Whether you’re on the sun lounger and reading a magazine on your iPad, or using a translation app to try and chat up a cute Spanish girl in a bar, your mobile device can help you get even more out of your holiday.
But when you’re a tourist in a foreign country, it’s even more important to be careful of your possessions. Here’s our guide to keeping your phone, tablet or dongle safe when you go abroad.
- Before you go away, make a note of your phone’s serial number. To find this, key in *06 # and you’ll see a 15-digit code. This is your phone’s serial number, or ‘IMEI code’.
- Make a note of your operator’s helpline number. It might be different if you’re calling from abroad. For example, you’d call 333 from a Three phone at home, but +44 7782 333 333 when you’re abroad.
- If your phone is stolen, the first thing you should do is call your network operator and get them to block your SIM or phone. This means that if someone tries to use your phone, they won’t be able to make calls on it, and you won’t be liable for a huge bill when you get home.
- Make sure your bag is secure. We’re not talking barbed wire and padlocks, but often a zip and closed flap are enough to deter the opportunistic thief.
- When you’re at the local watering hole, place your bag on your lap rather than on the back of your chair or at your feet. If you’re sitting outside or on a busy street, pay even more attention to your bag. A thief on a motorbike could easily swipe it in a second – and be ten miles down the road before you even notice.
- Never leave your phone on a table in a café. There’s a common trick used to fool unsuspecting tourists: a child or fellow traveller will come and spread a map or brochures on your table, trying to ask for directions. When they leave and take the papers with them, your phone will be gone too.
- Keep a list of important numbers. Before you leave, ask yourself who you might need to call in an emergency, or even just during the time you’re away. Write these numbers down and keep them in a safe place.
- We tend to use our phones as a portable address book so it makes sense to back up your SIM card and contacts before you go. Remember, if you haven’t backed up and you lose your phone, you’ll lose all your contacts as well. Find out how to save your contacts list to a computer here.
