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Quick travel checklist: Bring an extra phone charger, put your boarding pass in your phone, and bring more snacks than you think you’ll need.
I wish tech tips were that simple. But the implications are also much worse.
From booking to travel, here are five mistakes that will ruin your vacation and smart tips for smooth sailing.
A tech expert has revealed five common mistakes people make when travelling, and one of them is using no-name sites to find great deals on flights.
1. Buy flights on a no-name site with a KILLER offer
You search for plane tickets online or respond to an email. Overwhelmed by all the sites and apps, you choose the cheapest option.
The site promises a great rate, so you pay for the ticket. You book what appeared to be a confirmed seat and receive an email letting you know you’re ready.
You visit the airline’s main site, enter your information, and boom: there’s your reserved seat.
Your booked reservation sells out two weeks later and your seat evaporates. Find out this and try to get help from the airline. They usually can’t do anything for you since only one reservation was actually made.
Criminals are great at creating fake apps and sites to scam you. Fortunately, there are signs to pay attention to that can help you avoid them.
● Check official resources: The Better Business Bureau can be a great help in determining if a company is legitimate. The agency lists real companies; If you can’t find who you’re working with, it’s best to run away.
● Online reviews and ratings: Read online reviews and ratings on sites like TripAdvisor, Yelp, or Google. Extremely positive and negative reviews can be fake. Look for a balance of consistent reviews and themes.
● Accreditation and Licensing: Many legitimate travel agencies are members of recognized industry organizations such as the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) or have IATA (International Air Transport Association) accreditation. Verify the credentials on your 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 popular payment options. Be wary of sites that only allow bank transfers or money orders.
2. Charge at a public charger at the airport
A public charging station seems like a godsend when your battery is running low and you have nowhere to plug it in, but it’s surprisingly easy to operate.
With just a USB cable, a cybercriminal can install malware or suck data from every device they plug in for charging.
If you’re desperate for power, you can safely use a USB connection… with the right cable. Pack a charging-only cable for your trip. They are cheap, compact and do not allow data transfer.
Don’t keep your AirDrop in public when traveling
And if your phone is a few years old or older, it will ask you if you want to “trust this device” or “share data” when you connect it. Always say no when traveling!
These options allow data communication between your phone and charging hardware, which could be infected with malware.
Choose the “cash only” option. If that option is not available, keep walking.
3. Leave AirDrop set to public
Keyloggers keep track of everything you type, and criminals love to transmit them using Apple’s AirDrop feature.
Do not accept falls from strangers during the flight.
On your iPhone:
● Go to Settings > General > AirDrop.
You can set your phone to reject all AirDrop requests, allow them only to contacts, or allow them to everyone. (That last one isn’t the best idea for traveling.)
On a Mac:
● Click Control Center in the menu bar (it’s the icon with two toggles).
● Click AirDrop. From here, you can turn it on or off and choose who can send items.
4. Hand your phone to a stranger to take a photo
My friend Mary was on vacation in Rome with her 14-year-old daughter.
They stopped to take selfies and a seemingly friendly stranger, a man in his 30s, offered to take their photo.
Mary entered her PIN, handed him the phone and the supposed good Samaritan snatched it and ran away.
One of the biggest mistakes is handing your smartphone to a stranger while you’re on vacation. The good Samaritan may end up running away with your phone
Your phone is much more valuable than the amount someone could sell it for. (Although it’s a pretty attractive 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 the private text messages containing who knows what.
There are some simple ways to protect yourself:
● When you are in public, protect your PIN. If you need to open your phone in front of other people, use Face ID or your fingerprint.
● Also do not use an easy PIN. Nothing four digits! Make it as long as you can remember.
● If you do not want to use Face ID, use a password with numbers and letters if your phone allows it.
5. Forgetting to check roaming rates/services
Oh, your sore wallet. Before you hit the road, sea or sky, log onto your mobile provider’s website or call them to find out exactly what you’re entitled to when you travel. You may only get service in certain countries, at certain times, or up to a specific limit.
Know this beforehand, not once the bill is paid. Depending on what you find, you may be better off purchasing a travel SIM or eSIM card.
