Yikes: Apparently Millennials are more likely than other generations to be hacked while traveling

Passport? Check Guidebook? Check. Every single clean pair of underwear you own? Check, check, check, check, check! Before you go gallivanting across the world for a much needed and earned summer vacation, note that cybersecurity company Webroot just released survey results that found that millennial travelers are more susceptible to mobile hacks than baby boomers.

You’d think that backpacking millennials would be more tech-savvy on the go than their baby boomer parents, but the data suggests otherwise. Apparently, a big millennial travel boo boo is the compulsion to share our lives on social, making us more vulnerable to hacks abroad. Webroot reports that 59% of millennial travelers share their vacation plans on social, whereas 71% of baby boomers never share their travel plans on social. So yes, we may be getting more likes than our parents, but the parental units are across the board doing a way better job of evading the nefarious clutches of hackers.

The boomers also have us beat when it comes to hanging onto their phones while OOT. According to the survey, only 7% of baby boomers reported losing their phones while on trips, while 19% of millennials (aka almost three times as many) are guilty of losing their mobiles on vacation. The most common places everyone, regardless of age, loses their phones? Cafes, bars, and restaurants. So resist the urge to leave your phone on the table and keep it in that dorky money belt your mom bought you that makes you look like you’re pregnant with a FedEx envelope.

We millennials also don’t do ourselves any favors with our Wi-Fi addiction. Apparently 88% of millennials are still connecting to whatever free public Wi-Fi they can get on while abroad, compared to only 32% of boomers.

And last, but certainly not least, baby boomers have us beat when it comes to software. 49 percent of baby boomers surveyed said  they have antivirus solutions installed on their devices. That’s a full 10 percent more than millennials (39 percent). Translation- your mama bear actually listened to the Verizon guy’s whole spiel and does those classes at the Apple store.

So how can our generation get our hack rate down? According to the surveyors, always remember to back up your devices when you’re traveling, make sure you have up-to-date antivirus software, avoid free public Wi-Fi and stick to secure networks, keep your phone with you at all times and make sure your device is password-protected, and be extra-vigilant re: the websites you visit.

Now put on your traveling pants and go see the world!