Choose your situation
Practical VPN tips per use case, so you know what to look for before you book.
By use case
Netflix abroad
Netflix's catalog differs by country: shows and movies available at home may be blocked abroad, and vice versa. A VPN lets you connect through a server in another country to access that catalog.
Staying safe on public wifi
Wifi at airports, hotels and stations is often unsecured, meaning others on the same network could in theory intercept your traffic. A VPN encrypts your connection, keeping login details and banking safe even on an open network.
Gaming abroad
Some games or servers are region-locked, or give you higher ping while traveling. A VPN with servers close to your home region can make the connection more stable, and helps with region-locked content or early releases.
Safe banking abroad
Some banks flag logins from an unfamiliar foreign IP address as part of their fraud checks, though device recognition, location history and other fraud-detection signals often play a role too. A VPN with a server in your home country can help in some of these cases, while also protecting your data on unsecured networks.
By country
VPN for Argentina
Argentina has no internet censorship, but the economic situation makes travelers extra vulnerable to phishing around currency exchange transactions. A VPN protects your banking and keeps your own streaming services accessible.
VPN for Australia
Australia has fairly open internet. If you're traveling as a backpacker or on a tight budget, you're often relying on shared wifi in hostels, exactly where a VPN is useful for your safety.
VPN for Brazil
Brazil has no internet censorship. As in many major cities worldwide, unsecured public wifi in the busy centers of Rio and São Paulo is an added security risk. A VPN protects your data and keeps your own streaming catalog accessible.
VPN for Canada
Canada itself has little internet censorship, but a VPN is still useful: for accessing your own streaming catalog from home, and for browsing safely on public wifi in hotels and airports.
VPN for China
China blocks familiar services like Google, WhatsApp and Instagram as standard, through the Great Firewall, the filtering system the Chinese government uses to control which websites and apps are reachable within the country. Traveling with a local SIM means you'll need a VPN for China to reach them. If you use an international eSIM that routes traffic outside the Chinese internet, a separate VPN is often unnecessary, though this varies by provider.
VPN for Costa Rica
Costa Rica is popular with digital nomads, with plenty of coworking spaces and cafés offering shared wifi. A VPN protects your work traffic and keeps your own streaming services accessible during a longer stay.
VPN for Greece
Greece has no internet censorship, but the many small tavernas and guesthouses offering free island wifi are rarely well secured. A VPN mainly helps with safe browsing and keeping access to your own streaming catalog.
VPN for Bali and Indonesia
Indonesia has relatively open internet, but Bali attracts plenty of digital nomads working from coworking spaces and cafés with shared wifi. A VPN there is mainly useful for secure work traffic and keeping your own streaming services accessible.
VPN for Italy
Italy has no internet censorship, but busy tourist spots like train stations and squares are known for insecure public wifi networks. A VPN is mainly useful for security and keeping access to your own streaming catalog.
VPN for Japan
Japan has no internet censorship and reliable public wifi almost everywhere, at convenience stores and train stations for example, but those networks are rarely well secured. A VPN mainly helps with safe browsing and keeping your own streaming catalog accessible.
VPN for a trip across Latin America
On a multi-country trip through Latin America you're constantly connecting to new wifi networks, from hostels to bus and airport lounges. A VPN keeps your banking and communication secure no matter which country you've just entered.
VPN for Malaysia
Malaysia has relatively open internet compared to the region, but certain content is occasionally restricted for religious or political reasons. A VPN is mainly useful for streaming and safe browsing on the go.
VPN for Mexico
Mexico has no internet censorship, but resorts and hotels in tourist zones like Cancún are known targets for wifi-related scams. A VPN protects your banking and keeps your own streaming catalog accessible.
VPN for the Philippines
The Philippines has fairly open internet, but wifi at resorts and on smaller islands is often shared and unsecured. A VPN protects your data and keeps your home services accessible during a longer trip.
VPN for a trip across South America
On long treks and bus journeys through South America you're often relying on the one wifi hotspot in a small mountain town or along the route. Those limited, shared connections are exactly where security matters most, a VPN protects your data.
VPN for Spain
Spain has no internet censorship, and as an EU citizen you also face less geo-blocking than travelers from outside the EU. A VPN there is mainly useful for safe browsing in busy spots and keeping your own streaming catalog accessible.
VPN for Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has, in the past, temporarily restricted social media during periods of unrest. A VPN can help you keep access to communication apps in such situations, though it's no guarantee, blocks can affect VPN traffic too. It also protects you on wifi networks of varying security along the way.
VPN for Thailand
Thailand generally has open internet, though certain sites have been temporarily restricted around sensitive political moments in the past. On the road, a VPN is mainly useful for safe browsing on shared wifi at hostels and beach bars.
VPN for the United States
The US has no internet censorship, but public wifi at motels, diners and highway rest stops is often unsecured during a road trip. A VPN protects your banking and keeps your own streaming catalog accessible.
VPN for Vietnam
Vietnam regulates the internet more tightly than neighbors like Thailand, with occasional blocks on news sites and social media around sensitive moments. A VPN can provide access to services that are locally restricted, depending on the provider and the situation.