These days travelling doesn’t mean you shut off your laptop or computer and go offline. Since it’s a digital era, it means all your communication is done via the internet on different social media platforms, and messengers etc. But privacy can be a big concern for many.
Are you travelling to the UK and worrying about how to check your bank account details and access your US Netflix library on Netflix to watch your favourite shows? Are you concerned about your online protection while using hotel Wi-Fi and free public Wi-Fi at coffee shops, train stations, and airports?
Read the following guide to address your privacy concerns while travelling to the UK.
Online Protection While Travelling
Have you wondered if the Wi-Fi connection provided by the hotels and coffee shops is safe and protected? You should keep in mind that if a Wi-Fi connection isn’t protected, it means your personal information, credit card details, and other accounts aren’t safe online.
You must be wondering how to address your online privacy while travelling. The answer is simple: always use a reliable VPN.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a one-for-all and all-for-one solution to all your privacy concerns. It works on the simple principle of creating a secure tunnel over the internet to hide your identity and encrypt your online traffic.
A VPN masks your actual IP address and reroutes your traffic from a server that you select from the available list.
Why Use VPN While Travelling?
Online Privacy and Security
We all know that public Wi-Fi networks aren’t secure, and many hackers or cybercriminals have numerous ways to steal your personal information, such as passwords via public hotspots.
A VPN guarantees that your online traffic and communication is encrypted and inaccessible to hackers. A cybercriminal can access your information using your IP address. Since the VPN hides your IP address, the hackers can never track your identity.
Anonymous Identity
A premium VPN service allows you to safely browse the internet by hiding your online activities and protecting your identity. This way, you can easily access your online bank, do online shopping, and access your social media accounts.
Bypass Geo-Restrictions
After security, another reason for using a VPN while travelling is to access streaming content. For instance, Netflix has different media libraries for different regions. It means you won’t be able to access the USA Netflix while travelling to the UK.
Netflix imposes geo-restrictions because of the licensing issues by different production companies that prohibited Netflix from streaming certain content in different regions.
If you don’t want to miss the episodes of your shows that are available on American Netflix, you can use the VPN to bypass its geo-restrictions. What happens is that the VPN changes your virtual location and assigns you the IP address of the region whose Netflix you want to access.
A VPN service offers you a wide range of servers located in different regions. All you need to do is connect to the server of a particular region, such as the USA, and access the respective Netflix.
Get Better Deals
You can check the local flight and hotel deals by using a VPN. The algorithm of these websites works by detecting your location and offering you the price. However, you can change the location to the nearest countries to check if you can get a better hotel offer.
Furthermore, you can also check the domestic flight rates by using a VPN before travelling to buy a cheaper ticket.
How to Use a VPN While Travelling?
The process of using a VPN is straightforward. First, you need to download and install a reliable VPN service on your laptop or smartphone.
The rule of thumb is to opt for a paid VPN service instead of free VPNs. It’s because free VPNs don’t guarantee your security. After all, there isn’t any no-log policy. Moreover, Netflix and other streaming services block the IP addresses of the free VPN services. So, you won’t be able to bypass the geo-restrictions while travelling.
After installing the VPN software, first, you need to buy a subscription plan that meets your requirement. Lucky for you, the VPN services offer monthly, bi-yearly, and yearly subscription plans. It means you can opt for a monthly plan for a one-time visit or buy a VPN plan for a longer duration if you frequently visit the UK.
After the online payment is successful, you need to create an account by entering your email and password. Then, the VPN Interface presents you with a list of servers available in different locations.
It entirely depends on you to select the nearest server for better connection speed or throughput. Alternatively, you need to select the server’s location whose Netflix library or regional streaming content you want to watch.
Conclusion
Travelling is certainly a fulfilling experience; however, it has its challenges. That’s why you should use a secure and reliable VPN service to protect your personal information while travelling to the UK.
A VPN is your online bodyguard that protects your online identity and encrypts online activities. This way, you can safely access your online bank without worrying about getting hacked.
For even more guides like this on privacy, click right HERE.
