When you’re traveling to another country, one thing you might miss is local news from your home country. When you’re in a new location, your home channels might block your IP because it shows another country now.
With a VPN, you can change your IP to your home country even when you’re in a new location. And that’s not all, a VPN also protects you from hackers.
With a VPN, your data – passwords, credit card numbers, and everything else– is encrypted. And VPN apps are readily available and can be downloaded on mobile devices. So the next time you're traveling, connect to a VPN and catch the latest news – local and international.
Some other Benefits of VPNs While Traveling
Wi-Fi Risks
When you land in the new country, your options will be limited to airport Wi-Fi, unless you have a multi-country SIM card. And even if you do have a multi-country SIM card, the roaming charges are often high, which is why people prefer connecting to public Wi-Fi networks.
If you’re not new to the internet scenario, you’ll know that public Wi-Fi networks can be infested with hackers. Since it’s easy to hack open networks, there are chances your network might be compromised.
And that’s not the only risk. What is a hacker has setup his own Wi-Fi account with the name of your local café to fool you? Such honeypots are set to lure unsuspecting users. Once you connect to such a network, all your activities can be seen by hackers. A VPN can protect you when you connect to public Wi-Fi networks.
Cheap travel
Ticket costs vary depending on the country from where you’re booking them. For example, if you’re traveling from the US to Mexico, you might find better deals if you booked them from Mexico.
To change your IP, you can connect to a VPN’s Mexican server. Then the travel website will see that your location is from Mexico and you might get better deals.
Also, if you’re visiting the travel website frequently, you’ll see their prices rising. This is done to create a sense of urgency so you’ll think the ticket prices are rising and would make the booking immediately. If you delete the cookies and use a VPN, you might see lower prices than the ones you saw earlier.
Access geo-restricted content
If you’re in a country where there are a lot of online restrictions, you can use a VPN and bypass the censorship. For example, in some countries, the government blocks websites that go against their political agenda.
To access all websites and stay connected to the free internet, you can use a VPN and be anonymous so your new ISP cannot see what you’re doing.
How a VPN works
A VPN does two things:
- It encrypts your connection
- It reroutes your traffic through one of its own servers
In the simplest terms, A VPN works like a tunnel. It connects your device to your chosen VPN server. Your data travels to the server with end-to-end encryption. Since it’s traveling in a secure “tunnel”, hackers cannot read it.
Even your ISP and the government cannot see what you’re doing online if you’re using a VPN.
How to usea VPN to watch the news while in another nation
Setting up a VPN is pretty easy. Most VPNs have their own apps for several platforms. Just download and install the app.
Open the app and connect to the VPN. Most VPN apps are straightforward and you just have to click on Connect. That’s it!
There are more advanced options for regular VPN users but even new users will find these apps very easy.
There are free as well as paid VPNs. While free VPNs are enticing (they are free, after all), they cannot always be trusted. What if the VPN records all your activities and uses your data?
Reliable companies don’t store usage logs so if they are ever approached by a government, they have nothing to reveal.
To watch your home news while in another country, connect with your home server and then open the news app. Now you’ll see that your IP is unblocked.
What to Look For In A VPN for Travel
Selecting a travel-friendly VPN can be quite a challenge, and not because it is hard to find. There are many virtual network providers who promise the same thing – the best VPN experience. Separating the good from the bad is the actual task. Let's lay out these ground rules:
Servers in multiple locations: As any VPN provider will tell you, a good network must have many server locations. Though trusted service providers may offer servers running into a few hundreds, the locations of these servers make all the difference.
If you want to watch Israel TV news while holidaying in China, Russia, Spain, Tasmania, Kazakhstan, Italy, or Korea, you must find a service provider that has at least one active server in Israel.
A lot of VPN providers offer servers in the US because the majority of users want to hide behind a US-based IP address.
Internet Speed:All VPN providers promise high speeds. But how well do they fulfill their promises?To test their services, make sure you get a trial. Some VPNs offer free trials. Others have moneyback guarantees.
When you subscribe to a VPN, make sure there’s a way to get your money back if you’re not satisfied.
Ease of installation: Most VPN providers have their own apps for all major platforms. However, if your provider doesn’t have an app, they’ll give you directions to configure the VPN on the platform of your choice.
Price: As discussed above, free VPNs can be risky. However, this doesn’t mean that the costliest VPN is the best. There are several VPN providers that offer affordable and top-notch services. And then there are other providers that don’t offer many features and yet ask for the top dollar.
When getting a VPN, also consider the number of devices that you can connect on one license. If you have to purchase a separate license for each member of your family, the VPN costs are going to skyrocket. But if a VPN allows 6 people to connect to a single subscription, you can save a lot of money. We have compared and picked top 5 best VPN you can choose from.
A VPN is indispensable while traveling. It conceals your online identity, protects your data, and helps you access your local TV news from anywhere on your devices. It avoids hackers and prevents snooping. Also, it unblocks censored sites and removes geo-restrictions.
A VPN offers anonymity to its users. It is an essential travel buddy. And since it is cheap and safe to use, there is no reason to not use a VPN.