crafting practical safeguards that keep your business safe without making travel a hassle.
Because the best holiday memory should never be "Remember when Dad's laptop got hacked?"
