Written by shayne

7 Reasons Every Traveler Needs a VPN



Whether you are traveling overseas for business or leisure you need a reliable way to secure your online activities and data while on the go. In this post, we will explore seven reasons why you shouldn’t travel without a VPN.

Let’s dig in.

1.     Security and safety

First, nothing beats a VPN when it comes to internet security and privacy. By encrypting your data and providing a secure tunnel to the World Wide Web, VPNs ensure your online activities are always secure and safe from prying eyes.  

During your travels, you will likely use public Wi-Fi; sometimes at the airports, hotels, and cafe’s. As helpful as these hotspots can be, they come with weak points that even amateur hackers can exploit and get away with your sensitive data.

With a reliable VPN such as VPNSecure accompanying you on your travels you no longer have to worry about public Wi-Fi vulnerabilities. It encrypts everything from passwords to credit card details. This way, your data is always safe and secure.

2.     Bypass government internet censorship

While you might have the freedom to freely access the internet in your home country, in some countries citizens don’t have such privileges. Countries like China, North Korea, and Eritrea are notorious for censoring the internet.

It can be such a disappointment to go on vacation to a beautiful destination, only to realize you can’t access your favorite websites because of internet censorship. Similarly, this is a pain in the neck for journalists and photographers, among other travel industry professionals.

China, for example, where the internet is heavily censored, popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are blocked. Media websites like the New York Times and various search engines including Google are also blocked.

VPNSecure offers an easy way around internet censorship by enabling you to route your internet connection through a variety of server locations in countries across the world. By allowing you to choose which country you would like to connect from, you can easily bypass such internet restrictions and go about the internet as you would from elsewhere.

3.     Bypass location-based restrictions

Besides government internet censorship, the other barrier you would need to break is location-based restrictions.

Like many travelers, you might occasionally find yourself in a library. Most libraries, where people of all ages spend considerable amounts of time, both online and offline, tend to filter the internet to protect users from certain content. 

While the reasoning behind such restrictions makes sense, sometimes you might realize even content that is not supposed to be blocked is blocked; therefore inconveniencing you.

A VPN comes in handy in ensuring that your online activities are always to your satisfaction no matter where you are.

4.     Online anonymity

Did you know that everything you do online is monitored? Every detail from the websites you visit to how long you stay on those sites & your browser history nothing goes unseen. As creepy as it may sound, that’s what Internet Service Providers (ISP) do. 

Google also keeps a close eye on all your internet activities and store all the relevant data. This is simply because your internet downloads and other online activities are a powerful resource to Google for targeted ads and companies are paying big bucks for it.

You don’t want to travel home from a trip to Scotland to realize all the ads on your computer are from your trip and based on information that was made available to advertisers from your personal online activities.

Since a VPN hides your original IP and assigns you a non-traceable IP, it ensures you never leave a digital footprint wherever you are - country or continent.

5.     Access Netflix when traveling

Netflix is a powerhouse in the entertainment industry. Unfortunately, it is known for geo-blocking. This implies that its content is not equally accessible to everyone across the globe.

Copyright and licensing differences sometimes result in a discrepancy in what’s available to different locations quite often meaning that what you can access in the US might not be available to you while in India.

Using a VPN, you can access Netflix from a country with the most extensive library the platform has to offer. This way, you can enjoy location-specific TV shows, music, and the latest movies or alternatively keep up with the latest episodes of shows you were watching at home throughout your travels.

6.     Cheap flight tickets and better deals

Travelling can be expensive and it certainly adds up if you travel frequently. However, there are ways you can use a VPN to make your travels a little bit more affordable. In case you didn’t know, businesses not only use your internet data to target their ads but also adjust their pricing. 

For example, airline websites can use your browser history to determine your ticket price. Depending on your online activities, your ticket price can either go up or down. Some sites even determine your ticket price depending on where you are browsing from i.e., US or third world country.

A VPN masks your real IP address. Therefore, companies can’t collect data from your online activities and use it against you. This way, you get to see the actual price, as opposed to the high prices you are likely to see when browsing from your real-world location. 

Since you can also change your online location to other countries as you browse you can occasionally land on better deals for example if you search from within the country you are visiting ahead of your trip.

If you are from Canada or the US, here is more good news for you. You can use VPNSecure to get an IP address from your home country, and make unlimited free Google voice calls to any mobile phone or landline back home as you enjoy your vacation overseas.

7.     Prevent frozen PayPal and bank accounts

Cash on hand is an essential when traveling & running out of it in a foreign country can be quite unsettling.  Then, when you are urgently in need of cash and you try to withdraw some only to discover that your account has been frozen.

Banks and PayPal usually flag and lock your account once they notice your account is being accessed from a country that is not recognized as your home country if you haven’t advised your bank of your intention to travel. This is a security measure to protect you & your accounts.

While it can take a short time to restore access your bank or PayPal account once flagged and locked, the damage in the form of inconvenience is already done.

A VPN allows you to connect to a server in your home country.  This way, your bank and PayPal account is always readily available for use.

Final word

As you can see, a VPN is a crucial inclusion to any traveler’s digital tool kit. While there are many VPNs to choose from out there, you can never go wrong with VPNSecure.

VPNSecure:

·       ensures your online activities are always private and secure,

·       encrypts your data to protect you from fraudsters, and

·       allows you to access the internet as if you are in your home country - or any other country of your choosing.

                          

 

 

 

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