Here are our Top Tips to stay connected and protected while traveling outside the US.
- The basics: make sure your computer operating system and applications are up-to-date, and your endpoint security is current if you have a Windows computer that Hybridge doesn’t manage.
- Back up anything on your computer and phone you care about, and make sure that photos you take overseas are going to back up/sync to the cloud automatically as soon as you take them
- Use the Authy app for your 2fa, not SMS. SMS can be unreliable internationally. (and of course make sure everything that can be is protected with 2fa)
- If you see a Chrome error saying your connection is not private, then disconnect from that network immediately. Use your phone hotspot if your cell plan includes that where you are
- Hybridge encrypts your work computer, but make sure all personal computers are also encrypted, and you have a short screen saver timeout with a password on resume
- Enroll all phones, iPads, and computers into FindMy so you can lock and wipe if necessary
- Put Apple AirTags into all checked bags so you can help the airline find them
- If you don’t speak the language where you are going, then install and learn to use Google Translate or DeepL (Hybridge recommended) before you touch down
- International Day Pass services from AT&T and Verizon make using your mobile phone overseas easy and less expensive than it used to be. Local SIMs are usually a lot cheaper both for you and for anyone local calling you but require an unlocked phone and (of course) you won’t get texts or calls to your US number. FYI, navigation and voice translation apps can use a lot of data
- VPNs don’t improve your security but are useful to access blocked/regionally restricted content, like Google from China and Premier League Football from outside the UK, check Reddit to find which work best where you are going
As always, Hybridge is here to help if you have any questions on any of this. Safe Travels!!
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