When we travel, our devices get exposed to various networks and encounter threats that we didn’t even know existed. So, we should protect them properly. VPN is one of the essential protection tools. What is it and how do you choose the best one?
What is a VPN?
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When you browse online, your traffic is unprotected. While threats may not be visible with the naked eye, there are quite a lot of them. Your data can be easily monitored by third parties such as your internet provider, some government agencies, or law enforcement organizations.
What is worse, hackers can intercept and snatch your data on unprotected networks. But this is where a VPN can help.
VPN stands for virtual private network. It is an essential privacy tool which encrypts your traffic and changes your IP. So, your traffic is no longer out in the open but is wrapped in complex encryption algorithms that can’t be deciphered by snoopers and hackers.
Someone can easily detect your whereabouts by checking your IP. A VPN can also easily solve this problem. It routes your traffic via a remote server and changes your IP. So, anyone inspecting your IP, will see the one of the remote server instead of your real one.
Why you need a VPN for travel
You need a VPN in your travels for the following reasons:
– When we travel, we often use our laptop outside or on unsafe public Wi-Fi, which can be a fertile ground for hackers. They can intercept your traffic and snatch your data by exploiting these usually unprotected networks. A VPN encrypts your traffic and provides you with a layer of protection, so you no longer need to worry about the safety of the networks you connect to;
– You can access your content and services wherever you are. VPN changes your IP, so you can access geo-restricted content in case it’s not available in the country you’re in. For example, you can watch a UK-only Netflix movie in France by connecting to a UK server;
– You can bypass internet restrictions. If you find yourself in more restrictive environments, you can use VPN for bypassing online restrictions and accessing locked content. NordVPN’s obfuscated servers can even hide the fact that you’re using a VPN, so you’ll have even stronger protection against content-filtering systems;
– Protection in high-risk environments. If you find yourself in high-risk environments with heavy censorship or acute surveillance, a VPN is a must. NordVPN is especially useful in such cases as it provides you with tons of features giving you additional layers of protection such as Kill Switch and Double VPN.
What VPN to choose
Here a few key points you have to pay attention to when choosing a VPN service:
– Make sure you choose a reliable VPN provider that doesn’t collect your data and offers strong encryption. The market is full of free VPN services, but quite a lot of them monetize their activities in other ways: they collect users’ data, sell it to third parties, or clutter you with ads. Some of them may also have poor infrastructure. So, it is better to spend a few dollars per month than put your privacy at risk;
– Make sure the service has a big selection of servers. In this case, you will have more IP addresses and locales to choose from. Moreover, you will never encounter the problem of server overload as you will always be able to choose a different one;
– A good VPN should also have additional protection features such as obfuscated servers, Double VPN, and others, which will keep you protected in riskier environments;
– Good customer service is a must. No one is perfect, and you may encounter problems from time to time, but a good customer assistant will always help you. So, make sure the VPN provider has high-quality, 24/7 customer service. It also indicates trust and transparency.
If you wonder which provider to choose, we strongly recommend NordVPN. It’s relatively inexpensive, and you really get a lot of functions, top-notch privacy, and security with it. It has got all the above-mentioned features and is extremely easy to use. All it takes is just a click — and you are protected!
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