1. Check Your Apps 

Have you ever arrived at an airport gate and wondered why it looked so empty? You then discovered that your gate had changed, and you had no idea. You rush to the opposite end of the concourse, hoping you’re still on time for your flight. 

How did everyone else find out about the gate change? They most likely had the airline app and received a notification. 

Before you leave for your trip, download any travel apps you might need. It’s better to download these apps at home on your own Wi-Fi. Reception may become an issue if you wait until you’re at the airport. 

Some of the applications in our tech travel checklist we think you may want to grab or update before your trip are: 

• Airline App
• Train App
• Hotel App
• Weather App
• City tourism App
• Theme park App
• Camping ground App

2. Check Your Cords & Adapters

Before embarking on your journey, make sure you have all the essential travel tech essentials. People forget countless chargers and adapters every day. They litter airports, train stations, restaurants, and bus stations worldwide.  

Bringing a backup charger for your laptop, phone, or tablet is always a good idea. Otherwise, you may pay a pretty penny for a new one in a gift shop while on the go. You don’t want your device to go black if you lose the charger and can’t get a new one quickly. 

3. Check Your Power

One way to ensure you have the power you need to keep your mobile device running is to buy a small charging battery. You can find these from most major retailers or online. These small “blocks” hold a charge and can power up your cell phone in a pinch. 

Juice-jacking USB ports can happen when public USB charging stations are fake or compromised. Juice-jacking USB ports in public places are more of a general precaution than a common occurrence in our checklist of travel technology safety, but not a bad thing to keep in mind. The general gist is that hackers use these stations to steal your data when you plug in your phone or device and is a common concern.

There are some pretty easy ways to combat this issue. The most obvious being to bring along a portable charger and steer clear of public charging spots. If you have to use one, you might want to think about using a power-only cable or a data blocker to stop any sneaky data transfers and don’t ever press “Accept” on any messages that pop up on your device screen asking you to trust a connected computer. Unplug right away. These steps are small, but they’re way easier and cheaper than dealing with the fallout from a security breach.

4. Check Your Mobile Plan 

It sounds silly in today’s world, but some important travel tech essentials are as basic as checking your mobile plan if you will be traveling out of the country, if your plan doesn’t include international service, you may be unable to text or call home. 

Phone carriers can add an international capability to your plan but ask about the pricing for this service. It can get quite expensive if you make long calls or use mobile data. Another option is to set up a VoIP app before you go so you can use it with your friends, family, and work contacts while traveling. These enable both SMS and calls, but you will need an internet connection for it to work, which may force you to connect to untrusted network.

5. Check or Add a VPN 

Free Wi-Fi may seem like a lifesaver while traveling, but it can also be dangerous. You never know who else is using that same Wi-Fi. A bad actor might be hanging out on the connection and can easily steal your data if you’re not protected. 

Using your mobile carrier connection or a virtual private network (VPN) app while traveling with tech is a better and safer option. VPN plans are affordable and keep your data encrypted, even if you’re using public Wi-Fi. 

6. Check Your Backup 

Conduct regular tech checks before you depart to your next destination. Unfortunately, mishaps occur when traveling. You might forget your phone on a boat, lose your luggage, or have your device stolen while in a crowded area.  

10% of all laptop theft happens in airports.

Don’t lose all your data with one misplaced device when traveling with tech. Back up your devices to local storage or the cloud before you travel. This ensures you will retain valuable data stored on your devices. You also won’t have to think twice about enabling a remote “wipe my device” command if necessary since you will have a backup of this information. 

7. Check Your Device Security

Make sure to do tech checks on your devices before you hit the road to make sure they’re as secure as possible. When we’re traveling, our minds are often distracted by other things. You may forget to check your antivirus or avoid suspicious phishing links while on the go. 

Protect your devices before you travel using the following using travel tech safety tips like: 

• Updating your antivirus/anti-malware
• DNS filtering
• Screen lock with passcode or biometrics
• Turn off any sharing features.
• Consider connecting to a VPN application you trust.
• Consider turning on the Find-My-Device feature on your devices.

8. Check Your Double-Checks 

Another good rule of thumb is to use the buddy system as a backup reminder. When the family gets off a plane, each person should check with one another to confirm that they have all their devices with them. 

If you’re traveling alone, have a family member or friend check up on you by text or phone call. Did you make sure to grab your charger? Do you have your VPN turned on? Those small reminders can go a long way toward avoiding digital travel nightmares.