There’s less risk of your account being frozen, or having to jump through extra security hoops. So, if you set your VPN to make it seem like you’re logging in from your home country (or even better, home city) instead of Prague, it’ll raise fewer red flags. Your bank knows where the transaction is taking place based on the IP address. But if it’s really just you booking a hotel in Budapest while you’re in Prague, you really don’t want to spend the next half-hour on hold with the fraud department. If my card is ever stolen, I’ll be happy if my bank flags weird purchases right off the bat.
Granted, this security is at least somewhat for our protection. Telling your bank in advance that you’ll be traveling helps with this, but trust me, it’s not foolproof. Have you ever tried using your debit or credit card abroad, only to have it declined and your account locked for unusual activity? Yes, me too. Avoid Being Locked Out of Your Bank Account If a site you want to visit is only accessible from a specific country, you can set your VPN to a server within that country, and voilà, you’re in.Įqually, if a multilingual site detects your location and insists on showing content in the local language, try using a VPN to make it appear like you’re browsing from somewhere else in the world. This also works for websites that work differently (or not at all) based on where you’re accessing them from. Most VPN companies have servers around the world, so your visit bypasses the filter in whatever country you’re in and appears to come from (eg) Canada or Estonia instead. Other Asian nations have them as well, as do several Middle East and Gulf countries, Australia, the United Kingdom, and many others.Ī VPN can help you access blocked sites by routing your connection via a server in a different country.
You’ve probably heard of the Great Firewall of China (if you haven’t, here’s a handy primer), but while it probably has the most effective blocks, China isn’t the only country with restrictions. Google, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Skype, and others are simply unavailable in some places due to local laws. Many popular online services are blocked in certain countries, including several you probably take for granted in daily life. Why Travelers Need a VPN Bypass Censorship and Blocked Sitesĭepending on where you’re traveling to, you may find the internet to not be the unrestricted free-for-all you’re used to. With the possible exception of the VPN company itself, nobody will know what you do online or have access to anything you type or view. In practical terms, this means that all your activity (the sites you use, login information, your online messages and calls, everything) is kept private. They’re Blocked by Some Streaming ServicesĪ VPN (virtual private network) is like your own secure, private tunnel to the internet. All the information you send and receive online is scrambled and encrypted before it flies through the air and over the wires, keeping it safe from prying eyes.
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