8 Football Tech Tips: Navigating the Pro Bowl

1. Bring a Portable Hard Drive

This tip might sound a little redundant or unnecessary, but hear us out:

While the cloud stores certain information, it might be reassuring to know that you have backup with a portable hard drive. Back up your devices before your Florida trip and email yourself critical information (contacts, passports, visas and reservations). Encrypted emails are best for this type of information.

If something were to happen to your things (theft, water damage, etc), you can easily retrieve that information while you’re still traveling.

2. Bring a Cable Organizer

If you travel with multiple devices, you probably have a lot of different cables and cords. A cable organizer is a zip-up storage bag with compartments for cords, plugs, chargers and other items like flash drives, tablets or phones.

Pro tip: Make sure you check your cable organizer before leaving your hotel. If an item is missing, it’s likely still plugged into an outlet. Leave no power cords behind!

3. Power Up Wisely With a Charge-Only USB Cable

Investing in a charge-only USB cable or a USB Data Blocker are critical cybersecurity measures, especially when traveling for events like the Pro Bowl. These cables protect your device from “juice jacking,” a sneaky cyber threat that exploits public charging ports to access sensitive data.

By limiting your cable’s functionality to charging only, you eliminate the risk of unauthorized data transfer during public charges. This small but impactful step ensures your device’s integrity, providing peace of mind as you work on leveling up in Candy Crush (or your mobile game of choice) during layovers.

4. Consider Anti-Theft Bags and Wallets

If you’re traveling with expensive tech, it might be worth getting yourself a new backpack. Anti-theft bags and wallets protect your personal info from getting swiped. Look for items that are RFID safe, meaning they’ll keep identity thieves from scanning your passport, credit cards or rental key information.

Also, keep an eye out for reinforced bag straps that guard against cut-and-run crimes.

5. Invest in Travel Insurance

Here’s one of our tech tips that’s often overlooked: Purchase travel insurance.

What would you do if someone steals your things? Travel insurance is essential on all big trips. We recommend choosing coverage that protects your belongings as well as your health and safety. Read through the fine print to make sure your valuables are covered.

It might mean upgrading your plan, but if it covers your camera, laptop, tablet and smartphone, and you plan on bringing all of them, then it’s probably worth the extra peace of mind.

6. Avoid Public Internet Connections and Wi-Fi

Have you ever been out traveling, looking for free Wi-Fi, and been relieved to find a hotspot? When you connect to public internet, you’ll likely get a notification saying, “This connection is unsecured.”

The usual security measures and encryption of the connection are not protecting your data, which puts your personal information at risk of being seen by hackers or whoever else is snooping on the same network.

When you get an unsecured connection notification, simply go offline and put your phone on airplane mode, or use your phone’s 4G or 5G connection.

Pro tip: It’s better to wait until you’re on a secure network than to have your information stolen. One way to do this is to tether off of your cell phone from your laptop if you need to connect to the internet. This is much safer than using a hotel or other hotspot location.. Trust us, whatever you want to see online (whether it’s cat videos or work email newsletters) can wait if it means securing your data.

7. Download Offline Apps/Tickets

Before you leave for your trip, download apps that can function offline. Key apps include Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, and TicketMaster. By doing so, you’ll be able to access your tickets to the game or other important information, even if you don’t have Wi-Fi, there’s no service, you have an unsecured connection or cell service is too busy in the football stadium.

The Tripit app lets you manage your itinerary (hotels, car rentals, flights) without a data connection. Google Translate will help you converse with people or service providers who speak a different language.

8. Final Tip: Don’t Bring Too Many Valuables

There’s always an internal debate between bringing nice things with you or leaving them at home. Don’t forget, small, clear bags are often required at most stadiums.. Sometimes, the best thing to do is leave your expensive tech at home. All you really need is a camera, which most (if not all) smartphones have. We guarantee you’ll be too distracted by your surroundings at the game, the local scenery or your travel buddies to be checking Microsoft 365 emails or your Teams channels.

If you’re looking for more tech tips or additional cybersecurity awareness training, contact us or book a meeting.

OrlanTech

OrlanTech is a managed service provider (MSP) that was founded in 1995 and is now the market leader in delivering technology-as-a-service to small and medium size businesses (SMB) in the central Florida area.