Travelling With Precautions: Tips on Safe Traveling As a Digital Nomad
As a digital nomad, you’ve left the 9 to 5 and replaced it with traveling and seeing the world around you. There are places in the world that you have only seen on TV and magazines but now that you are not chained to a desk and chair and don’t have to live your life based on whether or not you have enough vacation time, you have the freedom to go wherever you want, whenever you want. This is a editorial.
When it comes to having that type of freedom with your job, your “bread and butter,” most people would take full advantage by never being able to sit still anywhere, and that’s exactly what most digital nomads do… simply because they can! You have to understand, becoming a digital nomad is not that hard and if you wanted to become one, you totally could!
The easy part is getting your business idea together and finding a website hosting platform. The hard part is leaving the life you know, behind. It’s not that you have to leave that life behind completely but you will have to leave it while you’re gone. If you have pets, you’ll need to find someone who will watch them while you’re gone. If you have a car or house, you’ll want someone to watch them or you might have to sell them just to have enough funds to travel until your money starts coming in.
But as you can imagine, it must not be that hard to do because more and more people are adopting this lifestyle by the minute! This lifestyle is definitely a fun one that allows you to see the world but it’s also one of the riskiest and most dangerous lifestyles you can lead. You’re probably wondering how can seeing the world be one of the riskiest and most dangerous lifestyles?
Well, for one, when you travel to travel to foreign countries, you’re putting yourself at risk to thieves and the potential to get lost is very high. From a digital standpoint, you’re putting yourself at risk for identity theft and having your information compromised. According to CNBC, 84% of Americans acknowledge having a fear of identity theft but haven’t taken precautions to protect themselves from it.
As a digital nomad, those are some of the potential risks and threats you’re going to be up against but fortunately, there are some helpful tips you can do to not only protect yourself but to also keep your valuables safe.
Don’t Post Your Every Move on Social Media
Because we live in a digital world, it can be very tempting to let the world know your every move but if you can, try to resist it. Sure, you want to share your breathtaking experience exploring the pyramids in Egypt with your friends, family, and followers but by sharing your location and what you’re doing is actually giving thieves the ammunition they need to plan a crime, according to lifewire.com. The best thing to do is take all the pictures and videos you want but wait to post them until after you get back.
By sharing content as you go, this also lets people know that your house is empty and available to get broken into. If you sold your house before you became a digital nomad, then your home will be out of harm’s way but if you didn’t sell your house, you could come home to a world of trouble.
Avoid Using Public Wifi
As a digital nomad, the internet is the source of your revenue… without the internet, there’s no money to be made. So instead of using your data from your cell phone’s personal hotspot, the most reasonable thing to do is use the public wifi, right? Yes.
The thing about using public wifi is that, yes, it’s helpful and the fact that it’s free to use makes it all the more appealing but using public wifi makes it so easy for thieves to gain access to your sensitive information. They’ll have access to this information whether it be from your cell phone, tablet, or laptop.
A safer alternative would be to get a portable router and set up your very own personal hotspot… all you need is the router and a SIM card.
Be Aware of Your Surroundings
Being aware of your surroundings is a safety habit you should adopt whether you’re visiting Germany or if you’re in your hometown at the grocery store but you especially need to be aware of your surroundings when you’re in an unfamiliar place.
As a digital nomad, some of your working locations include public libraries, hotel lobbies, coffee shops, and coworking spaces. When you’re in these locations, before you even crack open your laptop, you need to be looking for all the exit signs, areas that you can potentially hide, and everyone who is in these locations.
You need to gauge how many people are in there, what everyone is doing, what they’re wearing, and if anyone looks like they’re acting weird. Now, you can’t just look at someone and say they’re up to no good because of what they’re wearing or anything like but it’s just a good rule of thumb to be aware of everything, even the minor details like what someone is wearing because you never know if you’ll need to present that information in the event that an emergency happens.
Bring Only What You Need
When you’re out and about working at various locations, you’re more than likely going to be carrying your backpack. As a digital nomad, you’ve adopted minimalism and came to grips that your entire life has to be able to fit in your backpack… Well, little did you know, but thieves also know that you have to fit your entire life in your backpack as well.
Although you have to fit your entire life in your backpack, you don’t necessarily have to have your life packed up when you go out to work. You want to carry only what you need and leave the rest at your hotel or wherever you’re staying. If you’re only going to a coffee shop for a few hours to write or edit photos, you don’t need your passport, toothbrush, camera, and other random things you brought with you. All you would need is your wallet, your laptop and battery, and your cell phone and charger.
If you walk around looking like you have a lot in your backpack, it is going to give thieves the green light to try and rob you.
