With the Fourth of July behind us and the World Cup underway, summer is quickly approaching. But before packing your bags for the trip, it’s worth taking a few minutes to think about how you’ll keep your documents – and data – safe.
It’s not just fake bookings and travel apps to watch out for (although those are real threats, too). Travelers are often inconvenienced, traveling in unfamiliar places with sensitive documents such as passports, hotel reservations and travel insurance documents, to name a few.
The latest data from the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, shows just how expensive travel-related fraud is. By 2025, consumers filed more than 64,000 travel, vacation and timeshare fraud reports, reporting losses of $297 million. The average loss was $700.
Here’s the kicker: The damage can be worse when the fraud goes unnoticed. According to an older FTC study, fraud that takes six months or more to emerge often exceeds $5,000, meaning the longer it goes undetected, the more expensive it can be.
That’s a big risk for travelers, as post-travel fraud may not be noticed until weeks or months after returning home. The good news is that a little maintenance before you leave — and a quick check-up when you get back — can help minimize the damage.
Before you go, lighten your stride
Travel scams often start before the vacation even begins. They may appear as fake airline websites, phishing emails that look like booking confirmations or push deals that are too vague to be verified.
The FTC recommends doing your homework on travel companies, hotels, rentals and agents by searching their names and keywords like “scam,” “review” and “complaint.” It also warns that only scammers will insist you pay via wire transfer, gift cards or cryptocurrency.
When it comes to physical records, write down what you bring. Leave behind anything you don’t need during the trip, including your Social Security card, secondary credit cards and paper documents containing sensitive account numbers.
For your documents do carry them, think about how you will dispose of them when they are no longer needed.
Brent Bell, vice president of recycling for owner Shred-it Waste Management, says “boarding passes are often overlooked, but they can store information like your name and reservation reference within the barcode.” Throwing one in the airport trash can pass that information on to anyone willing to fish for it.
Bell recommends storing your passes digitally in a password-protected app and deleting them once you arrive at your destination. If you have physical copies with you, take them back or dispose of them safely instead of throwing them in the airport bin. He also suggests that you make copies of important documents that you bring with you so that you are not at risk if something goes missing.
Protect your documents during travel
If you’re staying in a hotel, use the in-room safe for anything you won’t need throughout the day. And don’t leave printed receipts, itineraries or confirmation pages lying around when you check out. Bell suggests asking hotel staff to separate unnecessary travel documents if you have no other option.
If you’re staying in a rental or Airbnb, you may want to bring a travel-sized shredder or look for local shredder services near your destination. Otherwise, keep your sensitive documents in a locked bag or suitcase and dispose of them when you get home.
McAfee’s 2026 report identifies Wi-Fi as one of the most overlooked travel hazards. Public networks such as those in airports and hotels tend to have weaker security than private ones and allow anonymous users to share the same connection, creating opportunities for hackers to intercept your data.
Equifax says a safer option is to use a VPN, which allows you to access public Wi-Fi through a private connection. VPN services are available for free, but if you need to connect to public Wi-Fi without one, avoid mobile banking, paying bills or visiting any website that requires private information to access.
Both physical and digital threats are worth watching, but they don’t always play out the same way.
“With physical theft — someone picks up your wallet or you lose your passport — the thief has your documents right away,” Bell said. “But digital threats can go unnoticed for many months.”
A skimming device at an ATM or a data breach at an airline, for example, could quietly expose your information. And the stakes are high: Unlike a stolen credit card, a stolen passport cannot simply be canceled and replaced automatically.
Remove and monitor when you get home
Once you get home, separate boarding passes, luggage tags, rental car agreements and duplicate copies of documents you no longer need. Delete unnecessary digital copies from the phone or laptop, especially if they are stored outside of a secure application.
The next step should be to review your bank and credit card statements for any unknown charges. Check with travel integrity accounts, too; Airline and hotel miles can be stolen or drained. If something looks amiss, report it immediately to the company involved and consider filing a report with the FTC or FBI, depending on the type of fraud.
You should also monitor your credit reports after the trip, especially if you lose your ID, wallet or phone. The FBI recommends monitoring financial accounts, enabling multi-factor authentication and considering a credit freeze or fraud alert if personal information is compromised.
