December is such a busy month due to the holiday season. During this time, travel definitely picks up, which also puts you and your family at risk to identity thieves. Nothing can ruin a holiday faster when traveling than becoming a victim of theft. This month, LifeLock offers several excellent tips for protecting yourself while traveling during the holidays.
BEFORE YOU LEAVE
Before traveling, make sure you have phone numbers for your bank, credit cards, and personal emergency contacts.
Take pictures of important travel and financial documents before leaving home in order to help recover them if they become lost.
Alert your bank and credit card company that you are traveling. Banks often times limit access to funds if they see suspicious activity. This has happened to me once before. Our family took a vacation in another state and our bank actually called us to ask if we were aware of the charges being made because they were being made in another state.
TRAVEL SAFELY
If traveling by plane, place your purse or wallet under your body while you sleep. It may not be comfortable, but it’s better than not having them when you reach your destination.
When going through airport security, place your wallet inside your bag rather than leaving it exposed in the bin.
Wear shoes that are easy to get on and off if you have to go through airport security so that you can keep your attention on your belongings and not be distracted.
If you are a woman who carries a purse, consider a “cross body” style that you wear on you to keep your belongings as close to you as possible while keeping your hands free so you can be more alert to your surroundings.
DON’T OVERLOOK THESE TIPS
Be sure and utilize your hotel’s safe box for storing all of your valuables.
When using public Wi-Fi, consider logging in using a VPN (virtual private network). If you do not have a VPN, one can be purchased for about $10 a month. Logging in via a VPN can help limit the information you expose when using your laptop to access the internet via public Wi-Fi.
Designate both a meeting spot and meeting time before separating from your travel companions. If anyone in your group fails to appear, this can be a warning sign that they are lost or in danger.
Can you think of any other great travel safety tips? I’d love to hear them in the comments.
Be sure and follow LifeLock on Facebook, where you can enter the LifeLock For Life Sweepstakes and also on Twitter. There, you will find even more great tips for keeping your identity safe.
I wrote this post as part of a compensated blogger ambassadorship for LifeLock. All opinions are my own.
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