A lost or stolen phone can be a nightmare. It’s especially disastrous when it happens while traveling. Unfortunately, it happens a lot, especially if you’re visiting a country known for having pickpocketing problems, like Italy or France.
Whether you're going to Paris to see Simone Biles or Sha'Carri Richardson compete in the 2024 Olympic Games or taking a last-minute vacation before school starts again, check out these tips to give yourself some peace of mind in case your smartphone has an unauthorized adventure while you're traveling.
Watch this video to learn five things to do with your phone before your next trip.
Travel Tips
Tip #1: Back up your device before you leave.
Learn more: The best travel insurance
Backing up your device to a cloud service or computer can save you the worry of losing everything on your smartphone. This digital copy will restore everything to before your trip. iPhone Or Android to the new device.
If your device backs up to iCloud or Google Drive, most phones will automatically back up daily when connected to Wi-Fi and not in use.
Tip #2: Log out of apps.
Log out of important apps. In this case, that means banking apps, payment apps, like Venmo, and shopping apps, like Amazon.
Think of it like this: If you can spend or send money within the app, disconnect from it.
Also consider signing out of apps that have access to personal information or work platforms, such as email and social media accounts.
Tip #3: Turn on your device's Find My or Find My Device feature.
Before your trip, turn on location tracking on your device. Apple Find my and Google Find my device allows you to track your phone's current or last known location from another device or computer.
The phone must be turned on for the tracker to display the most accurate location data. Otherwise, the device may only display the phone's last known location or may indicate that the phone cannot be located.
Tip #4: Get another device.
Smartphones can be expensive, so consider getting an older model, buying a used device, or buying a flip phoneThis secondary device doesn't need all the data, apps, or photos you have on your everyday device, so avoid putting apps or information on it that aren't necessary for your trip.
Identity theft: Tips to protect yourself while traveling.
Tip #5: Go analog!
Bring printed copies of everything important, such as booking confirmations, addresses and phone numbers.
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Bring a map of the area and mark important places, such as your hotel, popular landmarks, the train station or restaurants you want to visit, so you have it handy when needed.
