While travelling, a VPN provides peace of mind when using the internet, especially on public wifi in coffee shops, hostels, or hotel rooms. During international travel, all business travellers need security, flexibility, and free access to critical platforms and services. This is exactly what VPN offers. In short, a VPN is needed to bypass geo-restrictions, data security, improve privacy, etc. We’ll talk in more detail later.
Understanding VPNs
In simple terms, a VPN offers encryption of data before it is sent. That is, only the server and the client can decrypt the data and no one else can extract it. For this, an intermediary server is used where encryption occurs. Its use also allows you to change your IP address and hide your activity from any attempts to disrupt it from the outside.
Benefits of Using a VPN
VPNs play a crucial role during international travel, as public Wi-Fi networks are used throughout the journey. Moreover, they enable uninterrupted internet access, similar to home usage.
Numerous countries implement government blocks and censorship, targeting websites and apps like Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, and news websites. This is evident in China, as well as other countries such as Turkey, Thailand, Cuba, Indonesia, and Russia, among others. Utilizing a VPN allows users to browse the internet freely and access restricted content while in these countries.
You can purchase a VPN service that offers private and secure internet access. All your online data is encrypted to prevent others from intercepting your communication. This protection extends to your usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, browser cookies, and other identifying information. Furthermore, a VPN allows travellers to browse the internet as if they were in their home country or any other desired country, enhancing their online experience.
Choosing the Right VPN
When choosing, focus on the following parameters:
- Security and privacy: Choose a trustworthy VPN that prioritizes strong security measures, such as AES-256 encryption, secure protocols like OpenVPN or WireGuard, and a strict no-logs policy.
- Server locations: Pay close attention to the VPN’s server coverage and check if they have servers in your vacation destination.
- Speed and performance: Ensure that the VPN you choose offers fast speeds for streaming and browsing.
- Device compatibility: Confirm that your VPN provider supports all the devices you’ll be using during your vacation.
- Customer support: It’s crucial to choose a VPN with reliable 24/7 customer support. This will be useful during troubleshooting.
It is quite difficult to take everything into account and choose the best service among VPN providers. Especially if you want to use streaming services that require higher bandwidth. If you want Prime access anywhere, try VeePN. It has many other advantages: it offers high-speed mobile VPN for Android and iPhone, it bypasses geo-blocking perfectly, and it has a powerful server location strategy and reliable protection.
Setting Up Your VPN
Follow these steps to maximize your VPN experience when abroad:
- Choose a VPN provider.
- Sign up for the service.
- Download and install the VPN app.
- Connect to a server.
- Test the connection.
VPN Best Practices
Here are some practices you should apply when using a VPN:
- Install a VPN during pre-trip preparations. To ensure travel safety, it must be installed in advance.
- Change servers as needed. If you need to access content abroad, just change the server. When you aim to listen to music from your home region, select your country. If you are interested in foreign TV streaming, just select a suitable server.
- Always turn on your VPN when using public Wi-Fi. This is necessary from the point of view of online privacy and data protection.
VPN Usage Tips
Here are some tips that were learned through experience:
- If you have connection issues, switch to another server. If this continues and you are sure that the Internet is working, change your VPN provider.
- Always think about cybersecurity, especially when conducting financial transactions.
- Use a VPN for free communication. Your cellular provider’s roaming options are limited and quite expensive. Communicating over the Internet using a VPN is a safe and free option.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
Based on legal considerations, in most countries, you can use a VPN and this is considered normal practice for ensuring travel security. However, in Belarus, Russia, Egypt, Iraq, and UAE, the use of VPN is prohibited or severely limited.
From the point of view of ethical usage, it all depends on you. If you are looking to protect your international data, this is a wise decision. However, you should not use a VPN to download pirated torrents and violate copyrights.
Streaming legality is a controversial issue. On the one hand, services don’t want to be viewed from certain places. They follow the terms of agreements with content copyright holders. On the other hand, you still pay for a subscription to Netflix and other services. That is, it is beneficial to both parties. From a legal point of view, this is not good, from a moral point of view it is normal.
Conclusion
To stay safe even during business trips, you need a VPN. It serves as both protection and a source of opportunity. A VPN offers flexibility and security at the same time.
