Club Benefits
Hopefully you're lucky enough to get a long weekend in the name of Easter. But you know what doesn’t take a day off? All the online nasties of the web, like hackers, trackers, malware, and phishing scam attempts.
That's why the best VPN has long been an essential piece of software for me when planning a vacation over the Easter period.
1. I won't have to play catch-up watching episodes of Married at First Sight Australia
When it comes to shows like "Married at First Sight Australia", you don't really want to fall behind. There are a lot of episodes per week that are more than an hour long, and there's the social media gymnastics you have to do to avoid spoilers if you have fallen behind. On top of that, the season is drawing to its climax with final vows looming. It is not to be missed!
I'd rather avoid playing catch up and use a decent Australia VPN to connect to 9Now and watch episodes as they drop. And before you judge, there's nothing wrong with watching a bit of TV while you're getting ready for your day of playing tourist or, equally, while you unwind, 25,000+ steps later.
2. When in New York City, I need access to my 'Friends' boxset
I'm heading to New York for the Easter break (I know... lucky me!). While I'll more than likely be spending my time walking those aforementioned thousands of steps along the sidewalks of Manhattan, taking in art at the Met, and eating pizza by the slice, I'll also also be spotting filming locations from one of my all-time favorite sitcoms.
Being able to be that person that proceeds to watch episodes in order to point and say proudly, "I was there today!" is a rite of passage I'm committed to. I'm obviously talking about "Friends" and I'm not about to fork out for a HBO Max subscription for the privilege of streaming it while in the States. Instead I'll use my go-to Netflix VPN to unblock my native Netflix library and watch "Friends" like I would back home.
3. Stay on top of all the local news like a [insert your nationality here]
I don't know about you, but I definitely have preferences when it comes to news sources. That goes even more so when I'm overseas and want to see world affairs through the lens of my home.
While news sites like the BBC do have international versions, having a VPN allows me to utilize a UK VPN server and access it as a Brit would.
Not only does this allow me to see the news I want to see, but it also means I'm navigating a website I'm used to rather than seeing the international version and having to dig to find what I want to consume.
This is made easier still for anybody that uses a VPN provider that bundles in a secure browser, such as Surfshark Search.
4. My identity will be protected while on public Wi-Fi
Whether or not you've got a healthy data plan (that hopefully includes international roaming), it's more than likely at some point you're going to want to connect to public Wi-Fi. If New York City is anything like London, the reality of 5G or even 4G is never quite as reliable as one would hope. Built-up city with a big population does not fast mobile connectivity make. So public Wi-Fi will come in clutch... but at a cost.
Public Wi-Fi doesn't generally boast the same level of security as Wi-Fi at home. That means it could leave you vulnerable to hackers who could potentially look at what you're up to and harvest your sensitive data. Connect to a VPN before joining public Wi-Fi, though, and your data will be encrypted, as well as security features like kill switches and Double VPN to better protect you against cyber attacks.
5. I want cheaper prices on travel
There's no exact science to using a VPN to save money on purchases and bookings, but particularly when it comes to paying for things like car hire, as well as train and plane tickets, many merchants will use dynamic pricing dependent on what you've searched for before.
Essentially, if you've looked up flights before and dropped cookies, you can bet all future ads on other sites will be for those flights, and, more so, that when you revisit they'll have hiked up the price, essentially putting the fire under you to checkout before it goes up again.
Particularly if you're not much of a planner and usually rock up for your holiday and book things as you go, connecting to a VPN server will wipe the slate clean and give you organic results that aren't based on any historic tracking.
6. Keeping governmental bodies off my data
The United States is part of the Five Eyes alliance, in which five English-speaking countries agreed to "share any and all information they can on customers in the name of public safety".
Admittedly, so is the U.K. but there is definitely something about a country I don't live in having eyes on what I'm up to online. Call me paranoid, but it just doesn't sit right with me, so being always connected to a VPN helps to alleviate some of that anxiety, and browse with increased peace of mind.
In fact, do one better and ensure your chosen VPN is one based in a country outside of the Five Eyes alliance and a robust no-logs policy (that's been independently audited) to ensure your data won't ever be handed over — because it won't be kept on record in the first place.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
