Travel concentrates physical, network and account-takeover risk. This list is what we run ourselves before flights, conferences and border crossings. Tick what applies; skip what doesn't.

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Before you leave

Update OS, browser and key apps. Reboot.You don't want a 90-minute security update queued on hotel Wi-Fi.
Confirm full-disk encryption is enabled on every device you're taking.If a device is stolen, encryption is what stops it from being a data breach.
Take only the data you need. Move the rest to encrypted backup at home.Less on the device = less to lose. This is also helpful at borders.
Carry recovery codes for 2FA on a separate piece of paper, not on the same device.If your phone is lost or stolen, codes on it won't help you recover.
Tell your bank you're travelling, and add an alternate contact method.Locked-out-of-banking is the worst flavor of locked-out.

On the road

Avoid logging into sensitive accounts from public computers.Hotel and business-center machines are the textbook keylogger scenario.
Treat all hotel and conference Wi-Fi as untrusted: use HTTPS-only mode and a reputable VPN.VPN moves the trust to your provider; pick one whose policies you've actually read.
Disable Wi-Fi auto-join for unknown networks and turn off Bluetooth when you're not using it.Auto-join networks named 'attwifi', 'xfinitywifi', etc. is a known phishing trick.
Use your phone's mobile hotspot instead of public Wi-Fi when feasible.Carrier networks aren't perfect, but they aren't 'whatever-was-named-Starbucks-in-the-airport'.
Lock your devices physically when leaving the hotel room (cable lock or hotel safe).Most hotel-room theft is opportunistic. A small barrier solves most of it.

At borders

Know the data-handling laws in the country you're entering.Rules differ widely on whether you must unlock devices. Plan in advance.
Consider travelling with a clean device and accessing data only when needed.Common practice for journalists, lawyers, and anyone whose work touches sensitive sources.
Power devices off (not just sleep) before crossing a border.Cold-boot encryption is stronger than hot-state encryption on most platforms.

After you return

Review account login history on email, password manager, banking and SSO.Catch unfamiliar locations or devices early.
Rotate any credentials you typed into a public or untrusted machine.Better to rotate proactively than wonder later.
Update and reboot devices again. Apply anything that landed while you were away.Closes any gaps that opened during the trip.