How do you keep personal information handy while protecting it against the risks and rigours of travel – including theft, hacking, and damage to your electronics?

Following is an explanation of the “USB Stick Trick”: a technique your employees can use to protect and easily access their personal information while travelling.

USB Stick Trick

Even if you are robbed and lose everything, your trusty USB stick will enable you to immediately start the process of reinstating your passport, cancelling credit cards, etc.

And because the information is encrypted and password-protected, if the USB stick falls into the wrong hands it would be useless.

Read on to learn how to set it up, and how to use and maintain your trusty USB stick.

KeePass

The USB Stick Trick starts with a free, open-source, secure, lightweight, encrypted database called KeePass. It’s so small it easily fits on a USB stick and can be accessed with the master password on any computer and operating system, any time.

Through the various fields and free-form notes, KeePass stores whatever information you wish, including user names, passwords, instructions, URLs, and even attachments.

Harness KeePass for personal security with the following tips.

Creating Entries

Within the password-protected database, you can create separate file entries; one for every piece of ID, personal account, and other information you wish to store. You can categorize entries for easy organization.

Using a credit card as an example, you could input the following information into one entry for each credit card:

• Credit Card number
• Expiry Date
• CSV
• Phone number on back of card (to call in case of theft)
• Notes on insurance coverage with the emergency phone number
• User name/password for accessing online accounts
• Attach pictures of the front and back of the card

Types of Entries to Create

You can create as many (or few) entries as you like. Imagine losing everything; what would you want to have a secure copy of? Here are some suggestions:

• Passport information and pictures
• Credit cards
• Bank cards
• Frequent flyer membership numbers and passwords
• Any accounts requiring passwords
• Email account information
• Online banking information

You can even store social media account information; anything goes.

Travelling with the USB Stick

Once KeePass is set up on a USB stick, it’s advisable to keep a duplicate copy of the database on your computer in case the USB stick is lost/damaged. Just remember when you update the database in one place, to copy it over to the other location.

When travelling, keep the USB stick separate from everything else (eg: computer, wallet). It fits easily in a pocket or even in a money belt!

Better yet, keep it in an underclothes pouch, along with a credit card and/or some cash. This way, if you lose everything, you’ll still have these few ingredients to get on with your life – and travels.

For more insight, visit Travel Navigator.