Almost no one worries about the internet connection they use the moment they land.

That is the mistake.

The habit almost everyone has

You land in a new city. Mobile data is expensive or slow. You see "Free Airport WiFi." You connect.

You check email. Maybe your bank app. Maybe work files. Maybe personal messages.

It feels normal. Everyone around you is doing the same thing. But from a security perspective, you just stepped into one of the least controlled digital environments you will use all year.

Why public travel WiFi is different

Airport, hotel, and café networks are shared by hundreds or thousands of strangers. That creates three major problems most people never think about:

1. You do not know who else is on that network Attackers often target busy public networks because they blend in easily.

2. Fake hotspots exist A network name can look official but be controlled by someone nearby collecting data.

3. Your connection is more exposed than you think Even when websites use secure connections, your traffic patterns, IP address, and device activity can still reveal useful information.

For someone looking to steal data, travelers are ideal targets. They log into financial accounts, work systems, and personal email, all from unfamiliar networks.

The moment I realized how exposed that is

I used to connect to hotel and airport WiFi without hesitation. I would log into cloud storage, respond to work emails, even manage payments.

Then I started reading about how easy it is on shared networks to monitor traffic or exploit weak points. Not in a dramatic movie way. In a quiet, automated, opportunistic way.

That changed how I use the internet when I travel.

The simple shift that fixed it

I did not stop using public WiFi. That is unrealistic when traveling.

Instead, I made sure my connection is encrypted before I do anything sensitive. That means turning on a VPN first.

I use NordVPN for this. The reason is simple. Once it is on, my internet traffic is encrypted and my real IP address is hidden. On a shared network, that makes a big difference.

So now my routine looks like this:

• Arrive at airport or hotel • Connect to WiFi • Turn on NordVPN • Then open email, banking apps, or work tools

It takes seconds, but it removes a major layer of risk.

What surprised me most

I expected it to be technical or slow. It was neither.

Setup was quick, and for normal use like browsing, email, and streaming, I do not notice a meaningful drop in speed. It just runs in the background while I travel.

It became a habit, like checking I locked my suitcase.

Who this matters most for

This is especially important if you:

• Travel for work • Access financial accounts on the go • Handle client or company data • Use hotel or airport WiFi frequently

Public WiFi is convenient, but convenience is exactly why it is attractive to attackers too.

NordVPN is simply what I use to add a layer of privacy and encryption to those connections. If you want to look into the same setup, here is the one I use: Click here

The mistake is not using public WiFi

The mistake is using it as if it were your private home network.

Travel already puts you in unfamiliar places physically. There is no reason to be exposed digitally at the same time.