Take The Stress Out Of Travelling This Christmas

Whether you’re travelling to visit family and friends or jetting off on a Christmas getaway, there can be lots to prepare before you can enjoy Christmas festivities. You might have planned your packing and wrapped your gifts, but have you thought about how to get the most out of your phone during your travels? Here, SIM-only mobile provider spusu shares three top tips to travel smarter with your phone this Christmas.

Protect your device

The last thing anyone wants at Christmas is to have their phone hacked, but the holiday season is a prime time for cybercriminals. November and December see a 70 per cent rise in attempted ransomware attacks compared to January and February, according to cyber security company DarkTrace. With a heightened risk of being hacked, it’s important to remain vigilant and take steps to keep your data safe, especially if you’re travelling on public transport over the holidays.

While travelling, don’t connect to unsecured public Wi-Fi as this makes it easier for hackers to access your data. Consider using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a tool that hides your online activity by creating a secure, encrypted connection between your phone and the internet. If you absolutely have to connect to an unsecured network, do not log onto your banking apps or email accounts as this puts your sensitive data at risk.

To increase security for important accounts, you can also turn on two-factor authentication (2FA). With 2FA enabled, accessing your account requires both your password and a second piece of information, such as your fingerprint, face ID or a code sent to your phone. This second step makes it more difficult for hackers to access your account, even if they know your log-in details.

You should already have a strong password or, better yet, biometrics to stop others from getting into your phone. However, even with your phone locked, people can still see notifications such as personal messages or confidential one-time passwords. To protect your privacy, you can opt to hide the content of notifications from being displayed on your lock screen in your phone settings.

Stream smarter

If you’ve got a long journey ahead of you, the chances are you’re planning to use your phone for entertainment. Whether you’re listening to a new podcast or catching up on your favourite TV show, you could burn through a lot of data without even thinking about it. According to Panda Security, streaming a 2-hour film in standard definition typically uses 2 GB of data and this figure jumps to 6 GB if you’re watching in high definition.

To avoid wasting your data on streaming, download content ahead of time when you’re connected to Wi-Fi. You can then enjoy your favourite shows, films, music or podcasts offline without incurring a hefty data charge. If you have to resort to using data, make sure you lower the streaming quality to minimise data use.

Consider free roaming

As of October 1, 2024, new Ofcom rules mean mobile operators need to inform UK mobile customers of roaming charges once they begin roaming. These new rules make it easier to avoid unknowingly racking up huge costs, as you can quickly switch off your data once you’ve been alerted to roaming charges. But this can mean you’re reliant on Wi-Fi networks, which may not always be secure.

To avoid both heavy charges and being left without data, it’s worth considering a free roaming mobile operator if you’re travelling abroad this festive season. All of spusu’s plans come with free roaming in over 30 countries in the EU, including popular skiing locations such as Austria, France and Italy. This means you can enjoy quality time with loved ones while you’re away, rather than worrying about your data use.

From gift shopping to prepping Christmas dinner, the lead up to Christmas can be surprisingly stressful. You don’t need your phone adding to this stress, so think before you travel and avoid getting caught out with unwanted charges or security threats.

To discover spusu’s SIM-only plans, click here