You probably check your passport three times before leaving for the airport. Then you check your hotel booking or maybe even the weather at your destination. But when was the last time you checked whether your digital life was ready for the trip? That sounds like an odd thing to worry about until you are sitting in an airport in another country with 8% battery, next to a WiFi network asking you to accept terms you haven’t read. Your banking app also suddenly decides it needs to verify your identity.

Travel has become heavily dependent on our phones. Your phone is your everything from boarding pass to a banking terminal. It is also increasingly your only way of contacting people back home. It is wonderfully convenient when everything works. But a small digital problem can become a travel headache when something doesn’t work.

Here are a few things to consider before you take off.

Your Phone Is Part of Your Travel Gear

There was a time when losing your phone on holiday meant losing a camera along with a few contacts. But now it can mean losing access to almost everything. Think about how many things on your phone require a login. Everything from your email to banking apps may be sitting behind the same little rectangle in your hand. This is why preparing your phone should be as normal as checking your luggage.

Make sure your travel documents are available offline before you leave. Save copies of your passport along with insurance details somewhere you can access them without relying on a mobile connection. It also helps to think about how you’ll stay connected once you land if you’re travelling for several weeks. This guide to connectivity tips for long international trips covers some practical things worth sorting out before you fly. It takes five minutes. Trying to retrieve a hotel confirmation from an email account while standing at an immigration counter can take considerably longer.

Airport WiFi Is Convenient Until You Need It Most

We’ve all done it. You land after a long flight to see “Free Airport WiFi” and connect before you have even picked up your luggage. You might need to message your hotel or check whether your connecting flight has changed. The problem isn’t that every public WiFi network is dangerous. The problem is that you often have very little idea who operates the network. That becomes critical when you do anything sensitive.

Checking the weather is one thing but logging into your bank account on an unfamiliar network is another. A simple rule is to think twice before using it for anything involving money. A VPN can add privacy if you need to use an unfamiliar connection. CyberGhost offers a free trial you can try here if you want to test how a VPN fits into your travel routine before committing.

Your Banking App Doesn’t Care About Your Holiday

Your bank doesn’t know that you’re sitting beside a pool in Bali or waiting for a train in Tokyo. It may flag something unusual if its security system detects a login from another country. That can be a sensible security measure but it can also be inconvenient when you’re trying to pay for dinner.

Check that your bank has your current phone number before travelling and that you can receive the verification method it uses abroad. Consider setting them up if your bank offers travel notifications. Make sure you know how to contact the bank if your card is blocked.

Your Photos Are Worth Protecting

Imagine coming home from a trip to find your phone damaged. The phone can be replaced but your photos may not be. Back up important photos during the trip if you’re travelling somewhere you may never visit again. Cloud storage can help in several ways but it is worth checking that your backup is actually working rather than assuming it is.

You can also transfer crucial photos to another device or storage service. There is something strangely painful about losing a blurry photo of a restaurant sign you could easily recreate. Losing the one photograph of your grandparents’ old neighbourhood that you spent years planning to visit is a completely different matter.

Give Your Digital Life Five Minutes Before You Fly

You don’t need a complicated setup for your travel technology. Ask yourself the following questions before leaving.

• Can I access my important documents without the internet?
• Can I contact my bank if my card stops working?
• Do I have a backup payment method?
• Will I be able to receive verification codes abroad?
• Are my important photos backed up?
• Do I know what I’m doing if I have to use public WiFi?
• Have I downloaded the maps and information I might need offline?

None of this is exciting and it certainly won’t make for an impressive Instagram Story. But these are the little preparations that you tend to appreciate most when something goes wrong. Because modern travel isn’t just about getting yourself to another country. Your phone, accounts, documents, payments, and online services are travelling with you too. And your digital life doesn’t get checked at the airport, unlike an overpacked suitcase. You have to make sure it’s ready yourself.