As the holidays are upon us, many of us will be getting on the road or into the air. If you are using social media, the temptation will be there to alert friends and family of your upcoming travels and to share adventures along the way. But you may want to rethink using social media to share your vacation plans. According to a recent article in Time magazine, it’s estimated that 78 percent of burglars use social media to choose the location of their next break-in! Don’t put yourself at risk.
Here are some easy steps to take before and during your vacation to make sure you maximize your safety when you travel:
Before you head out the door:
- Resist the urge to alert the world that you are going on vacation. This is the first and most basic way to keep your home off the radar.
- Display your location notification settings on your phone. That way you won’t inadvertently alert the social media world of your location when you tweet or post.
- Manage your Facebook privacy settings and enable timeline review. This will enable you to approve the photos you are tagged in when you have returned from vacation.
While you are on Vacation:
- Don’t check in. Don’t use Foursquare, check in on Facebook or tweet about your current location. You don’t want to pin your whereabouts on the virtual map and let the world know precisely how far from home you are.
- Capture all the moments and utilize a social media management tool to schedule postings for when you return. This includes blog posts as well as Facebook, twitter and google+.
After Vacation:
- Now is when you share. Post your map, your photos and all the adventures you have had, knowing you are home and you have kept your golden moments from turning into some thief’s golden opportunity.