It used to be common to post travel photos with a location tag. Countless travellers share details about where they were while abroad on social media. Attitudes toward location tagging have started to change, though, and new habits are forming. People are still taking and sharing pictures while on vacation, but they’re sharing them later, and the exact location information is often stripped.
Why is this happening? A few concerns are driving the changes. The main one being that geotagging location or photos is putting you at risk, and it may not be good for the destination as well.
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What is pushing travelers to keep locations secret?
Posting a beautiful view can inspire others, but sharing too much can create problems — both for yourself and for the destination.
Location sharing means more data can get exposed than you might expect. A public post might show not only where you’re staying, but where you’re dining and traveling to on that day. Being this open puts your personal itinerary directly into the hands of potential attackers.
Also, there’s always the risk of adding to social media virality. A single viral post can generate millions of views in a matter of days, or even hours. Going viral sounds great until it doesn’t. Now, large crowds are suddenly flocking to the location. As a consequence, local infrastructure struggles and natural areas suffer massive human impact.
What is Geotagging?
When you take a photo and enable your GPS, it stores the physical location where the photo was taken. Geotagging is the process of assigning coordinates to photos, like latitude and longitude. Geotagging can also include other data such as altitude, bearing, and place names.
Geotags make it easier to find a relatively unknown place— a user can tap the tag on a photo and instantly see the exact location. With so many of us armed with a GPS and a quick internet search at our fingertips, it’s a rapidly shrinking world. Your geotags may be damaging your favourite places and it is time to stop. To prevent the damage, many travelers simply share the location in much more general terms or keep it secret altogether.
Vacation updates lead to big security risks
Posting updates about your vacation might seem pretty harmless. However, every single geotagged photo or location check-in puts more of your information out there for cybercriminals who specialize in targeting travelers.
Location Data helps scammers find their traveling targets
Some scammers watch popular travel hashtags or location tags. When they see a traveler in transit, they may send messages that look like official notifications.
These messages might claim there is a problem with a booking, a payment request, or a travel document. The goal is simple: get the traveler to click a link or enter personal information. So, to stay safer, tools that include a scam and fraud alert are essential. They can warn you when suspicious websites or messages appear.
Criminals are counting on you using hashtags or location tags to mark yourself as a target. Delay those posts, or just strip the location tags out entirely, and be very aware of the links you’re clicking.
Public Wi-Fi adds another dose of risk
Countless travelers depend on public Wi-Fi when they’re on the go. Airports, cafes, hotels, and attractions often have free Wi-Fi, and while these networks are convenient, they’re also loaded with risk.
Someone on the same network may try to intercept traffic. The attacker might set up an evil twin — a fake hotspot that looks legitimate and helps criminals to steal your data. A phishing attack is another common tactic. If you log into accounts or make purchases on fraudulent networks, you might expose login details or payment information. Extra protection becomes important when using shared internet access during a trip.
Why VPN access is critical for some destinations
Remember that internet access is not the same everywhere. Some regions limit websites, messaging, social platforms, and more. Do your research beforehand. Don’t wait until after you arrive and can’t access your favorite apps anymore.
While traveling, a VPN can help keep some degree of familiar access. It helps to change your virtual location, so you still can use home services while on local networks. A VPN encrypts your online data as it moves to and from your computer. This way, even if someone is watching, they won’t be able to see what you’re doing online. Your sessions, activity, and credentials will be secure.
If you travel a lot, a VPN is one digital safety tool you should always have in your tool belt. Whether it’s protecting you from the dangers of connecting to public Wi-Fi, censorship in high-risk countries or giving you access to content and website blocking in your destination, a VPN is a must.
What to look for in VPNs for travel?
If you travel a lot, VPN is one of the travel essentials to consider. You need VPNs that work with the specific devices you use. Choose a VPN that has Servers in or around your destination country. Having access to servers in your destination country ensures you can stay protected while enjoying fast speeds.
Encryption protects your data so that it stays private from your ISP and other people on your network. When you’re traveling to a different country, you should have access to customer support in case you need any help with your VPN.
Make travel memories without a risky digital footprint
Sharing your adventures and travel memories online can be inspirational. It’s also fun to look back at your Instagram story archives months down the line. At the same time, updates that are too frequent or too precise can put you at risk. Aim for a balanced approach that still documents your trips without giving potential attackers a play-by-play, and think about when and what you post.
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This is honestly such an important topic, thanks for writing this post! Not a lot of people want to talk about this topic, but we really need to start protecting these places. Unfortunately, we’ve all seen what social media has done to a lot of natural places.
Indeed, one must be careful when tagging their location as it can have consequences both for the traveler and the location itself. Good to keep that in mind.
Creating awareness and supporting the imbalance of over tourism. Thank you