Why this matters
Business travel fundamentally changes the threat landscape. In the office, network firewalls, physical access controls, and familiar surroundings provide protection. On the road, most of that disappears.
The three biggest risks when travelling:
First: Legal risks. In certain countries, border authorities can search devices or compel unlocking. Whatever is on the device can be seized or copied — including customer data, contracts, and credentials.
Second: Physical exposure. Shoulder surfing (someone reading over your shoulder), unattended devices in hotel rooms or lounges, and stolen laptops and phones are among the most common travel incidents.
Third: Network risks. Hotel Wi-Fi, conference networks, and airport Wi-Fi are structurally less secure than corporate networks.
How to do it right
Travel device instead of primary laptop
For high-risk travel (certain countries, trade shows, conferences), bring a separate laptop without company data. Sync only the data needed for the trip — nothing more.
Enable VPN before connecting
Turn on VPN before connecting to any public Wi-Fi. A shared network without VPN means: all other users can see your unencrypted traffic.
Use a privacy screen
A 3M Privacy Screen filter costs €20–50 and makes shoulder surfing impossible at non-direct angles. Essential on trains, planes, and open work areas.
USB data blocker for charging cables
Public USB charging stations ('juice jacking') can transfer data. A USB data blocker (also called a USB condom) allows only power, blocking data lines. Small investment, significant protection.
Know your border protocol
Define in advance: what to do when facing a border inspection with device access? Some organisations encrypt devices with a temporary password for travel and change it on return.
Rotate passwords before and after travel
For travel to high-risk countries: rotate important passwords and tokens after returning, as a standard procedure.
Tools we recommend
- Travel laptop — ideally a slim device with no local data; only cloud-accessible work tools; minimal damage if stolen
- VPN: WireGuard or Cloudflare WARP — WireGuard as a modern, fast VPN protocol; WARP as a simple Cloudflare solution with integrated DNS-over-HTTPS
- 3M Privacy Filter — order model-specific for your laptop; also available for tablets
- USB Data Blocker — PortaPow or similar brands; approximately €8–15; always in the travel bag
If you only remember one thing
Physical security when travelling starts with visibility protection and VPN. Anyone implementing these two measures eliminates the two most common travel attack vectors.
Build a travel checklist into onboarding
Create a short travel security checklist (VPN, privacy screen, USB blocker, travel password protocol) and incorporate it into employee onboarding. What is written down gets done.