When it comes to digital and online safety awareness, it is easy to let your guard down when travelling. However, this is when you should take even more precautions as your wifi connection can become compromised by hackers in many ways.
When travelling in Spain there are generally two ways you would connect your devices to the internet.
- Using the roaming feature on mobile phones.
- Connecting to local wifi hotspots that are readily available in hotels, bars, shops, restaurants and airports etc.
However, if you decide to connect there are a few golden rules that will help you stay safe online.
Digital Preparations Before Your Trip To Spain
Using a VPN is just as important as having your passport when travelling.
You know that the internet is the most important place for information, and it is also the place you go to stay in touch with your loved ones at home while you are out and about, whether you send emails or publish posts on social media or surf on news sites.
Finding free public Wi-Fi is not a problem, but this is always risky. By logging on to a public network, you become an easy victim for hackers. So before you travel to Spain, you should take these precautions:
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Social media - go through your accounts.
Check your login information. Ensure you have 2FA (two-factor authentication), which gives you extra security against hackers.
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Stored documents
When traveling to Spain and planning to bring your PC or mobile phone, you should review your documents first. If a hacker gains access, he can manipulate, steal or delete documents without notice.
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Install A VPN ( Virtual Private Network )
To make sure you are protected from hackers by installing a VPN. This will not only will hide your IP address but also keep your data and documents safe.
How To Stay Digitally Safe While Traveling In Spain
A good rule of thumb is that everything you do when using public Wi-Fi can be compromised if you are not careful. For example, you may pretend to have a private conversation with a friend at an airport that can be picked up by others close by who can listen to your conversation and extract personal information about you.
- When calling family or friends at home, use tools like Zoom. This is safer to use than your phone.
- Disable automatic connection to Wi-Fi hotspot on your mobile.
- Do not connect your USB charger to charging stations that do not go directly into an electrical outlet.
- Do not log in to websites that you do not need while travelling in Spain.
- Use a VPN service that will provide maximum security.
- Ensure that all of your devices have the latest software and security updates installed.
- Turn off file sharing and location services.
- Back up your files photos and other important items you have on your cloud device or portable storage device as often as possible.
What Is a VPN?
A VPN ( Virtual Private Network ) created a secure tunnel between your devices and the internet. VPN´S protect you from others snooping and trying to interfere with your connection.
It creates an encrypted tunnel for your data, protects your online identity by hiding your IP address, and allows you to use public Wi-Fi hotspots safely.
Free Or Paid VPN Service, Which Is The Best For You?
There are companies offering free VPNs, but be aware as they may not always be reliable plus they may also be collecting your data and reselling it to third parties.
When using a premium VPN provider, you can ensure that your data is not collected, and you get both privacy and security with the purchase.
There are a number of reputable VPN providers such as CyberGhost, IPVanish ExpressVPN , Torguard and Nord VPN
Back from the trip to Spain; what to do now?
When you have returned home from Spain, you should first go through your mobile phone, tablet, and PC to see if anyone has installed any viruses there. Here’s what you should do with your devices after travelling in Spain:
- Change any passwords you may have used in Spain;
- Back up any data, you have stored on your devices;
- Check your virus data and run a cleanup;
- Delete all access points, i.e., Wi-Fi connections that were held on the device (s) during the trip;
