Travel Smart: Simple Ways to Stay Private and Secure

Secure Your Summer: Protect Your Family Online While Traveling

 

Join host Andy Murphy on The Secure Family Podcast as he shares essential tips for keeping your information and devices safe on vacation. Learn about the growing threat of data collection, steps to ensure secure internet usage, keeping parental controls, and the benefits of using VPNs. Plus, discover the one thing that he brings with him that he’ll never leave home without again.

Protect your internet from prying eys with NordVPN. Get an  exclusive savings from NordVPN.

Get the travel router Andy recommends, the Slate AX from GLiNet.

Take control of your data with DeleteMe. Because they sponsor the podcast you can get 20% off a privacy plan from DeleteMe with promo code: DAD. 

Download The Secure Dad Family Home Security Assessment today!

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00:00 Welcome to The Secure Family Podcast

00:59 The Growing Problem of Data Collection

02:06 Preparing for Safe Online Travel

02:47 Ensuring Secure Wifi Connections

05:49 Using VPNs for Online Privacy

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Episode Transcript

Andy (00:11):
This is The Secure Family Podcast.
Welcome friend.
I'm Andy Murphy, the host, and I'malso the founder of The Secure Dad.
This show is all about empowering parentsto protect themselves and their family.
I believe that security is thefoundation of happiness, and I want
your family to be happy and safe.
The information that I shareon this podcast is for general

(00:32):
information purposes only.
My goal is to empower you to makesafer decisions for yourself and
your family because our safetyis our own responsibility.
Today, I am going to share my tips onkeeping your information and devices
safe when using wifi on vacation,whether it be in a hotel or an Airbnb.
All of that and more coming upon The Secure Family Podcast.

(00:59):
The problem is getting worse.
The amount of personal informationthat data brokers are collecting
on you and me is growing.
There are more details, more individualpieces, and more access than ever before.
Rob Shavell, the CEO of DeleteMe,just told the Wall Street Journal
than in 2023, they'd find about300 pieces of someone's data.

(01:20):
Well, that's bad enough, but today in 2025he says they're finding more than 600.
It's doubled and it's only getting worse.
DeleteMe has 14 years in thisindustry, which is why they are
the leader and have my business.
I've been with them as a customersince 2018, and I can attest
that their service works.
Don't put this off anymore.

(01:42):
Take back your data today.
Right now you can get 20%off your DeleteMe Plan.
Just go to JoinDeleteMe.com/Dadand use promo code DAD at checkout.
That's JoinDeleteMe.com/Dad code Dad.

(02:06):
So it's about to be summer andtime for us to go out and enjoy
our families on new adventures.
Recently, I just took myfamily on a trip to Florida.
We, we went kayaking, we swamwith manatees, and we stayed
in this great Airbnb home.
And while.
I know it's important to pack yourclothes, make sure that you have
all your medications, and makesure that your plans are finalized.
It's understandable that you may notthink about your online security.

(02:29):
While you're on the road.
So today I wanna share with you a few tipsthat I do when I use wifi, when traveling.
And the last thing that I share issomething that I do now, and I do
it all the time, and I'm gonna doit in the future because it's super
easy once you get it all set up.
But we'll get there.
The first thing that we need tounderstand is that wifi and internet

(02:50):
access is not the same when traveling.
As it is when we're at home.
That means that all of ournetwork security and the
parental controls stay at home.
We can't pick those upand take 'em with us.
Unless you unplug your wifi router andactually physically take it with you,
which is, I guess, always a possibility.
But most of us are not going to dothat because it's really a big hassle.

(03:13):
Don't assume that your hotelor your Airbnb hosts have the
same standards for cybersecurityand family safety that you do.
So we may need to take steps to make surethat we protect our devices, our personal
data, and our kids when we travel.
Once you arrive at your destination,you need to make sure that you
are getting on the right networks.

(03:35):
Many chain hotels will havestandard wifi names and passwords.
So if you stay at a Hilton in Orlando orone in Anaheim, chances are the network
names and credentials will be the same.
This is convenient, but it offershackers a way to fish your information.
For example, let's say your hotelchain uses the network name, "Hotel

(03:55):
Network", and then requires a password.
A hacker can create a networknamed "HotelNetwork_Guest" that is
open and not password protected.
Tons of travelers and kids aregoing to pick the easiest path
and connect to that one networkthat does not require a password.
The name is similar.

(04:15):
They think it belongs to the hotel.
Now all of your web traffic isbeing filtered by someone you
don't know, and that's not good.
Plus there's a whole lotmore that bad actors can do.
And this is a fairly simple example,but I think you get the picture.
So make sure that you and your familyare on the right network to begin with.
Next, whether you're at a hotelor you're just in public across

(04:38):
town, be very discerning when itcomes to the information that you
look up on wifi that's not yours.
That means save your intimate searchesand business for when you get home, or
simply use your mobile phone data service.
So don't check your bank account, yourmedical information or anything like that.
Keep that stuff for networksthat you know are secure.

(05:00):
One of the best ways to keep yourdata safe is by not accessing it
unless you really need to, and thenonly if it's on a safe network.
Generally speaking, your carrier'sdata is safe to use, and most of us
have good coverage wherever we go now.
But if you have bad service in a placethat you frequent like a lake house or
something like that, you can always buya mobile hotspot from a provider that

(05:22):
does have great coverage in your area.
You'll use wifi to connect tothat hotspot device that links
directly to a service provider.
Or you can actually now get anew Starlink system that you
can just carry around with you.
I looked it up.
And you can get Starlink Roam forlike $50 a month for 50 gigs, and that
is right on par with everybody else.

(05:42):
And all you need tohave is a Starlink Mini.
So those could be good, securealternatives for you if you're interested.
Another great solution forprotecting your privacy on vacation
is to use a VPN while online.
If you're not familiar with a VPN, itstands for Virtual Private Network.
This creates an encrypted connectionbetween your device and the internet, like

(06:03):
a private tunnel through a public network.
It hides your IP address and scramblesyour data so that hackers, ISPs,
or even your wifi provider, likean Airbnb host, can't actually
see what you're doing online.
This helps protect your personalinformation, especially when
using public or hotel wifi.
If someone were monitoring your trafficlike at an Airbnb, they would only

(06:26):
see that you connected to the VPN.
Then from there you can check youremail, bank account and lots of
other stuff, but nobody else isgoing to see where you're going.
They're just gonna seethat connection to the VPN.
I think when used correctly.
VPNs are great options.
I personally use NordVPN.
They are not based in the US anddon't keep logs of your traffic, which

(06:46):
are great things for a VPN provider.
If you'd like to know more about NordVPN,check out the link in the show notes.
But the downside for us as parents is thatVPNs can circumvent parental controls,
so only let the adults use it for now.
If all of this seems like a lot, I reallydon't blame you, and there is actually a
simpler solution that I personally use.

(07:08):
I've done this since last year,and I did it on my recent trip to
Florida, and it was super easy to do.
I like to use a travel router.
Remember at the beginning of the showwhen I said that you could just pick up
your wifi router and take it with you?
A travel router is kind of like that.
It's a small, powerful wifi routerthat you own and you carry with you.

(07:29):
Personally, I use the Slate AX by GLiNet,and I have had great success with it.
Think of the Slate AX as your personalpocket size wifi router for travel.
It is a compact router that letsyou create your own secure wifi
network wherever you go, be ita hotel, Airbnb, or even a cafe.
With wifi 6 technology, it ensuresfaster, reliable connections

(07:51):
for all of your devices.
But what sets us apart is itsVPN support that's built in.
This means that you can encryptall of your internet traffic, not
just one device, keeping all ofyour online activities private.
In short, the Slate AX acts as yourhome router, including parental
controls that you can take with youwithout taking your home system apart.

(08:14):
And you can control this froma simple app on your phone.
You can set it up like youwant to, and then it's pretty
much good to go after that.
On my last trip, I found themodem and wifi router at the
Airbnb that we were staying in.
It was just sitting out on a desk.
They weren't trying tohide it or anything.
All I needed to do to set it up wasrun an internet cable from a LAN port

(08:34):
on the house router to the Slate AX,power it up, and I was good to go.
Then I checked the GLiNet app andI saw that everything was working.
Since I had used it before myphone recognized the network and
connected right to it, and all of myfamily's devices did the same way.
So my suggestion is to invest ina travel router, or even if you

(08:55):
use it just once or twice a year.
It will pay for itself pretty quick.
There's a link to the Slate AX in theshow notes if you wanna check it out.
It's not very expensive at all.
It is possible to stay cybersecure and protect your kids online
while still enjoying a vacation.
By using good judgment, knowing when tolook at private information using a VPN or

(09:15):
a travel router, you and your family canstay safe while on the road this summer.
Well this wraps up this episodeof The Secure Family Podcast.
Thank you, friend for listening.
Take back your privacy and personaldata with help from DeleteMe.
Get 20% off a privacy plan whenusing the code DAD at checkout.

(09:37):
DeleteMe is the official dataremoval service of The Secure Dad.
If you are a DIY person and youwant to secure your home, then I
have the ultimate checklist for you.
My Family Home Security Assessmentwill walk you through how to
protect your home without makingit look or feel like a prison.
Download your copy right nowat the link in the description.

(09:58):
I'm Andy Murphy reminding youthat our safety is our own
responsibility even on vacation.