Travel Safer: Disable Location on Your Pictures
- chasingmemoriesco
- Aug 12
- 2 min read
When you’re exploring the world, the last thing you want is to unintentionally share your exact location with strangers online. Hidden inside your photos is metadata—extra information that can include GPS coordinates. This means if you post in real time, someone could find out exactly where you are.
Most people think that if they don’t tag their location on social media, they’re safe—but that’s no longer true. With today’s AI tools, someone can take a photo you’ve posted, drop it into an image search or location-detection AI, and pinpoint exactly where it was taken. Combine that with the GPS metadata often stored in your photos, and a stranger could find your hotel, your home, your kids’ school—places you’d never want broadcast to the public. This is why turning off location data is so important, and why you should never post in real time while you’re still at that location. A simple safety habit like this can protect not only your current trip but your everyday privacy.
As a frequent traveler and someone married to a cybersecurity professional, I know just how easy it is for the wrong person to pull this information. That’s why our family has two non-negotiable rules:
Never post in real time when traveling.
Turn off location data on photos before we even take them.
How to Turn Off Photo Location
On iPhone:
Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services.
Scroll down to Camera.
Select Never or Ask Next Time.
On Android:
Open your Camera app.
Tap the Settings icon (gear).
Find Location tags, Save location, or Geotagging (varies by device).
Toggle Off.
Why This Matters for Travel Safety
When traveling—especially internationally—location tagging can unintentionally reveal:
Where you are right now
Where your children are if they’re in the photo
That your home is empty
Even if you’re careful about what you share, metadata can give away more than you realize. Disabling location services for your camera is a simple step that greatly increases your safety and privacy.
Even with geotagging off, wait until you’ve left a location to post about it. Think of it as a digital safety buffer—it keeps your real-time movements private while still letting you share your adventures later.
Our motto? Chase the memories, not the coordinates.
The point about AI tools being able to pinpoint exact locations from photos, even without explicit tagging, is incredibly important and often overlooked. It really underscores how sophisticated these technologies have become, making the 'no real-time posting' rule absolutely critical for personal safety. While turning off location services proactively is the best defense, many people might wonder about photos already taken or how to quickly verify if an image still contains hidden GPS data. For those curious about existing images or needing to check photo location data, an online photo location finder can be an incredibly useful resource.
Crucial safety reminder! Photo metadata is a hidden risk. Always disable location data to protect your privacy, especially when traveling. Understand the danger: Photolocationfinder.