What Not to Do on Facebook on Your Vacation

Sharing your trip on social media platforms, such as Facebook, is fun. Still, you might be surprised that there are right and wrong ways to do so. If you're not careful, you could come back from your vacation to find your home emptied of valuables. Here are some tips to help you share your vacation experiences on Facebook without adding undue risk to you and your family's safety.

Don't Post Status Updates While Still on Vacation

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is posting anything about your vacation while you are still on it. The wrong person might see your vacation post and decide that while you're away, your home is prime for plundering.

Posting current updates that place you far away gives thieves ample time to plan and execute a robbery of your house. After all, you won't be back anytime soon.

Never assume that your post is going out to only your friends, even if your Facebook privacy settings only allow friends to view your posts. Your friend might be reading your update at a coffee shop, unaware as a stranger views it over their shoulder. Or a friend could have left a Facebook account logged in on a computer at the local library, allowing the next guy who sits down at it to view your status posts and more.

Oversharing on Facebook can be risky. If you wouldn't give out your vacation plans to a room full of strangers, wait to share your plans on Facebook until you return home.

Don't Post Pictures While on Vacation

Posting a picture of the decadent dessert that you are about to enjoy while at that fancy restaurant on your vacation might give away your location.

GPS-based geotag information is often embedded in the metadata of the picture when you took it. This geotag information reveals where the photo was taken and could provide friends and strangers with your current location, depending on your privacy settings. 

Don't Tag Other Vacationers While They're Still on Vacation

When you travel with friends or family, don't tag them in pictures or status updates while still on holiday. Tagging them may reveal their current location as well as your own. They might not want this information about themselves broadcast for the same reasons mentioned above.

Wait until everyone is at home and then tag them later (if they want to be tagged). You can keep your details from being broadcast through tagging by others by enabling the Facebook tag review.

Don't Post Upcoming Travel Plans

Are you sensing a trend here? One of the worst things you can do is post details of your upcoming travel plans and itineraries on Facebook.

For one thing, you'll give potential thieves a heads-up on when you'll be gone and when you'll be back. You're also revealing where you'll be and when—and criminals could be there waiting for you.

Your closest circle should be the only people who need to know specifics about your travel plans. Don't post the information on Facebook.