Add an international plan to your phone (international trips only)

Verizon TravelPass and AT&T International Day Pass are $10/day, only billed on days you actually use them. T-Mobile already includes basic international roaming on most plans. Call *611 a week before to confirm yours is active.

Tell your bank and credit-card companies your travel dates

Most banks let you do this in the app: card → "Travel notice". Otherwise the fraud team may freeze your card the first time you use it abroad. Skip this for domestic trips — it usually is not needed.

Back up your phone

iPhone: Settings → your name → iCloud → iCloud Backup → Back Up Now. Android: Settings → Google → Backup → Back up now. If your phone is lost or stolen, this is what saves your photos and contacts.

Save offline maps for where you are going

Google Maps: search the city, tap the name → Download. The map works fully offline — directions, search, transit. iPhone Maps does the same on iOS 17+.

Store boarding passes, hotel info, and IDs in your phone wallet

iPhone: tap "Add to Apple Wallet" on every email confirmation. Android: same with Google Wallet. Photograph your passport and credit cards (front and back) and store the photos in a private Notes folder so you have copies if anything is stolen.

Turn on Find My / Find My Device before you leave

iPhone: Settings → your name → Find My → Find My iPhone → ON. Android: Settings → Security → Find My Device → ON. Confirms you can locate, ring, or wipe the phone if it is lost or stolen.

Set Wi-Fi to "ask before joining"

iPhone: Settings → Wi-Fi → Auto-Join Hotspot → Never. Android: Settings → Network → Wi-Fi → Wi-Fi preferences → "Connect to public networks" → OFF. Stops your phone from connecting to "Free_Airport_Wifi" lookalikes that scammers run.

Turn on Lockdown Mode (iPhone, optional)

Settings → Privacy & Security → Lockdown Mode → Turn On. Locks down iMessage, blocks unknown FaceTime calls, and disables a lot of attack paths. Slightly less convenient — but a fair tradeoff if you are travelling somewhere high-risk.

Disable AirDrop / Quick Share for "Everyone"

AirDrop: Settings → General → AirDrop → "Contacts Only" or "Receiving Off". Android Quick Share: Settings → Connected devices → Quick Share → "Contacts only". Strangers can no longer ping random photos to your screen on the bus.

Use cellular for banking, never hotel or airport Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi can be safe — but for anything involving your bank, brokerage, or password manager, switch to your cell connection. The handful of cents you spend in roaming is worth far more than your bank login.

Check the Wi-Fi name with the front desk or barista before joining

Scammers run hotspots called "Hilton-Guest" or "Starbucks_Free_2" right next to the real one. Two minutes asking the front desk saves you a lot of trouble.

Use a credit card, not debit

A debit card pulls money straight from your account when stolen — recovery can take days. A credit card has a $50 fraud cap and the bank fights it for you. If you only have debit, ask your bank to cap daily spending while you travel.

Tap or insert — do not swipe

Skimmer devices target the magnetic stripe on the back of your card. Tap-to-pay (Apple Pay, Google Pay, contactless cards) is the safest option in any country.

Share your trip in Find My / Google Maps

iPhone: Find My → People → Share My Location with a family member, set to "indefinitely". Google Maps: tap your photo → Location sharing → pick a contact and a duration. They can see where you are if anything goes wrong.

Watch for scams that target tourists

"Spilled" gelato, "found" gold ring, "police" asking to check your wallet, taxi drivers who say the meter is broken. If something feels off, walk into a cafe or hotel lobby and ask staff for help.

Carry the embassy phone number (international only)

Save the US embassy number for the country in your phone before you leave — the State Department lists every embassy at travel.state.gov. They help with lost passports, medical issues, and emergencies.

Keep one credit card in a different bag

If your wallet is stolen, the second card in your hotel safe (or a money belt) gets you home. Same idea for a backup ID — a photocopy of your passport in a separate place.

Make sure photos back up to the cloud automatically

iPhone: iCloud Photos → ON. Android: Google Photos → Settings → Backup → ON. If your phone is lost, your photos are still safe on the cloud.

Set the photo location and time once

iPhone: Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Camera → "While Using". Now every photo records where you took it — the trip retells itself on the timeline.

Share a trip album with the family

Open Photos → "+" → Shared Album. Invite the family. Anyone you invite gets new photos as you take them — no big email at the end of the trip.

Turn off the international plan if you added one

Most carriers auto-bill the daily fee even after you return if the line still has the plan attached. Call *611 (or check the carrier app) to remove it.

Review your bank and card statements within a week

Travel is the most common time for card fraud to start. Pull each card's statement and look for charges you do not recognize. Banks have stronger fraud-protection rules if you flag something within 60 days.

Change passwords on anything you logged into from a hotel computer

Hotel business-center computers can have keyloggers. Anything you used there — webmail, airline accounts — should get a new password from a trusted device.