The kids are out of school and you’ve been stockpiling your vacation time for months. It’s prime time to hit the road (or skies) for a well-deserved getaway. But before you dust off your suitcase, take some time to assess the protection of one of your most valuable travel tools — your smartphone.

Your personal travel guide

A recent survey conducted by Asurion found that 77 percent of travelers say their phone is either “very” or “extremely” important to have while traveling. In fact, 46 percent of those surveyed revealed they use their mobile phone to research vacation information such as destinations and deals. Other popular uses include booking transportation tickets, making dining reservations and using travel-related apps.

Before heading out

It’s easy to see that smartphones can be critical. Consider these tips before heading out:

• Use a good screen protector and invest in a quality cover or case. This is an easy and inexpensive way to prevent scratching, cracks and other external damage.
• Invest in mobile protection for your phone to safeguard your family from problems associated with a lost, stolen or damaged cellphone. Asurion (Asurion.com) is among companies that offer mobile phone protection.
• Plug the phone charger into a power surge protector.
• Password-protect your phone. If it is lost or stolen, it will be your first line of defense against identity theft.
• Install an anti-theft application on your child’s device to locate or lock it and wipe data.
• Back up your child’s phone regularly to recover pictures, music and contacts quickly.

Protecting your phone also includes keeping it from thieves. When Asurion asked smartphone users where they experienced the theft of their device, the most common settings included these locations: 

• Restaurant or bar
• Street or sidewalk
• Store or mall
• Parking lot
• Public transportation

Prevention tips

There are several steps you can take to reduce the risk of smartphone theft, including the following:

• Keep the phone in a pocket or purse where it will be out of site.
• Use a Bluetooth device to be able to keep the phone safely tucked away.
• Use headphones when listening to music.
• Password-protect the phone.
• Be aware of surroundings in public. Focusing on texting, email, social media or any other mobile application puts users at risk.
• Have an application that will remotely lock the smartphone and wipe the data if necessary.
• Don’t set a smartphone out on a table.