We’re all Going on a… Summer Working Holiday

Many of us will be looking forward to a well-earned break this summer and heading off on holiday.

And whilst undoubtedly a chance for some R&R, more people do some form of work on vacation – even if that’s just answering a few emails or taking the occasional call.

If you are going to work whilst away, it’s important to remember some basic IT house rules to keep yourself safe from a tech perspective.

• Watch your data – be careful with data roaming charges when using the internet, social media and apps outside of the UK. Whilst roaming charges no longer apply in most of Europe and popular international destinations, there are some that aren’t automatically covered. You may be surprised to find that locations that are becoming popular tourist destinations, such as Montenegro, are excluded.
• Take care with Wi-Fi – it you are using public/open networks in hotels, cafés and restaurants, remember that it may not be as secure as your work set-up. You may also be more susceptible to phishing/cyber scams, so be extra vigilant about opening emails and messages that look suspicious.
• If you do travel a lot – make use of apps, such as ‘Fantastical’, that can help streamline and organise your calendar and tasks in different time zones.
• Look after your hardware – hot climates can be a disaster for tech so never leave your devices exposed to direct sunlight. And as lovely as it is to send a few emails from the beach, remember that your laptop will not love you for getting sand, ice cream or sticky drinks in it. Also take care when going through airport security, as laptops and tech items can go missing from the scanner trays.
• Cables, adapters and chargers – make sure you pack the right power cables and adapters for your devices and the countries you’ll be using them in. Not having them to hand can be costly to replace, or impossible if you are in a remote location.