Affordable VPNs for travel and public Wi-Fi

A virtual private network sends your device’s traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a server run by the VPN company, and from there onto the internet. The network you are sitting on, whether a hotel, an airport or a coffee shop, sees only scrambled data going to one address. That is the main reason to pay for one.

When a VPN helps

Public hotspots are shared with strangers, and the network name alone proves nothing. The United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warns about fake “evil twin” hotspots and traffic sniffing on public Wi-Fi. Most websites already use HTTPS, which protects page content, but a VPN also hides which sites you visit and the DNS lookups your device makes from the hotspot operator. It is worth turning on before logging into email, a bank or a work account on any network you do not run.

Travelers have a second reason. Banking sites and some work systems flag or block logins from abroad, and a VPN server in your home country can make those sessions behave as usual.

Streaming while you travel

Streaming libraries are licensed country by country. When you open Netflix, Hulu or BBC iPlayer abroad, the service shows the catalog it is licensed to show where you are, or nothing at all, and your subscription does not entitle you to more. Most services detect VPN and proxy addresses; Netflix’s help pages tell users to switch a VPN off if titles are missing. Read the terms of each service you pay for before connecting through a VPN, and expect the app to ask you to turn it off.

Residents of the European Union have a legal route: since April 2018, EU rules let paid online services such as Netflix and Spotify follow a subscriber on temporary trips to other EU countries with the home catalog, no VPN needed. Outside that, downloading episodes for offline viewing before the trip is the dependable way to watch what you already pay for.

What to compare

• Price structure: monthly plans cost $10 to $13 almost everywhere, and the cheap headline prices apply only to one- to three-year plans paid up front.
• Refund window: most large providers offer 30 days, which is the safest way to try one.
• Simultaneous devices: from five to unlimited.
• Protocols: OpenVPN and IKEv2 are standard. WireGuard, newer and faster, is arriving in apps during 2020.
• Kill switch: blocks traffic if the tunnel drops, so nothing leaks onto the hotspot.
• Logging: every provider claims “no logs”; an independent audit is stronger evidence than a claim.
• Speed: a video call or HD stream over a VPN needs a nearby server with spare capacity.

Free VPNs pay for themselves somehow, often through ads or data collection, and cap speed or data. For occasional use on public Wi-Fi a paid plan with a refund window is the safer test.

Setting one up before a trip

1. Install the app on every device you are taking and sign in at home. Some countries block VPN providers’ websites, which makes a first download abroad difficult.
2. Turn on the kill switch and, where the app offers it, automatic connection on untrusted Wi-Fi networks.
3. At a hotel or airport, join the Wi-Fi and complete the login or terms page first. Captive portals like these do not load while the VPN is trying to connect.
4. Pick a nearby server for general browsing, since distance costs speed, and a server in your home country for banking.
5. If a site or app misbehaves, disconnect and try again. Some services refuse VPN addresses outright.

Check the local rules before relying on a VPN abroad. A few countries restrict or license VPN use, and travelers are not exempt.

Seven providers

ExpressVPN

Based in the British Virgin Islands, with servers in 94 countries and apps for nearly every platform, including routers. Its TrustedServer setup runs servers from RAM so nothing is written to disk, and PwC audited its privacy policy compliance in 2019. One of the pricier options at about $12.95 a month or $6.67 a month on a yearly plan, with five devices and a 30-day refund.

NordVPN

A Panama-based service with more than 5,000 servers, six devices per account and a kill switch. In 2020 it rolled out NordLynx, its WireGuard-based protocol, which is noticeably faster than OpenVPN. PwC audited its no-logs claim in 2018. In 2019 the company disclosed that a rented server in Finland had been accessed in 2018 through a data center’s remote management tool, after which it tightened control over its hardware.

Surfshark

Launched in 2018, Surfshark stands out for allowing unlimited devices on one account, which suits a family or a traveler with a laptop, phone and tablet. Its two-year plan brings the monthly price near $2, and it has a 30-day refund window.

CyberGhost

A Romanian provider with thousands of servers and simple apps aimed at beginners. It covers seven devices and offers a 45-day refund on longer plans, 14 days on the monthly one. Speeds on distant servers are fine for HD video, though usually behind NordVPN and ExpressVPN.

IPVanish

A U.S. company that owns and runs its own server network rather than renting capacity, which gives it more control over the hardware. Its apps expose many settings and suit users who like to tune protocols and ports. Being based in the United States matters to some buyers.

PrivateVPN

A small Swedish provider with a modest server count, OpenVPN with strong encryption, and apps for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. Its customer support can connect remotely to help with setup, which helps first-time users. A 30-day refund applies.

VyprVPN

Run by Golden Frog in Switzerland, VyprVPN also owns its servers. Its Chameleon protocol is designed for networks that block ordinary VPN traffic, such as some hotel and office Wi-Fi. An independent audit published in 2018 backed its no-logs policy.

For a traveler who mostly needs a safe connection on hotel Wi-Fi and a home-country address for banking, any of these works; the choice comes down to how many devices you carry and which one runs fastest from the places you go.