When preparing for a trip lots of travellers worry about what to pack. Travelling light is key. But have you ever thought about what to pack uh bring to protect your digital life? Have you thought about how to keep your laptop and smartphone safe & secure when logging into public hotspots of accommodations and libraries overseas? We’ve got some handy tips and advice for you.
It seems so simple: you travel, bring your laptop, connect it to (free) Wi-Fi at your destination and your digital life continues as if you were at home. But you are not at home. Are you sure the Wi-Fi you are connecting to is safe to use? Maybe it is compromised. Maybe someone is eavesdropping. Maybe it isn’t what it pretends to be. At home you are in control of your Wi-Fi and your router. Overseas you are at someone else’s mercy.
Why is digital security important for travellers?
“Why do I need digital security, there is nothing interesting on my laptop?” is what some travellers immediately say when security is mentioned. Well, even if you don’t store sensitive files on your device, hackers can use your device to access your accounts, steal your identity or spread malware to your contacts.
And for Digital Nomads it goes without saying, the better you protect your devices wherever you are, the better your clients’ data is protected, especially as you'll be working from libraries and co-working spaces all over the world.
Digital security while travelling: pack the right tools
We have talked about it before, a tool like a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a handy tool to have to create a secure, encrypted tunnel where all your internet traffic goes through when connecting to public Wi-Fi. It is like a secure tunnel for your data, so even if someone tries to peek, they’ll only see gibberish.
But a VPN is only a small part of keeping your digital life secure when travelling overseas. There are more things to consider, like virus protection, backing up your data, creating unique passwords and keeping them secure and much more.
No need to create a massive packing list for your devices to keep your digital stuff secure. There are all-in-one security solutions that can take care of all of that.
Norton 360 Premium is the all-in-one solution for travellers
Norton is a well-known name in the world of security and anti-virus. Their Norton 360 Premium security tool does all the above-mentioned things and is the perfect solution for travellers and digital nomads. Well, every traveller needs to be aware of the security risks of taking your devices with you and connecting to unknown public hotspots.
But how does Norton 360 work and is it worth getting it? The proof is in the pudding. Therefore we were glad that the public relations team of Norton reached out and offered us the opportunity to test out Norton 360 Premium in our capacity as travel addicts and digital nomads.
As you know, at the TravelGeek travel blog we tell you how it is. We don’t sugarcoat things – as you can see in our honest accommodation review section – so you can expect a truthful user experience of Norton 360 Premium. It won’t be a technical review as specialised blogs and magazines are much better at that. It’s our goal to give you an overview of our real-life experience with this security tool.
What is Norton 360 Premium?
Well, it is “an all-in-one security suite” but that is what you already knew. Let’s dive into the specs list and check out its features, which can be summed up as follows.
- Device Protection: it protects up to 5 devices from viruses, malware and hackers.
- Password Manager: it securely stores and manages passwords for all your accounts, so you don’t have to remember them or write them down. It also generates strong, unique passwords for new accounts, keeping your online presence more secure. The passwords can be automatically filled in on websites and apps, saving you time and reducing frustration.
- VPN (Virtual Private Network): it keeps your internet browsing private so no one can snoop on what you’re doing online.
- Cloud Backup (100GB): it saves your important files online, so you don’t lose them if your device breaks or gets hacked.
- Dark Web Monitoring: it alerts you if your personal info (like passwords or credit card numbers) is found on the shady parts of the internet.
- AI Scam Protection: it helps spot and block sneaky scams in emails, texts, and websites.
So you could say that Norton 360 Premium is like a digital security guard for all your devices. It’s designed to keep your digital life safe online, even if you’re not tech-savvy.
Advantages of Norton 360 Premium
The biggest advantage of this Norton security suite is that it replaces a lot of separate tools. No need to get an anti-virus tool, password manager, VPN etc separately. Just one Norton tool at a great price – check deals on Norton 360 Premium – and thus one tool to install. Easy as.
Are there any disadvantages?
As an American company, Norton’s parent company may be subject to laws such as the USA CLOUD Act, which allows authorities to request user data under specific legal conditions. However, Norton emphasises strong encryption and privacy safeguards to protect your information and such requests are rare and strictly regulated.
Our experience with Norton 360 Premium
Okay time to kick the tires of this digital security vehicle. How did Norton 360 Premium perform for us as travelling geeks? On a side note, the test of this security suite was performed by the least tech-savvy blogger in the TravelGeek family so it was done by a regular person, just like you.
The installation is pretty straightforward. The interface is really intuitive, making it easy for non-techies to install it and navigate the dashboard to use all features. All items are well-explained and icons & images are present were needed.
Once installed on your computer it is super easy to get it up and running on your smartphone as well. Just scan the QR code and all systems are go. Remember, you can secure up to 5 devices with Norton 360 Premium so that will cover all your laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones, basically all your Windows and Apple devices.
There are no unnecessary and annoying pop-ups like some of the free tools out there have. It is literally set & forget, knowing that the Norton security guard is protecting your devices.
And when you have arrived at your next destination and connect to Wi-Fi there, the system will scan the Wi-Fi hotspot to see if there are issues. When it is convinced it is secure (done quickly so no lag) it will connect and your traffic will be routed securely via the built-in VPN. And all of a sudden you are aware that some hotspots you would normally connect to, without giving it too much thought, are basically a security risk. Luckily the Wi-Fi scan feature of Norton is always active to alert you of things like this.
It was refreshing to experience such a smooth experience, from the installation to the moment it was protecting our laptop and smartphone. No weird tech things to do. No annoying pop-ups that you often get with free anti-virus tools and no issues. Once it was running after its first scan of everything it didn't get in our way. You won't notice it is there, until a virus, scam email or malware pops up. Then the tool will kick into action. Its malware and virus protection is reliable and effective at blocking threats in real-time.
Creating your own digital packing list
With a security tool like Norton 360 Premium on your packing list, you won’t need anything else to protect your devices. It’ll be a short & sweet packing list to protect your digital life. If you are interested in a deep-dive into the tech stuff and how the malware & virus protection have been tested, check out the Christmas 2025 issue of APC Mazine. They have tested 8 security suites side by side… And – spoiler alert – Norton 360 scored 5 out of 5 stars and got awarded the RECOMMENDED label.
Check out the Norton 360 features & options to see which plan is perfect to protect your digital life on your next trip.
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