Why a cheap VPN is an amazing tool for any international traveler
Despite having been a customer of NordVPN for 7+ years at this point, this is the first time I’ve gotten around to writing a dedicated post on why a cheap VPN is essential for anyone traveling internationally. And that’s a shame because it really is one of the most useful tools in any traveler’s bag of tricks!
My pick for the best VPN for most travelers is NordVPN. I’ve been using them for nearly a decade at this point, and I’ve continuously been impressed with their speed, reliability, and focus on bringing new features to their customers. Plus, they regularly discount their plans to prices that easily make them one of the cheapest ways to get all the features you need!
- High speed VPN Servers across world
- Obfuscated Servers that hide that you're using a VPN
- Online Threat Protection
- Onion over VPN
- Dedicated IP Address (allows you to avoid verifying your device every time)
- Meshnet (Remote Local Area Networks)
- and more!
Streaming services will either be unavailable when you’re traveling abroad, like with Disney+ or Hulu, or have different shows available, as with Netflix. NordVPN allows you to access those services as if you were still back home, or as if you were in a different country entirely. (Netflix Canada has Paw Patrol, just saying)
Plus, NordVPN works on a variety of different devices, including Amazon Firesticks and Google TVs, which means I can easily get the same shows as I do at home no matter what TV I’m plugged into. This is a huge help with family movie nights.
For a limited time NordVPN is even better for world travelers!
NordVPN is already an essential tool for families looking to travel internationally, but to celebrate the release of Saily eSIMs, they’ve decided to kick things up a notch!
From June 12 until August 7 of this year, when you buy one of NordVPN’s 2-year plans you’ll also receive up to 20GB of data to use during your travels!
I’ve already written my thoughts on Saily eSIMs and how they compare with Airalo’s offerings, and found that while they still lack a bit of polish, they are a serious competitor and are worth checking out. And at the price of free, there’s no reason not to check them out.
This offer only applies to Nord’s 2-year plans, and you get a different amount of free data depending on which plan you opt for, but since the 2-year plans already offer the best savings, this is something of a no-brainer.
Note: I may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
What is a VPN?
I’m far from the first person to suggest using a cheap VPN when traveling, but just what exactly is a VPN? And why do so many people suggest them?
The acronym VPN stands for “Virtual Private Network,” and it’s essentially just a program that keeps the details of your internet traffic private from your internet service provider, or ISP.
Most consumer VPNs are sold either as ways to keep your data safe when using public networks, like the wifi at your local coffee shop, or as a way to get around location-based restrictions on accounts. But VPNs are also used by many businesses as a way of allowing their employees to access company servers even when they aren’t on the local network.
How does a VPN work?
Getting into the details of how a VPN actually works its magic is beyond the scope of this blog post, so this will just be a quick summary. If you’re looking for a complete breakdown of how a VPN works, I suggest checking out this article from HowStuffWorks, which goes into much deeper detail.
But at its most basic, a VPN works like an encrypted relay station between computers. It encrypts all the data that passes through it and sends that data to a linked VPN computer somewhere else in the world. That computer unencrypts the data and passes it on to wherever it needs to go as if it was the original computer that sent it in the first place.
Because the data is encrypted by the VPN locally, before getting sent across the globe, whatever ISP is handling that data can’t see what information is getting sent. At the other end, the VPN service decrypts the data and sends it onward to its destination. Because that server is located in the country of your choice, it looks like that location is where your computer is. (This is why streaming services like Netflix will let you access their US services when you use a VPN even when you’re on the other side of the world.)
NordVPN has over 5,000 of these physical servers located across 60 different countries, which means that while I’m using my VPN the services that I’m using will think that I’m in whichever of those countries that I chose, no matter where in the world I’m actually located.
And if that wasn’t enough, just this year (2024) NordVPN announced the release of new virtual servers that allow NordVPN customers to access networks in 50 more countries that previously were inaccessible due to restrictions on hosting physical VPN servers within their borders!
This means NordVPN customers have over 100 different locations to choose from, which is a ton of choice.
Why is a Cheap VPN useful for travelers?
VPNs were originally designed as a way to keep data safe when being sent from an untrusted network, and that is still the purpose that most often gets highlighted when talking about the advantages of using them. But there are several different ways that VPNs end up being especially useful for world travelers.
VPNs help keep your data private
It’s pretty close to impossible to keep your data completely private in today’s landscape, but using a VPN is one of the easiest and most effective ways to give yourself a little extra security. Data sent through a VPN is unreadable by ISPs or random people watching network traffic on an open router, but since it gets unencrypted at the other end, it’s also good to remember to choose a VPN provider you trust.
VPNs allow you to access local web content from anywhere
This is my absolute favorite use for a VPN, and is the main reason I have one. Because NordVPN has computers based in the States, I can access location-blocked content from wherever I am.
Because we are constantly traveling, this is the only way we could possibly keep up with all the best TV shows from home! And it is especially useful for accessing the PBS Kids Video app on my kids’ Kindle Fires. (If your kids aren’t watching Wild Kratts, they’re missing out!)
Accessing your content from anywhere doesn’t just mean from any location. It also means from any device. NordVPN is available on all sorts of different Operating Systems, and can even be installed on a router to provide house-wide coverage! That’s especially useful if you have lots of devices that need protection.
VPNS help you access your home or office LAN files when you aren’t there
NordVPN also does an amazing job of making it simple to access files from your home network even when you aren’t there! They have a service called Meshnet which essentially lets you access your own devices as if they were a VPN server computer.
This means you can do things like print something on your home printer from the coffee shop, or access your home media server from across the country.
It’s also a pretty excellent way to share large files between devices. It’s the easiest-to-use file sharing service I’ve found since Pushbullet shut down Portal a few years ago! Just make sure both devices are connected through Meshnet and share to your heart’s content!
I’m pretty sure other VPNs can let you do something similar, but NordVPN in particular makes it a really simple process.
VPNs Protect you from intrusive ads and harmful viruses
Since all your web traffic is passing through the VPN computer anyways, you might as well use that to your advantage. One of Nord’s newest features essentially puts ad-blocking and antivirus onto their VPNs so your incoming traffic gets scanned for malware before it ever even gets to your device.
I’ve been using this feature for the last couple of weeks, and it works pretty well, though I prefer a local ad blocker. But I also trust myself not to click on sketchy links or ads. I can see this being very helpful for families who want to let their kids have a bit more freedom on the web but who don’t want their kids clicking on every link they see.
Is NordVPN the best VPN for most users?
The short answer is yes. NordVPN offers a ton of great features at an affordable price, making it the best choice for travelers and for most other users. And I’m not alone in thinking so. In November of 2022, NordVPN was chosen as one of TIME Magazine’s best inventions!
However, there are a ton of other VPN options out there, including some that offer limited services for free. So, why exactly do I think Nord is the best choice?
Speed
By their very nature, VPNs have a tendency to slow your internet down. Mostly, that’s because your traffic has to make an extra stop on its way to wherever, but if your VPN isn’t using an optimized server, that traffic can slow down even more. Depending on your internet speed, that dip could be the difference between usable internet and no Netflix for the duration of your trip!
NordVPN has some of the fastest servers available, and most of the time, I don’t notice any slowdown at all.
Access
VPNs aren’t super useful if they don’t have any servers in the country that you need. NordVPN has servers in more than 50 countries, including the USA, Canada, England, South Africa, and Australia. There’s a pretty good chance that the one you’re looking for is on the list.
Do note: I have been to some places in the world that block VPN traffic completely. (Looking at you, Holiday Inn Express.) NordVPN can still let you get around those restrictions, by routing traffic through obfuscated servers. These servers make it look like you aren’t using a VPN at all!
It’s a feature that sets it apart from many other cheap VPNs and makes it especially useful in places that would otherwise keep you from connecting through a VPN.
If you do plan on going somewhere where a VPN might not work out of the box, be sure to get your VPN installed before you check-in.
Price
One of the best parts about NordVPN is that despite offering best-in-class VPN services, it costs far less than some other cheap VPNs I’ve seen. Personally, I buy the subscription that lasts the longest possible amount of time so I can take advantage of the deepest discounts on Nord VPN.
While their un-discounted rate is $12.99-$14.99, choosing longer subscription periods lowers the per month cost dramatically. In fact, I’ve seen the basic 2-year plan go for as low as $2.99/month!
You can check NordVPN’s current discount rates and prices on their pricing page at their official website.
Essentially, if you’re looking for a cheap VPN that won’t let you down, this is the one you’re looking for.
Their other plans cost slightly more, but also add on some extra Nord services, like a password manager and a full terabyte of secure cloud storage.
VPNs aren’t the most exciting part of traveling internationally, but they are an essential tool if you want to keep using the same services you use at home while overseas. And they’re extremely important if you plan is to depend on coffee shop wifi for your internet needs while abroad, since a good VPN is the first line in keeping your data safe.
