Frequent traveler? Learn how to check your accommodation’s security

Almost every trip brings a change of address. Whether you’re checking into a hotel, a rented apartment or staying with a local host, you’re suddenly living in an unfamiliar space. But do you really know how to verify that your temporary home is safe?

To celebrate World Tourism Day, Kaspersky is sharing digital‑life hacks that help you protect yourself and make every stay in a new city a little more secure:

Hotels and guesthouses often invite guests to join their free Wi‑Fi. But whilst convenient at first glance, it may carry some security risks. Open Wi‑Fi networks lack encryption and authentication, allowing anyone nearby to intercept or tamper with your traffic. What’s more, there is a possibility to face a fake hotspot with a name like "Hotel_Guest_2" aimed at gaining access to your traffic.

To eliminate such threats, experts recommend using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), such as Kaspersky VPN – a solution that encrypts every bit of traffic and masks the IP address, creating a secure tunnel between the device and the internet. This protection guarantees that personal information remains confidential, even on unsecured networks.

What’s more, to stay off public Wi‑Fi while you’re abroad, purchase an eSIM from the Kaspersky eSIM Store before you set off. It guarantees a seamless, secure internet connection wherever you travel.

The thought of discovering a hidden camera in a hotel room or rented apartment can send a chill down your spine, yet the idea that one might be lurking unnoticed is even more unsettling. While such incidents are rare, a few simple precautions can ensure you’re not being recorded without your consent.

Turn the lights off and on a few times – any faint red or white glint in the dark may be an infrared LED from a hidden camera. Then scan typical hide‑outs such as smoke detectors, alarm clocks, USB chargers and unusually large fixtures, and test mirrors by shining a flashlight to spot a double image that signals a two‑way glass. Finally, use your smartphone’s camera to sweep picture frames, vents and decor, looking for a subtle purple glow that reveals infrared lenses.

For more detailed instruction on how to find hidden cameras read Kaspersky Daily Blog.

A phone‑controlled coffee maker and a TV pre‑loaded with your favorite streaming accounts in rented apartments are tempting, but they come with hidden risks. Smart speakers, cameras, door locks and thermostats constantly gather audio, video and usage data. During a short stay, that information could end up in the provider’s cloud or on the device itself, exposing your habits to the property manager or fellow guests. Forgetting to log out can also leave your personal accounts vulnerable.

Since you can’t realistically ditch smart devices altogether, the safe rule is simple: don’t link any critical accounts, turn off any unnecessary features (camera, microphone, cloud sync) and use unique passwords for each streaming service.

Kaspersky mobile app functionality can also help to identify all gadgets connected to the Wi-Fi. Smart home monitoring allows you to scan any Wi-Fi network and show exactly how many IoT devices are surrounding you.

When returning from a trip, check the list of connected devices in the settings of your streaming and email accounts. If you see suspicious devices or devices in which you forgot to log out during the trip, make automatic logouts from them.

During a trip, our devices are inevitably left unattended at times. Whether in a hotel room, a rented apartment or even a café, you need to be confident that, should a device fall into the wrong hands, none of your personal data can be accessed.

Key security tips to stay protected: Set immediate auto-locks. This ensures the phone or laptop are always locked when not actively being used, helping to prevent anyone from accessing stored information. Store all sensitive data in a protected format. Use a dedicated security solution like Kaspersky Password Manager, which apart from securely keeping passwords, logins and bank cards, has a special secret vault functionality aimed at storing important documents, for example, scanned Passports/IDs and PDF files, addresses and notes. Enable location tracking. Both Android and iOS have special functionality to track phone’s location and remotely erase data from it. Kaspersky for Android provides this functionality with the Where Is My Device feature activated. Soon location tracking in Kaspersky app will be also available on Windows laptops.

To help travelers explore the world with greater confidence, Kaspersky has designed Kaspersky Safe Travel Insights – a handbook for eventful, yet safe travel. Scattered across the globe, Kaspersky employees from 20+ countries share first-hand perspectives on the places and experiences that make their home destinations worth discovering, as well as perspectives on what digital risks travelers should be cautious about when traveling to these locations.