Travelling with sensitive information
Reduce what you carry, prepare devices before you leave and plan for border searches, loss, theft and hostile networks.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Travel changes the risk. A phone or laptop that is perfectly reasonable for everyday work may contain years of messages, contacts, photographs, documents and account access that you would not choose to hand to a stranger.
For journalists and production teams, the safest approach is usually not to add more security software. It is to carry less.
Before you travel, decide what really needs to go
Think about the assignment, destination and people who could be affected if a device were lost, searched or copied. Remove material you do not need and make sure anything important is backed up before departure.
For higher-risk trips, consider a separate travel phone or laptop containing only what the assignment requires. A clean device is not magic protection, but it can dramatically reduce the amount of unrelated information exposed if it is searched or seized.
Do this planning before you reach the airport. Hastily deleting large quantities of material immediately before a border crossing can create problems of its own, and laws governing device searches and disclosure of passwords vary between countries.
Protect the device
Install operating-system and app updates before travelling and make sure full-device encryption and a strong screen lock are enabled. Modern iPhones, iPads, Macs and suitably configured Android and Windows devices support encryption as standard.
For a higher-risk border crossing, use a PIN or password rather than relying on a fingerprint or face. Power the device off before crossing so its encryption is fully engaged.
Keep devices with you where practical. A hotel-room safe is not a guarantee against access, and a device that has been out of your control should be treated more cautiously afterwards if the assignment involves a capable adversary.
Think about the accounts on the device
A phone does not just contain files. It can provide access to email, cloud storage, messaging, social media, photographs, contacts and password managers.
Before a sensitive trip, consider which accounts genuinely need to remain accessible. Logging out of an account or removing an app may be more useful than trying to hide individual files.
Make sure important accounts have strong authentication and that you can recover them if your usual phone or SIM stops working. Keep recovery codes somewhere safe that is not solely on the device you are carrying.
At borders
Assume that a device may be inspected and that the legal position is different from an ordinary police search. The consequences of refusing a request can also depend on your citizenship or immigration status.
If the work is sensitive, get country-specific legal and security advice before travelling rather than improvising at the desk. Think about unpublished material, source identities, contacts, browsing history and messaging apps as well as documents stored locally.
If a device is taken out of your sight or seized in circumstances that concern you, record what happened and seek advice before using it again for highly sensitive work.
Networks, SIMs and charging
Hotel, airport and café Wi-Fi can usually be used sensibly for ordinary work; see our public Wi-Fi guide. For sensitive assignments, follow any organisational requirement to use a managed VPN or other approved connection.
A local SIM or eSIM can be useful, but remember that the mobile provider can see network-level information and that registering a SIM may require identity documents in some countries.
Avoid plugging an unlocked device into unfamiliar computers or equipment. Use your own charger and cable where possible.
Plan for loss or detention
Before departure, know:
- who the team should contact if a device is lost or seized;
- whether the organisation can remotely lock or wipe it;
- how you will regain access to essential accounts without the device;
- where the authoritative copy of your material is stored; and
- who needs to be warned if contacts or sources may have been exposed.
Travel security is not about turning every trip into a hostile-environment exercise. Match the precautions to the assignment. But when the consequences of disclosure are serious, the simplest rule is often the best: do not carry information you do not need.