Travel and device safety: protect your phone and laptop

Before you leave

Most of the protection happens at home. Back up your phone and laptop so that losing one is an inconvenience, not a disaster. Update the software, because updates fix known weaknesses.

Turn on a screen lock with a PIN or biometric, and encrypt your laptop's disk so a thief cannot read it. Turn on the built-in find-my-device feature, which can locate, lock or wipe the device.

• Back up photos, documents and contacts.
• Set a strong PIN, not 1234 or your birth year.
• Turn on find-my-device and test that it works.
• Write down your phone's IMEI number and keep it somewhere else.

Carry less

Take only the devices you need. A laptop you leave at home cannot be stolen on holiday. Remove files you do not need from the device you travel with.

Keep a note of important numbers on paper in case your phone is lost, and carry cards separately from your phone.

In public

Never leave a device unattended, even for a minute at a cafe table. Keep bags on your lap or strapped to your leg. In a car, do not leave a laptop or phone in view, and avoid leaving them in the boot overnight.

Use your phone away from the road edge, doors and open windows, where it can be snatched. In airports and hotels, keep valuables in your carry-on and use the hotel safe.

• Do not leave devices charging in public places unattended.
• Use a privacy screen or sit with your back to a wall.
• Avoid using your phone at ATMs and busy street corners.

Public Wi-Fi and charging

Free Wi-Fi in cafes and airports is convenient but you do not control it. Use your bank's app or mobile data for banking, and avoid logging in through pop-up pages on public Wi-Fi.

Charge from the wall with your own cable and plug, or from a power bank. Unknown USB charging points can be risky, so a power bank is a safer choice.

Passwords and accounts

Use a password manager so each account has its own long password, and turn on two-factor authentication for email, banking and social media. If a thief gets your phone, two-factor is what stops them getting into everything else.

Be careful with messages that urge you to click or share a code quickly. A bank or courier will not ask for your one-time PIN.

If a device is lost or stolen

Act quickly. Use find-my-device to lock it, then contact your mobile provider to block the SIM and your bank to freeze cards. Change the passwords on your key accounts from another device.

Report the theft at a police station and keep the case number for insurance.

Common mistakes

The most common mistakes are boring ones: a phone with no screen lock, a laptop with a sticker showing the password, the same password on every account and no backup. Thieves rely on them.

Another is leaving a device on a restaurant table or in a car for 'just a minute'. A third is clicking a link in a message that says your parcel or bank account has a problem. If you keep the basics in place, a stolen device costs you the hardware but not your photos, money or accounts. When you return from a trip, check your accounts for unfamiliar logins, update your passwords if you used a shared computer and review which apps still have access to your location.

Working in public places

If you work in public places often, a few extras help. Use a cable lock or keep the laptop in a bag you can feel against your leg. Set the screen to lock after a minute. Turn off Bluetooth and sharing when you are not using them, and keep work and personal accounts on separate profiles so one mistake does not expose both.

A simple checklist

Before you travel:

• Backups done and software updated.
• Screen lock, encryption and find-my-device on.
• Two-factor authentication on key accounts.
• IMEI number and key numbers written down.
• Only the devices and files you need.
• Plan for lost device: who to call and what to lock first.

Questions people ask

More guides