Have you ever imagined working and educating your children while you’re on the move? That’s now possible due to the nomadic lifestyle. Indeed, this way of living isn’t just for young people who want to travel around the world anymore. It can be perfectly integrated into a family’s lifestyle, too.
There’s an increase in the number of families who work remotely and educate their kids while they explore new places. However, the nomadic lifestyle can be a bit risky for your family’s online activities if you don’t take any precautions.
Due to compromised public Wi-Fi networks, device theft, and data breaches, you can become easily vulnerable to malicious attacks. Therefore, you must educate yourself and your kids about the most common cyber threats and ways to overcome them.
That’s why we decided to show you what will help you maintain your online safety as a nomadic family.
Common Mistakes Nomadic Families Do
While incredibly exciting, a nomadic lifestyle that’s cyber-secure isn’t the easiest to achieve for families. Here’s a quick run-through of the most common mistakes that nomadic families make when living abroad:
- Connecting to public Wi-Fi networks
- Compromising account security with weak passwords
- Not storing your data properly
- Leaving devices unattended in public areas
- Lack of information about cyber threat types
If you don’t want to face the consequences of each of these points, here’s what you can do instead:
Utilize a Trustworthy VPN
As a nomadic family, you need a secure Internet connection to work, browse, and chat with your loved ones. Also, your kids will need to take their online classes. Luckily, a VPN can help you stay cyber secure and protect your sensitive information from most online threats.
Consider a VPN as a secure tunnel for your Internet traffic. VPNs can bypass geo-blocks, encrypt your data, and hide your IP address. This ensures no one can see what you or your kids are doing online. Some VPNs also offer a dedicated IP VPN address, which can be useful if your work requires you to log in from a specific IP address for security reasons.
Employ Password Managers
Many of us use the same easy-to-remember password across all our accounts. It’s convenient, but unfortunately, it makes us more vulnerable to hackers. Using unique, strong passwords for each account is much safer. This is why we recommend setting stronger and unique passwords that are different for each of your accounts.
If this might seem too tedious or time-consuming, a password manager will help you with it. They keep your passwords in one place, so you don’t need to type them anytime you want to access your account. More precisely, tools like a manager will fill in your login details automatically, regardless of which account you’re using.
A good password manager will also let you know when your passwords are too weak and help create stronger ones. The best part is that if one of your accounts gets hacked, your other accounts remain safe. This is because each has its own unique and robust password established by a password manager.
Switch to eSIMs
As long as remote work and education allow your family to move from one place to another, it is most common for people to connect to different public Wi-Fi networks to access the internet. While it may seem innocent to use these networks if you want to text your parents at home, or if your kids want to watch some online videos, remember that these networks are usually unsecured. So, it would be smart to buy an eSIM.
Reliable eSIMs support 4G or 5G connectivity, meaning you can obtain great connectivity speed and thus stop using public networks altogether. Also, these technologies encrypt mobile data. So, eSIMs, unlike Wi-Fi networks, can indirectly prevent unauthorized access to the data you transmit over the network.
Additionally, keep in mind that eSIMs are embedded in your device. This means that unlike traditional SIMs, which you need to remove to deactivate, you can turn off the eSIM from its app with a single click. This helps you avoid eSIM manipulation in case of device theft or loss.
Use Secure Cloud Storage
Some of your activities as a nomadic family will include taking pictures and saving work and your kids’ school documents. Therefore, you need to store them safely. Luckily, you can save everything on the cloud and enhance your cyber security at the same time.
Secure cloud storage has top-notch encryption, which protects all of your family’s data before or after you send it. Thus, you can choose who can open them and prevent unauthorized access in case an attacker jeopardizes the cloud.
On top of this, secure cloud storage implements identity and access management (IAM). This refers to tracking user identities and managing who has access. Also, IAM offers robust protection measures, which reduce the risk of data breaches. These include single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and access control.
Check What Your Kids Are Browsing Online
Sometimes, nomadic families fall victim to cyber incidents from very innocent acts, such as children visiting unsecured websites or playing games infected by malware. This is why it’s crucial for you as a parent to check what your children are doing online when they’re not taking their classes.
If you want to avoid this, you can encourage them to enjoy offline activities, which can simultaneously be stimulating and skill-improving. For example, if your children like sports, invest in equipment like football training mats or portable basketball hoops. These allow them to practice their favorite sports even with limited space while ensuring they don’t get involved in sketchy online activities or fall prey to scams.
You’re All Ready
After reading our guide, you’re now equipped to avoid the common security pitfalls that nomadic families face. You have a clearer understanding of potential cyber threats and, most importantly, practical solutions to protect your family online. By implementing these security measures, you can enjoy your nomadic lifestyle with greater peace of mind, knowing your digital presence remains secure wherever your adventures take you.
