I've been to 32 different countries and let me tell you, traveling can be stressful. But a little know-how and planning can make your getaway more relaxing than worrying.
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Stick to sites you know and trust
Scammers are good at creating fake travel apps and sites to scam you – and AI tools make it even easier to create them. Fortunately, there are signs to watch for that can help you avoid them.
- Consult the official resources: The Better Business Bureau can be a big help in determining if a business is legitimate. The agency lists real companies; if you can't find the one you work with, it's better to run away.
- Online reviews and ratings: Read online reviews and ratings on sites like TripAdvisor, Yelp or Google. Incredibly positive and negative reviews could be false. Watch for a balance of reviews and consistent themes.
- Accreditation and licensing: Many legitimate travel agencies are members of recognized industry organizations like the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) or are accredited by IATA (International Air Transport Association). Check the credentials on their site.
- Transparent pricing: Legitimate sites are clear and upfront about all costs. Be wary of sites that have hidden fees or don't clearly explain costs.
- Secure payment options: Reputable travel sites offer secure and well-known payment options. Be wary of sites that only allow bank transfers or money orders.
Speaking of which, I recently took a fantastic trip to Japan. Watch my travel tips on YouTube. You will definitely want to put this on your bucket list!
Keep track of your bag
Lost luggage can ruin your trip. Many major airlines (including United, American, Delta and Air New Zealand) allow you to track your bags in real time through the airline's official app, so download it before you hit the road.
Pro tip: Searching the app stores may lead you to copycats. Go to your airline's official website and look for a link to the app in the header or footer.
I throw an Apple AirTag in checked luggage for added peace of mind.
- Apple AirTags are ideal for an iPhone, Mac or iPad.
- THE Pack of 4 tiling essentials comes with various labels for your keys, wallet, luggage or whatever you want to try. Nice option for Android.
Set your Gmail and Drive to offline mode.
Sometimes the connection is so bad that you can't even load your inbox. Fortunately, you can always queue all your responses if you plan ahead.
In Gmail on your desktop:
- Hit it settings cog > See all settings.
- Choose the Offline tab, then check the box next to Enable offline messaging.
- From there, choose the number of days of messages you want to sync.
- Click on Save changes.
Now do the same for your most used documents in Google Drive. You need to do this for every document, so make sure you take care of it in advance.
First, enable the setting:
- Open Google Drive.
- At the top right, click on the settings cog > Settings.
- Turn on Offline.
Depending on your storage, recent files will be automatically saved offline. To manually select files:
- On the file you want to use, tap Deposit > Make available offline.
Score, in-flight Wi-Fi! Before you start browsing…
Most of us see a network name that looks okay and click on it without thinking much about it. This is what hackers are banking on! Scammers can create fake Wi-Fi networks with almost identical names to those of the airline. If you are not careful, you may connect to a copied network instead of the legitimate network.
If several options look similar, ask an airline staff member which network is correct. Hey, they can even give a PSA over the air if you spot a fake.
Oh, and enable a VPN
Normally what you do on the Internet is open to anyone with the appropriate know-how. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) encrypts your data, acting as protection against prying eyes. VPNs aren't as reliable in the air, but it's still worth enabling them.
Not optional if you are visiting a site that contains financial or other important identifying information.
Check your AirDrop settings
I once received a strange photo on my phone at the airport. I looked around and saw the teenagers giggling. Yeah, it was funny, but not all pranks are innocent.
Keyloggers keep track of every thing you type, and criminals love to transmit them using Apple's AirDrop feature. Do not accept airdrops from strangers.
On your iPhone:
- Go to Settings > General > Airdrop.
You can set your phone to reject all AirDrop requests, only allow them from contacts, or to everyone. (The latter is not the best idea for traveling.)
On a Mac:
- Click on Control center in the menu bar (it's the icon with two toggles).
- Click on Airdrop. From there, you can turn it on or off and choose who can send items.
Your phone is worth a lot
Its value is far greater than what anyone could sell it for. (Though that's a pretty tempting amount if you have a newer phone.) Think about all the accounts connected to it: your bank and other financial apps, your email inbox, and your private text messages containing so much. knows what.
- When you are in public, protect your PIN. If you really need to open your phone in front of people, use Face ID or your fingerprint.
- Also, don't use a simple PIN. No four digits! Do it for as long as you remember.
- If you don't want to use Face ID, use a password with numbers and letters if your phone allows it.
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Award-winning host Kim Komando is your secret weapon for navigating technology.
