Key Takeaways
- Dave Dean from Too Many Adapters is a tech expert. In this guest post, he delves deep into Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to explain what they are, h
- These days, everyone travels with a computer. Whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, we’re all connected when we’re abroad. While this technolo
- From stolen credit card numbers to governmental spying to hacked emails, cybersecurity is usually something we overlook when we’re planning our trips.
Last Updated: 5/17/22 | May 17th, 2022
Dave Dean from Too Many Adapters is a tech expert. In this guest post, he delves deep into Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to explain what they are, how they work, and why you as a traveler should be using them.
These days, everyone travels with a computer. Whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, we’re all connected when we’re abroad. While this technology does make travel easier, it also opens us up to new risks.
From stolen credit card numbers to governmental spying to hacked emails, cybersecurity is usually something we overlook when we’re planning our trips. Sure, we’ll buy travel insurance to protect our health. But we often overlook ensuring that our data and information are kept safe too.
Free Wi-Fi is available pretty much everywhere to travelers, from coffee shops to hostels to airport lounges. Yet as we casually surf the web and connect with friends and family back home, we’re opening ourselves up to some serious risks.
Anybody on the same network (which in some cases could be thousands of people) can easily grab your unencrypted data as it flies through the air. Usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, browser cookies, and other identifying information can be ripe for the picking from your web browser and mobile apps.
With so much potential risk out there, how do you stay safe?
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) provides privacy and anonymity by creating a private network from a public internet connection. In short, they hide your online actions. This makes them virtually untraceable and prevents would-be thieves from accessing your private information.
How Do VPNs Work?
VPNs were originally created for business use, but it didn’t take long before consumer versions started appearing from dozens of different companies. After all, security matters to everyone, whether they’ve got an expense account or not.
To understand how they work, think of the Internet as a river. Drop a load of dye into the river — that’s your (unencrypted) data. Anyone standing along the riverbank can see that dye: what color and consistency it is, and where it ends up.
Now, put a small pipe in the river, running from wherever you are to somewhere along its length and dump your dye into that instead. Until it emerges from the end of the pipe, nobody on the bank can see the dye or knows anything about it. Your VPN is that pipe.
Using them is quite simple: you download and install a VPN app for your phone, tablet, or laptop, then start it up after you’ve connected to the Internet. Choose the server (or “endpoint”) you’d like to use (good VPN apps offer several different locations) and after a few seconds, all of your data is encrypted and passing through the virtual network.
VPNs are generally designed to protect all of your Internet traffic, regardless of its type. This includes email, streaming music and video, voice calls, and anything else you can think of.
What Should I Look for in a VPN Service?
With so many different VPN providers and plans, it’s not all that easy to figure out which one’s best for your needs. These are the features that matter most.
- Has apps for the platforms you use – Make sure that all of the devices you’re taking with you are supported. If you’re carrying a Mac and an iPhone, look for MacOS and iOS versions of the VPN software. If you’re using Windows and Android instead, make sure you’ll be able to download apps for those.
- No restrictions or extra fees for simultaneous connections – Restricting the number of devices that can simultaneously use your VPN account is annoying. Phones, tablets, and laptops are all equally at risk from insecure networks, and you don’t want to disconnect one and connect another every time you want to use them. Look for a service that lets you connect several devices at the same time.
- Works in as many countries as possible – Not all VPN software is created equal, and some types are easier to block than others. Look for support for the OpenVPN protocol and user reviews that mention an ability to work in China in the last few months. The Chinese government is probably the best at blocking VPNs, so if it works there, it’ll work anywhere.
- Has acceptable speeds – Using a VPN will usually slow down your connection, mainly because your data are going via another server rather than direct to their destination. How much it decreases depends on all kinds of factors, including distance, bandwidth restrictions, and overloaded networks. As an example, my speeds in Spain dropped by about 20% when using a VPN endpoint in Madrid, and 40% when using one in New York. Try to use a trial version of any VPN before paying for it, and run
