How to Pick the Right VPN for Travelling Internationally

Global travel has been put on somewhat of a hold lately, with COVID-19 still sweeping the globe. However, the day will come when travel resumes worldwide, both for business and pleasure. When you first book your plane ticket or plan your road trip route, the last thing on your mind will be which VPN to install on your devices. However, a good VPN is an essential tool to pack for all travel abroad. Virtual private networks keep your devices safe and allow you to access content that may otherwise be blocked. Here are some tips for choosing the right VPN for travelling internationally:

• Aim for high security
• Find a trustworthy service
• Take a look at server availability
• Can you access all your content?

Aim For High Security

Travelling abroad is often a fun and exciting activity. However, it’s not always convenient, especially in the internet department. Paying for international data on your smartphone can be expensive. Instead, many travellers rely on public wi-fi, which is common but not very safe. In some cases, unwitting users may be spied upon by others on the network, meaning their data is up for grabs. In others, the governments of international countries go heavy on user surveillance. 

A VPN with good security protects all of your data from snoops and governments alike, by encrypting and anonymizing your activity. When choosing a VPN for travelling internationally, look for one with strong encryption (ideally AES-256 encryption, which is considered the gold standard), DNS leak protection, and even a kill switch (which will stop data traffic if your VPN connection drops).

Find a Trustworthy Service

Many VPNs have excellent security measures. However, the best security in the world won’t protect you from a VPN that is untrustworthy itself. Although snoops and organizations won’t be able to see your data, your VPN provider can. While many services don’t store this information, there are also many who keep records of your activity. Those that do can either sell the data they collect about you, or they may be forced to hand it over by authority organizations (police, government agencies, etc.).

For peak protection, choose a VPN that offers a no-logs promise. This means the service doesn’t keep any information about your or your digital activity (sometimes with the exception of non-identifying information for the purposes of detecting software bugs and making service improvements).

Take a Look at Server Availability

Many travellers have been shocked to learn that connecting to the internet in a foreign country isn’t the same as it is at home. Websites often return results in the native language of that country, currency for online shopping is different, and more. In some countries, censorship laws receive strict enforcement so some content we take for granted won’t be accessible at all. In all of these instances, a VPN is your friend. You can connect to a server in your home country to navigate the web as you normally would.

For this reason, you should take a look at the server locations of any VPN you’re looking at. If the server locations are too limited, it might not suit your travel needs.

Can You Access All of Your Content?

Whether you’re on vacation or travelling for business, many travellers want a way to wind-down and relax at night. The favourite way of doing this for many is by watching Netflix or another streaming service. However, when you’re in a foreign country, the content you’re used to might not be available in that region. By using a VPN, you can find your favourite shows anywhere in the world.

Before choosing a VPN service, make sure the candidates you’re considering have the ability to unblock streaming services and other content.

HotBot VPN is the perfect VPN for travelling internationally. Our service uses AES-256 encryption, offers a strict no-logs promise, and has thousands of servers in countries around the world. Get started today by downloading our app from the Play Store, App Store, or for Windows.