Last Updated on August 9, 2023 by Jerardo Gomez
VPNs help give you security when you travel and are recommended in this day and age to protect your online information, especially abroad.
What is a VPN?
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a service that helps you stay protected and hidden online.
Normally when you use the internet at home, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) receives information from your device such as your IP address and what you are trying to do such as google or send an email. The IP address identifies the device you are using and also collects location information which is how the ISP knows how to give you the service of the internet. However, this inherently collects device and location information which can be hacked for various reasons. A VPN is a means of hiding this information more securely.
How does a VPN work?
We know that how the internet works is your device connects your device to the internet provider and then you have access to the internet. Simply, you can imagine that your internet data (whatever you use the internet for) is encrypted like a shield so that your IP address is changed and data is hidden from others. Basically, your device information, location, and data is safely passed through a VPN server and hides your information so that you have a private connection even when using public networks. In a way, it can say your device is in a different location when its really not. People in countries with limited freedom of speech use it to access the world’s information and utilize things like Twitter even if their country has banned it. They would be able to access the internet, restriction free.
Benefits of VPN and Why you need it
- Hides device location
- Masks location with a different location has many positive effects
- Watching restricted content in your country
- Hiding your data
- Evade sites and people from looking at your information, etc
- Encrypts data: protect internet traffic and minimize internet footprint
- Threat protection for malware, web trackers, and more
- Reduce price discrimination from location (prices may differ from location)
- Protects you on public wifi
Really everyone needs a VPN to secure their information. Shoppers so that their money and banking information is safe. Travelers securing information. Students protecting their work and peer-to-peer information sharing while accessing blocked information at your school. Businesses and remote workers should always have VPN protection including journalists and bloggers. Everyone in everyday life at home should use a VPN as its benefits only cost a few dollars a month so its affordable.
How to pick a VPN?
There are several to choose from and most are very cheap and I recommend using it regardless if you want it for travel or not. They are not all the same and you should look for:
- Good server coverage: more freedom on the internet
- Secure encryption
- Server load – speed can decrease if the VPN you choose has too much data flow
- MultiHop- More secure as data is jumping through different servers
- Supports your device
- The VPN service you use should have a privacy policy
Why should travelers get a VPN?
Yes! Travelers should always have VPN nowadays due to the advancement of technology and devices in our lives.
When you are traveling, you are going to be going through airports, trains, cafes, hotels, cruises, etc. The wifi you use will be public and unsecure leaving your information vulnerable.
| Reasons Travelers need VPN |
| – A VPN will secure your information giving you more peace of mind going abroad. – Access blocked websites in that country (Example: China, where a lot of websites are blocked) – Watch videos that are restricted by location. Certain websites require you to be in a certain country, so if you are not you are blocked. A VPN can make it as if you are in that country. Also, access videos that you can’t see in your country. – Avoid government surveillance |
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
TOP RECOMMENDED VPNs
| Best Overall | Best for Business | Best for Travelers | Cheapest |
| Private Internet Access VPN | NordVPN | CyberGhost VPN | Atlas VPN |
Best Overall
Private Internet Access VPN
- 30-day guarantee
- Up to 10 devices
- 10 years of experience, 15 million users, 24/7 customer service, add-ons available
- $2.03/month for 3 years (79$ for 3 years), $3.33/month for 1 year, $11.95/month
- Advanced tunnel splitting and advanced encryption beats the competition
- 6,500 VPN servers
- 3 add-on options: File encryption cloud, password manager, and digital security
I’ve chosen Private Internet Access VPN as the best overall for several reasons. The VPN has been around for a long-time with trust-worthy tech which is why it has had over 30 million downloads on devices. The price is amazing, and you get a lot for it.
Best for Business
NordVPN
- 30-day guarantee
- Fastest speed 6,730 Mbps
- 5,700 servers (2nd highest)
- Additional features: password manager and file-encrypted cloud
- 3 plans
- $2.99/month for 2 years, $4.49/month for 1 year, $11.99 monthly
- Up to 6 devices
- Over 10 million users
- 24/7 customer service
NordPass is a password manager with other features to also protect you. While its geared toward businesses, it also is great for everyday people for several reasons. It stores passwords, credit card cards, and personal information; if you are not using NordPass then that information is vulnerable. It also autofills logins, saves new passwords and gives you real-time breaches.
Cheapest and Best for Travelers
CyberGhost VPN
- 45-day guarantee
- 9,700 VPN servers
- ID monitoring: notifies you of email and data leaks
- Antivirus protection add-on
- $2.03/month for 28 months, $6.99/month for 6 months, $12.99 monthly
- Works on multiple devices and has apps
- Cheapest long term
- Up to 7 devices
- 24/7 customer service
Cheapest
Atlas VPN
- Optimized servers for gaming and streaming
- 4k fast streaming
- Unlimited devices!
- 24/7 customer service
- Ad blocker
- Cheapest overall
- Data breach monitoring
- $1.83/month for 3 years and 3 months free, $3.29/month per year
- 30-day guarantee
Atlas VPN is very good as its software for protection is what you need, and its fast which is good for gamers and streamers.
Final Thoughts
A VPN is necessary for everyday life, and with the internet being a big unknown with hackers, trackers, and big companies selling your data, its important to keep you and your money safe. As travelers, we are constantly using public wifi and find restrictions to things online. With VPN we can travel more securely and freely, without the fear of using the internet in other countries. There are tons of VPNs to pick from and advertisements everywhere so its difficult to research and choose which one is best but the reality is that they are slightly different depending on needs. This article provides information so that you can pick from the best.
If this was informative then take a look at this travel article here.
