--- title: "Phone security on trips: the essential settings | Gigapass" description: "Against theft and against carelessness. What to switch on before leaving, what not to keep on the phone and what to do in the first minutes if it disappears." url: https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/phone-security-while-travelling markdown: https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/phone-security-while-travelling.md lang: en site: Gigapass generated: 2026-10-24 languages: es: https://getgigapass.com/blog/seguridad-del-movil-de-viaje de: https://getgigapass.com/de/blog/handysicherheit-auf-reisen it: https://getgigapass.com/it/blog/sicurezza-del-telefono-in-viaggio fr: https://getgigapass.com/fr/blog/securite-du-telephone-en-voyage pt: https://getgigapass.com/pt/blog/seguranca-do-telemovel-em-viagem nl: https://getgigapass.com/nl/blog/telefoonbeveiliging-op-reis ja: https://getgigapass.com/ja/blog/ryoko-sumaho-security ko: https://getgigapass.com/ko/blog/yeohaeng-hyudaepon-boan zh-hans: https://getgigapass.com/zh-hans/blog/lvxing-shouji-anquan pl: https://getgigapass.com/pl/blog/bezpieczenstwo-telefonu-w-podrozy sv: https://getgigapass.com/sv/blogg/mobilsakerhet-pa-resan no: https://getgigapass.com/no/blogg/mobilsikkerhet-pa-reise da: https://getgigapass.com/da/blog/mobilsikkerhed-pa-rejsen tr: https://getgigapass.com/tr/blog/seyahatte-telefon-guvenligi ru: https://getgigapass.com/ru/blog/bezopasnost-telefona-v-poezdke zh-hant: https://getgigapass.com/zh-hant/blog/lvxing-shouji-anquan ar: https://getgigapass.com/ar/mudawana/aman-alhatif-fi-alsafar he: https://getgigapass.com/he/blog/avtachat-hanayad-batiyul index: https://getgigapass.com/llms/en.txt --- # Phone security while travelling: the settings you do once > Against theft and against carelessness. What to switch on before leaving, what not to keep on the phone and what to do in the first minutes if it disappears. [Home](https://getgigapass.com/en) › [Blog](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog) › Phone security while travelling: the settings you do once On the road Against theft and against carelessness. What to switch on before leaving, what not to keep on the phone and what to do in the first minutes if it disappears. **Bea Nogales** 10 Aug 2026 5 min Photo by Letian Zhang on Unsplash In this article › The settings before leaving › What is best not kept on the phone › On the street › If it disappears En corto - Lock with a long code, not just fingerprint or face. - Remote location switched on and tested before leaving. - A second factor that does not depend on your number alone. - And nothing critical in unencrypted notes. The phone on a trip carries more inside it than a phone at home: tickets, bookings, documents, banking and the only way to ask for help. It deserves ten minutes of preparation. ## The settings before leaving 1. A lock code of six digits or more, and a short auto-lock. 2. Remote location switched on, and checked from another device so you know it works. 3. A backup made before the trip. 4. A second factor through an authenticator app, not just by text message. 5. And look at what shows on the lock screen: messages with codes are better hidden. Point five is the most forgotten: a long code is no use if the bank's verification code can be read on the darkened screen. ## What is best not kept on the phone - Photos of your PIN or of passwords in the gallery. - Unencrypted notes with banking details. - Open sessions for services you will not use on the trip. - And the only copy of an important document: that goes in your email too. ## On the street In cities with pickpockets, local habit is the best guide: phone in a front pocket or a cross-body bag, and not in your hand while you walk looking at the map. If you need to check it, stop and put your back to a wall. ## If it disappears Locate, lock remotely with a contact message, tell the operator and block the cards in the phone's wallet. In that order, and from any browser. The full steps are in [what to do if you lose your phone abroad](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/lost-phone-abroad). Write down your phone's IMEI before travelling and keep it outside the handset. You will be asked for it when reporting the loss, and you will not be able to look it up. Know where you're going? Pick your destination, days and data. Install it before you leave and pay once. [See destinations](https://getgigapass.com/en#destinos) Bea NogalesDevices and compatibility She has been repairing phones since before eSIMs existed. She explains what a handset does inside without it sounding like a manual. ## Frequently asked questions **Which security settings do I switch on before travelling?** A long lock code, tested remote location, a backup, a second factor through an app, and hiding the content of notifications on the lock screen. **Why aren't fingerprint or face enough?** Because the code is what protects the phone when biometric unlocking fails or is forced. It should be long. **What shouldn't I keep on my phone?** Photos of your PIN or passwords, unencrypted notes with banking details and the only copy of an important document. **What do I do if it gets stolen?** Locate, lock remotely with a contact message, tell the operator and block the cards in the phone's wallet. ## Keep reading - [On the road](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/phone-mistakes-when-travelling) | Seven phone mistakes that can spoil a trip | 7 min - [On the road](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/esim-after-the-trip) | What to do with your eSIM when you get home | 5 min [On the road You run out of data mid-trip: what to do 6 min](https://getgigapass.com/en/blog/run-out-of-data-abroad)