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The Business Owner’s Guide to Holiday Travel (That Won’t End in a Data Breach)

Three people smiling, using devices in a car filled with gift boxes. Text: 15-Minute Travel Security Checklist by Preferred Office Technologies.

You’re three hours into a five hour drive to visit family for the holidays. Your daughter asks, “Can I play Roblox on your laptop?”

Your work laptop. The one with client files. Financial records. Access to your entire business.


You’re tired, you’re trying to keep everyone sane in the car, and handing over the laptop feels like the path of least resistance.


But here’s the truth: Holiday travel creates cybersecurity risks you don’t face during a normal workweek.


Between fatigue, unfamiliar networks, shared devices and the temptation to “just check email real quick,” it’s easier than ever to let your guard down and harder to recover if something goes wrong.


Whether you’re traveling across Arkansas, heading into Oklahoma, or flying across the country, here’s how to protect your business and enjoy your holiday.


Before You Leave: The 15-Minute Travel Security Checklist


Spend 15 minutes prepping your devices before you hit the road:

Device Basics

  • Install all pending security updates

  • Back up important files to the cloud

  • Enable automatic screen locking (2 minutes max)

  • Turn on Find My Device for phones & laptops

  • Pack your own charging cables (never depend on public ones)

  • Bring a portable power bank


Family Conversation

  • Clarify which devices are safe for kids to use

  • Bring a dedicated family tablet for entertainment

  • If absolutely necessary, create a restricted user account for kids


Pro Tip: A $150 tablet for the kids is cheaper than a data breach.


Hotel WiFi: Where Most Breaches Start


Everyone does it the moment they check into a hotel, their devices immediately connect to the WiFi.


But hotel networks are shared by hundreds of people, and not all of them have good intentions.


Real example: A family connected to what looked like the hotel’s WiFi network. It was actually a fake network created by someone in the parking lot. All their online traffic passwords, credit card info, emails was being captured.


How to Stay Protected

  • Verify the exact network name with the front desk

  • Use a VPN for work-related tasks

  • Use your phone’s hotspot for banking, email, or anything confidential

  • Keep work and play separate let the kids stream on hotel WiFi, but switch to hotspot for business activity


“Can I Use Your Laptop?” The Travel Dilemma


Kids aren’t malicious but they click pop-ups, download games, and share accounts. On your work laptop, that’s a serious security risk.


Best Option

Just say, “This is a work device, but you can use this one instead.”


If You Must Share

  • Create a separate restricted user account

  • Supervise their activity

  • Don’t allow downloads

  • Don’t let them sign into accounts

  • Clear the browsing history afterward

Better Option: Bring a designated family device.


Hotel Smart TVs: The Log-Out Disaster


Logging into Netflix or YouTube on a hotel TV seems harmless... until you forget to log out, and the next guest has full access.


Worse, if you reuse passwords (please don’t), someone may use that login elsewhere.


Safer Options

  • Cast from your own device

  • Set a reminder to log out before checkout

  • Pre-download shows before travel

Never log into work accounts or anything involving payments on a hotel TV.


If a Device Goes Missing


Holiday travel is chaotic. Devices get left behind everywhere.


Within the First Hour

  1. Try Find My Device

  2. Lock the device remotely

  3. Change passwords for important accounts

  4. Notify your IT team or MSP

  5. Begin breach notification procedures if sensitive data was stored


Before Travel, Ensure Devices Have:


  • Strong passwords

  • Auto-encryption

  • Tracking enabled

  • Remote wipe capability


The Rental Car Data Trap


When you connect your phone to a rental car, it often stores:

  • Call history

  • Contacts

  • GPS locations

  • Text preview data

And yes this stays behind for the next driver unless you remove it.


The 30-Second Fix

  • Delete your phone from the car’s Bluetooth

  • Clear GPS history

  • Avoid connecting if you can


The “Working Vacation” Boundary Problem


You promised family time. But somehow you’ve checked your email 47 times and squeezed in three “quick” work tasks.


When you’re tired and distracted, you’re more likely to:

✔ click a phishing link

✔ connect to unsafe WiFi

✔ skip your usual safety steps


Set Boundaries

  • Check email only twice a day

  • Use your hotspot, not public WiFi

  • Handle work privately (not in lobbies or cafes)

  • Be fully present with family when it’s family time


The best security practice? Actually taking time off.


Holiday Travel Security: What Really Matters


Perfect security isn’t realistic. Intentional security is.

Keep these principles in mind:

  • Prep your devices before you leave

  • Know which activities are unsafe

  • Separate work and family devices

  • Have a plan for when something goes wrong

  • Say “Not on this device,” and stick to it


Make This Holiday Secure For Your Business and Your Family


The holidays should be about time together, not emergency password resets or data breaches. A few simple habits can protect your business while still allowing you to enjoy the season.


If you want help building travel-friendly cybersecurity policies for your team, we’re here to help.


👉 Schedule a free security consultation:https://www.preferred-office.com/contact

Because the only holiday story you want to remember is the one about the trip not the laptop that got hacked.

 
 
 

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