Season 2 Episode 48: Digital Preparedness: Can Your Family Access What They Need in an Emergency?
Aug 11, 2025
This post is part 3 of our 4-part travel planning series, but the lessons apply whether you're traveling or staying home.
We thought we were completely prepared for our upcoming trip to Spain. Travel insurance? Check. Important documents? Check. Emergency contacts shared with our son? Check.
But then Santiago asked a simple question that changed everything: "What if something happens to us and our son needs to access our phones or email?"
That's when we realized our family would be completely digitally locked out if something were to happen to us. Whether we were in a hospital in Spain or right here at home, travel planning had exposed critical gaps in our digital preparedness that we didn't even know existed.
The Digital Lockout Reality
Picture this scenario: You're unconscious in a hospital abroad, and your family needs to access your phone to call additional emergency contacts or check your email for important communications. Could they get in? For most families, the answer is a scary "no."
We had prepared our son with all the key information we could think of, but if he actually needed to access our digital accounts to help us, he would have been completely stuck. This wasn't just about travel - if something happened to us at home, the same problem would exist. Our trip planning just made us realize these gaps.
iPhone vs. Android: Different Solutions for Digital Legacy
iPhone Legacy Contact: Great for Long-Term Planning
I tackled my iPhone first after hearing about something called Legacy Contact. Setting it up was straightforward - I added both our son and daughter as legacy contacts. Since they both have iPhones, I could send them encrypted keys directly via text message.
For Santiago's Android phone, it was more complicated. I had to write down his very long key and store it in our safe since the encrypted text option wasn't available.
Here's the important limitation: Legacy Contact is designed for when you die, not when you're incapacitated. There's paperwork involved, and a death certificate is required to activate legacy contact access. While it's worth setting up as part of your overall planning, it doesn't help if you're unconscious in a hospital and your family needs immediate access.
Android Users: Google Inactive Account Manager
Android users need to set up Google's inactive account manager instead of a legacy contact feature. We have a confession here: we didn't actually do this before we left for Spain. We ran out of time and just didn't prioritize it. Big mistake, and thankfully nothing happened to us.
The good news is we set it up after we returned. It handles your Gmail, Google Drive, and other Google services, and it was actually really easy and quick to configure.
The Real Game Changer: Password Manager Emergency Access
The solution that made the biggest difference was using our password manager's emergency contact feature. I added our son as an emergency contact and set it up for 24-hour access.
Here's how it works: if something happens, he can request access to our password manager. After 24 hours, he automatically gets in with no death certificates, no waiting weeks for paperwork. If I'm perfectly fine and he accidentally requests access, I get a notification and can deny the request.
Twenty-four hours felt like the right balance for us. It's long enough to prevent accidental access but short enough to actually help in an emergency. After our vacation, I could have extended it to 48 hours or longer, but I left it as is.
What Your Family Actually Needs Access To
Your family doesn't need access to everything - they need access to what would help them help you. For emergencies, this typically includes:
Your phone for making calls to contacts not already shared and accessing important apps.
Your email for checking important communications and receiving verification codes (since everything has two-factor authentication these days).
Your password manager if they need access to different accounts for financial matters, though they'll likely need power of attorney if you're incapacitated.
We also created a shared Google Drive folder with important information like emergency contacts, phone numbers, and contact details for our attorney and financial institutions. The actual legal documents are printed and stored in our safe, but this folder contains basic contact information that's easily accessible without including full account numbers.
Protecting Your Phone While Traveling
Since we're talking about digital preparedness and travel, here's a bonus tip that's not about emergency access but about keeping your devices secure while traveling.
Before leaving for Spain, I was concerned about keeping my phone secure internationally. I asked our preferred AI tool: "I'm traveling internationally with an iPhone. What safety and privacy settings should I check before I leave? Please provide a checklist with instructions."
The AI provided helpful suggestions for protecting my device while traveling, and I found the recommendations useful for adding another layer of digital security. This isn't about family access but about protecting your device while traveling.
Your Action Plan for Digital Preparedness
Don't wait until you're planning a trip to address these gaps. Here's what you can do this week:
Choose your digital backup person. Pick one trusted person who could help in a digital emergency and ask them if they would be your backup. Make sure they understand what's expected and that the conversation actually happens.
Set up device-specific features. iPhone users should look into Legacy Contact for long-term planning. Android users need to research and set up Google's inactive account manager. Both are worth understanding for your overall planning.
Configure password manager emergency access. If you use a password manager, add an emergency contact if that option is available. This could be your most important step.
Get legal guidance. Consult your estate attorney about the laws in your state and what's appropriate for your specific situation. Ask about wording that can be added to your legal documents regarding digital access to protect you and your loved ones.
Share basic information securely. Create a shared folder with emergency contacts and basic information, but avoid including full account numbers since online security can never be guaranteed completely.
The Essential Question
If something happened to you and you couldn't help yourself, could your family access the accounts needed to help you both at home and while traveling?
After taking these steps, your answer should be a confident "yes," and you should know exactly what your family needs to do to help you in an emergency.
Digital preparedness isn't just about travel but about ensuring your loved ones can help you when you can't help yourself, no matter where you are or what happens.
This episode is for educational purposes only. We are not tech experts or providing legal advice. Always consult professionals for legal guidance and check with your specific devices and accounts for current features and requirements.
Resources mentioned in this post:
In two weeks: We're wrapping up our travel series with pet planning and small business considerations: the two things that can turn a travel hiccup into a complete disaster if no one's prepared to handle them.
