Safe Vacation Checklist

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Do not give your colleagues the logins and passwords from your work accounts, warn the bank about traveling abroad and set a limit on cash withdrawals.

Vacation is not always an opportunity to disconnect from problems. Often these are new problems: with work (colleagues and bosses are tugging), with money (spending and, what is worse, spending is unpredictable), with security. We offer simple rules, compliance with which will significantly reduce these risks.

So as not to be tugged at work

The first thing a quality vacation starts with is order at work. This means that colleagues will be able to replace you on most issues.

It doesn't sound so utopian if your company has established business processes, a hierarchy of access to information, and employees disciplinedly record their actions in task trackers and CRM.

According to my observations, so in one company out of ten. What if you are not lucky enough to work there?

1. Write a letter for a replacement colleague

In it, list all urgent tasks and contact persons on the side of clients / partners, as well as those who have information on the issue within your company.

2. Compose an auto-reply for incoming emails

A message from which the addressee will understand how soon you will get out of vacation (perhaps he will easily survive your absence). Also indicate a "liaison" in case of urgent questions.

3. Prepare your work laptop

If you can't avoid work on vacation, ask your IT department to set up a VPN for you on your laptop. VPN was just invented in order to securely access the Web, no matter what kind of Wi-Fi you have to use.

4. Never leave logins and passwords to colleagues

Many people do this - a fact. But in our practice, we have seen dozens of stories when such gullibility leads to information leaks, for which later innocent vacationers have to answer. In addition, quite often we are faced with cases of "setup". Therefore, change your habits.

5. If possible, do not take corporate devices with you

Be it laptops or USB sticks with working documents. The same applies to personal devices that have access to corporate services (CRM, mail, clouds, and the like). This will protect you from employer claims in case the device is stolen and classified information falls into the wrong hands. A commercial secret is not just a formality, its disclosure threatens with sanctions under the Labor Code and is criminally prosecuted, so it is better to exclude even the possibility of an accidental leak.

So that money does not disappear

All problems - from the loss of a suitcase to delayed flights - pale before one: the loss of money and a smartphone. What should you do so that they always remain with you?

1. Set passwords on all devices

Do this even if you are used to using your laptop and phone at home just like that. The tourist areas are full of pickpockets. And if they pull out an unprotected device, they will get their hands on all accounts without exception, including those from payment services.

2. Write down passwords for all accounts and keep them handy

You can store passwords in a special application on your phone, in a notebook or on any other item that you always carry with you. The main thing is to fix it in such a way that it is clear only to you. For example, replace each letter in the password with the next alphabetically: where there was a, let it be b. And of course, do not specify in the records which combination is from which service. This is a measure "just in case": everyone can get into a situation when they need to urgently log into their account, and all passwords, as luck would have it, flew out of their heads.

3. Set up online banking in the application or website

And connect the electronic services you need to payment services. Your bank's offices and terminals are not everywhere, and calling the hotline in roaming is expensive. But the Internet is everywhere, with it you will not lose control over your accounts and can always stay in touch with any services. But if on vacation you are going to turn off your phone and pay only by card, do not forget to notify the bank of your departure (this can be done directly in the banking application or by calling the branch). Otherwise, without receiving confirmation from you via SMS, the bank may consider some of the operations questionable and block the card.

4. Get a "vacation" card

Let it be the simplest debit option without the ability to connect an overdraft. But a vacation card should not be the only payment instrument. The best vacation option is multiple cards + cash. Do not neglect cash, but it is better to bring in a small amount with you, and not withdraw from ATMs. In tourist areas, the risk of becoming a victim of skimming (fraud with bank information readers through ATMs) increases significantly. But if you already had to withdraw cash, choose not street points in the thick of tourist activity - it is better to go to a bank branch. If a meeting with a street apparatus cannot be avoided, at least visually make sure that it is in order. The equipment should not be flimsy, a real ATM is solid.

5. Set a limit on transactions and cash withdrawals

So a fraudster, if he got hold of your data, will not be able to steal more than a limited amount. If you cannot find the card and suspect that it has been stolen, set the limit at zero rubles. If you are sure that the card is stolen or lost, block it. For greater reliability, set up a piggy bank in online banking. Let it be "NZ" for special occasions. This money is not displayed on the card, it can only be transferred to "plastic" if necessary.

What you need to remember always

The main rule that will save you from the main number of problems is not to go to someone else's monastery with your own charter. Do not play with other people's laws. Beware of giving vivid assessments of the political environment in the host country, including on social media. Do not test local regulations on drinking or wearing inappropriate clothing without having a trusted lawyer handy. Prepare a list of contacts for communication with the bank, consulate, embassy, emergency services, as well as several "liaisons" at home. Let these numbers be handwritten, because phones tend to run out of power at the most inopportune moment.