Do I need a VPN when travelling abroad from the UK?

Lots of people want to access their regular online services while away from the UK for business or pleasure. However, due to differences in laws and content restrictions worldwide, some of the services available in the UK may be off the cards when travelling abroad.

A VPN will help remove geographical restrictions, allowing users to access their preferred websites and streaming services from any location. When using public networks such as those available at airports and cafes, a VPN is essential for protecting privacy. Using a VPN service will help keep online activity from prying eyes like hackers, advertisers and other third-party organisations.

Using a VPN is essential for British citizens travelling overseas, and this article will teach that’s needed to set up and use a VPN in a foreign country.

Why is a VPN necessary when travelling abroad from the UK?

The following are some of the reasons a VPN might be needed while travelling abroad from the UK:

Maintaining online privacy on the go

Using a VPN is a must to keep online activities private and secure while travelling. For instance, most public areas provide open, free WiFi for anybody to use. Therefore, a hacker can easily compromise data and personal information while users are connected to one of the public WiFi hotspots due to the lack of sufficient protection and encryption. When using a VPN, all data is encrypted, and the data sent over public Wi-Fi is passed through secure protocols.

Access geo-blocked websites

Due to government censorship, some countries prevent citizens from accessing websites like Facebook, YouTube and online news outlets. Furthermore, governments elsewhere sometimes censor their citizens’ access to foreign news broadcasts as well. Countries in Asia, especially China, Burma, Vietnam and Thailand, are where visitors will find the highest rates of this problem, but it’s possible to easily bypass censorship and access desired services and websites using a VPN.

Government censorship isn’t the only thing that might be a hurdle in accessing content. Sometimes the services and websites restrict the streaming and access of their content from any other region due to distribution laws and policies. This means it might not be possible to access British local news channels, OTT platforms and online TV channels from somewhere else.

Users can very easily access UK-based news broadcasts or services from a different location using a VPN. Highly optimised and secure servers in the UK allow users to protect their online privacy and enjoy digital freedom. When using a VPN and connecting to any of UK servers, one’s actual IP address will be masked, and a new IP address will be assigned. This way, the user’s actual location is hidden, and they will be able to access any British local service.

Access home banking services

Using a VPN can be useful to secure mobile banking transactions when away from home, the reason being that a bank may freeze an account if they discover it has been logged into from an unusual area when the account holder normally works and lives in the UK. 

There is also the fact that Internet purchases are constantly vulnerable to security breaches. The financial information stored in online accounts is vulnerable to theft by hackers due to the lack of online security. This might lead to serious financial losses and ruin a holiday. This is why it is important that whenever one is making an online financial transaction, it’s best to use a VPN and have safe and secure online transactions.

Get discounts and deals abroad

Some businesses genuinely do charge varying prices depending on geographical location. As might be expected, this is extremely common in the travel sector. Depending on location, package deals, plane tickets and hotel rooms are priced differently.

Booking flights and other travel activities from a different location might sometimes save money. Flight prices are calculated using a variety of factors, one of which is location, so it’s always a good idea to play around with different origin and destination cities on booking sites by using a VPN and changing the IP address.

Stay safe from surveillance

VPNs allow users to conceal their online activity from prying eyes. Even when travelling outside the UK for either a vacation or business purpose, one cannot let anyone stalk their activity online. Privacy is a right, and it should be ensured by using a VPN. FVEY alliance countries carry out surveillance of Internet users within their region. Anyone in a country that is a member of the 5,9,14 eyes-alliance should take precautions.

How to use a VPN for travelling outside the UK

Using VPN such as AstrillVPN while travelling outside the UK is very easy, and users can do it without any hassle, even if they are new. Following these simple steps to set up Astrill or another verified service will protect online privacy and bypass censorship:

1. Subscribe to AstrillVPN
2. Download the Astrill app for the relevant device and install it
3. Launch the VPN app and sign in
4. Select the protocol that best suits
5. Click on the servers list and select any of the UK-based servers
6. Toggle the connection switch to turn on the VPN connection

The VPN UK server is connected, the user can enjoy true privacy and security. Also, they can now access any UK-based website, streaming service or even a banking app without any hassle.

Important safety and privacy tips for travellers

Other than using a VPN, there are some other things that users should keep in mind when they’re travelling abroad:

Maintain strong passwords

One of the best ways to protect accounts and data is to use complex passwords. With passwords that are too simple or obvious, hackers can easily break in and mess with data and privacy.

Keep 2FA enabled

Two-factor authentication (2FA) should be configured properly across all of devices and online accounts. If two-factor authentication (2FA) is enabled, the account will be extremely secure and almost impossible to hack.

Back up dta regularly

Losing a phone and, with it, all of one’s information can be a nightmare. To avoid setbacks, it is crucial to back up data to cloud services frequently.

FAQs

Should People travelling from the UK use a Free VPN?

Free VPNs are unsafe to use, and people travelling abroad from the UK should never opt for a free VPN because it will keep their activity logs and sell them to advertisers.

Can UK users get into trouble for using a VPN while travelling outside the UK?

It depends on the UK user’s country because using a VPN is legal all over the world except for a few countries like Iran, Egypt, Russia and some others.

The editorial unit