One of the great things about going on vacation is that you can brag. Let's face facts here, we all live for bragging rights. Social media is there for bragging rights. Instagram, in essence, is bragging rights in an app. The whole premise of Instagram is to brag about how great you and your life is. So, in light of this, nothing gives you more bragging rights than going on vacation.
Sausage legs, acai bowls, infinity pools and flamingo floats are all common materials used to make the perfect vacay photo for the gram. However, while you may think you "how's your Monday going?" photos are harmless, they may actually be dangerous.
When I say dangerous, I don't mean dangerous in the fact that your friends may slap you back from whence you came upon your arrival, I mean that - according to experts - you may be increasing your chances of getting burgled.
While you may not be sitting their advertising your home address to your followers, letting people know you're away from home makes you a prime target for those who do know where you're located.
"Although it’s fun to post vacation photos and let everyone know you’re having a cocktail on a sunny beach, that sends a clear signal to burglars that your home is empty," said Ruby Gonzalez, Communications Director of NordVPN.
If a potential thief is aware that you're not in your home, they could quite easily scan your profile for pictures of your home and the general area that you live in order to roughly work out where your house is located.
I know what you're going to say, "how the f--- is someone going to work out where I live off of the back of a few Instagram uploads?" Well, it's not as unlikely as it sounds.
A survey carried out on more than 2,000 people by home interiors specialist www.hillarys.co.uk revealed that one in 12 Britons has been burgled after bragging about their holiday on social media. Over half admitted they had tagged their location on their posts.
The respondents were asked whether they updated their profiles while on vacation and a surprising 81 per cent admitted to doing so.
However, despite the fact that so many people have been burgled while on vacation, the majority of respondents admitted that they hadn't changed their online habits since they were burgled. 67 per cent of the people surveyed said that they continued to post holiday photos and pictures of expensive items after they had been a victim of a robbery.
According to the research, the most common items that were stolen were electrical goods, jewellery and cash.
If you're looking for a way to avoid getting burgled while on holiday, the experts at NordVPN advise waiting until you get home to post your holiday snaps. Alternatively, they suggest putting your profile on private so that only people you trust can view your activity.
Whichever one works for you, make sure you're vigilant out there.
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