Being away from home and somewhat vulnerable means you need to pay attention to safety as a digital nomad. Here are some expert tips to help you stay secure and well as you travel.
Get the Best Gear You Can Afford
Just for comfort’s sake, you shouldn’t skimp on your travel gear if you move around a lot. Your backpack needs to be safe and tough as well. Durable materials like rip-stop and waterproof nylon are used to make good backpacks that last. Boundary Supply bags are a perfect example. They’re strong and come in many comfy varieties. Just be sure to buy an adequate bag with room for all your essentials, pockets for valuables, and a pouch to keep your laptop safe.
Don’t Carry Cash
Even if you have the best backpack, thieves could still get into it and take your cash or cards. A good travel tip is to bring as little cash as possible. You might need it to buy food from street vendors or shops that aren’t as big. And an ATM can always give you more money. Digital currencies and wallets like Google Pay, Apple Pay, and PayPal can now be used to pay for most things. And bigger chains are starting to accept cryptocurrency and digital wallets.
Safety as a Digital Nomad Includes Accommodation
When you’re traveling, it’s essential to find a safe place to stay. Some apps can help with this. However, when moving around a country, you might want to try one of the following:
- Use reputable accommodation websites to look for cheap hostels that are also safe.
- You can find less expensive budget hotels if you have a little more money.
- Plan to stay with friends or family you know and trust if they live nearby.
Not every hostel is dirty and smelly. Many are safe, have everything you need, and cost very little. Or, if you have an online job with regular income, you could use safer reliable hotel chains.
Stay Off Public Wi-Fi
Any cybersecurity expert will tell you that the public internet isn’t safe. A hacker can see what you send and receive over public Wi-Fi. And if your data isn’t encrypted, it can be sent to the hacker’s device instead of the connection point, making it easy to steal. After this, your information will likely be used to steal your identity or sold on the dark web. Also, you could send confidential client information to a hacker by accident when you upload it to cloud storage.
Always Use a VPN
You should always use a VPN whenever you use free public Wi-Fi, like in libraries. With an easy to use VPN app such as NordVPN, your data will be encrypted while it’s being sent over the internet. So even if the connection is not very safe, a hacker won’t be able to use any data that gets intercepted. It won’t even be clear to them what it is. All the data you send and receive is encrypted when you use a VPN, so you never have to worry about being hacked.
Summary
You need to pay attention to safety as a digital nomad. Getting good gear is a good way to start protecting valuables. But you should think about cybersecurity and where you will stay.
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