How to Choose the Best VPN for Travel in 2024

Experts estimate an astonishing 20% of travelers fall victim to cybercrime when abroad. Using readily available spyware, hackers in your vicinity can activate your camera, monitor your emails, read your files, and steal your credentials.

It’s easy to see why cybercriminals target touristy places — they assume most travelers have money. Without a local SIM for cheap mobile data, they often need to connect to open Wi-Fi networks to transact and communicate. 

The best way to keep your data and devices protected while traveling is with a VPN. However, not all VPNs are great for the long haul. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the VPN features you need most while on an international trip. 

What Is a Travel VPN?

A travel VPN is a virtual private network with all the features you need for traveling. When you turn on a VPN, it encrypts your internet traffic and personal data. This keeps you safe from hackers and surveillance on any network. A VPN also helps you access content that’s blocked due to your IP being from another country. 

Even when you’re not traveling, a VPN is useful for restriction-free streaming, gaming, and all-around data privacy protection.  

Do I Need a VPN When Traveling?

Yes, it’s good to have a reliable VPN with you when you travel. This is especially true when on public Wi-Fi, like at the airport or hotel. Without a VPN, you risk giving cybercriminals and state-sponsored surveillance operations the keys to your sensitive data. 

How to Choose the Best VPN for Traveling

Unless you’re familiar with everything that VPNs can do, it can be tough to know what to look for when shopping for a travel VPN. Certain features are more critical for frequent flyers. Let’s take a look at what counts most in a VPN for traveling.

1. Security and Privacy

You’ll want to choose a VPN that offers solid security features. Factors you might want to consider include encryption, IP masking, an automatic Kill Switch, and a No Logs policy.  

Good VPNs fortify your internet traffic against interception and make it impossible for cybercriminals to see your data. Encryption uses unbreakable ciphers to scramble your data, so even if someone intercepted it, they wouldn’t be able to make any sense of it. 

Additionally, VPNs mask your IP address behind one from their private servers. This conceals your real location from snoopers or websites you visit, helping you maintain your privacy. 

If your VPN connection drops, you’ll be temporarily exposed to threats — this is where a Kill Switch comes in. It stops traffic to and from your device and keeps you safe even if your connection slips. 

Some VPN providers keep logs of your activity and might share them with authorities if requested to. If you care about keeping your activity private from your ISP or authorities, choose a VPN provider that adheres to a strict No Logs policy. 

2. Server Network

One of the most important elements of any VPN is its server network. Not all VPNs work everywhere. You’ll want to check that the VPN has servers close to home and near your destination before subscribing to ensure you’ll get the best speeds. If you’re going to need to access location-restricted accounts from back home (like your bank) while you’re away, you’ll need one with servers in your country.

3. Performance and Speed

A VPN can slow down your internet speed. This is because your data has to travel to and through additional servers when you use a VPN. Several factors can affect how fast your VPN works, including your ISP speed, encryption level, how many people are connected to the same VPN server, and the VPN protocol you’re using. 

The best way to know if a VPN has fast speeds is to read customer reviews. Just remember — you’ll get the best performance when you connect to a VPN server closest to your real location. For this reason, it’s important to choose a VPN with a large global server network. 

4. Compatibility with Your Devices

If you’re going to pay for a VPN, you’ll want it to work with all your devices. You don’t want to have a number of different VPN subscriptions if you can get one that works with them all.

5. Customer Support

Live customer service is the hallmark of a trustworthy VPN provider. If you’re having technical issues with your VPN while traveling, you shouldn’t have to wait to resolve them. Make sure your VPN provider has 24/7 customer support, so time zone differences don’t interfere with your attempts to get help. 

6. Reviews & Reputation

Before you put your faith in a VPN provider, read reviews from trusted sources to see what other customers have had to say about their services. Independent audits are also a good indication a VPN provider delivers on the features and protections it claims to provide.

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When Should I Use a Travel VPN?

 A travel VPN comes in handy: 

When You Need Extra Security

You may need to use public Wi-Fi in airports, cafes, or hotels while you’re traveling. Sadly, local cybercriminals often prowl these open networks seeking to intercept sensitive data — especially in tourist hotspots. 

Free public Wi-Fi is typically unsecured, so it puts your data and device at risk from the moment you connect. A VPN encrypts your connection so hackers can’t make sense of your data. When your VPN is turned on, you can use any public Wi-Fi with full immunity. 

When You Need to Access Blocked Websites

You may need to use certain sites for work or study while you’re abroad, only to find they’re blocked due to your foreign IP address. A VPN for international travel lets you switch to an IP from back home so you can access sites and services freely again. 

When You Want to Avoid Censorship and Surveillance

Some countries practice heavy censorship and online surveillance. Using a VPN stops any surveillance agencies from seeing what you do online. A VPN also masks your IP address, making your online activity tougher to track. It also helps you to overcome censorship — simply connect to a server in another country to instantly change your IP and encounter fewer restrictions when traveling. 

When You Want to Find the Best Deals Online

Using a VPN can help you get cheaper flights! Online prices can change depending on where you are. Websites can see your location from your IP address and may adjust the currency and price accordingly. When you use a VPN, you can swap your IP address with one from another country to compare and find the best travel deals. 

Don’t Make These VPN Mistakes 

Here are my top tips to get the most out of your international travel VPN: 

1. Don’t Go for the Cheapest One

You may be tempted to go for a free VPN instead of paying for one – but remember that there’s a reason it’s free. Free VPNs often have data caps and to keep using them, you need to pay eventually in any case. Free VPNs aren’t generally suited for traveling. Their server networks are typically limited, congested, and likely to leave you stranded when you need a secure connection the most.

Just like travel insurance, you don’t want to cut corners when it comes to your VPN. What matters is whether it has what you need to stay safe online while traveling. Look out for strong encryption, VPN servers where you need them, and a proven track record for performance and speed. Your VPN should keep up with you — a cheap or free VPN will likely only slow you down. 

2. Don’t Turn It Off

People often feel safer simply because they have a VPN downloaded on their devices. It doesn’t work like that. You need to keep your VPN on at all times to ensure your activity is always hidden from any prying eyes.

Pack the Best Travel VPN

When it comes to features fit for traveling, PIA VPN has everything you need to trot the globe worry-free: 256-bit AES encryption to fortify your connection against intruders, a commitment to privacy, and a global network of high-speed servers. You’ll be able to protect yourself with a fast, secure VPN connection, no matter where you go. 

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