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When I give travel skills talks to even the most savvy travelers, we always hit a bump on the VPN section. The IT people admit they are sometimes lazy and don’t bother. Others may have never heard of a VPN.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) creates a secure connection for your internet browsing. If you work in a corporate job you may have experience with VPNs by using remote access to your company network.
ANYTIME you are on a public connection you should use a VPN. Do not log in to frequent flyer accounts or your local coffee shop connection without protection!
A Good VPN Has:
- User-friendly software and apps for all your devices
- Easy one-click connect
- Multiple connection locations such as New York, London, etc
- Multiple encryption methods (that run in the background)
- Works in countries with heavy online censorship, such as China
What You Can Do With a VPN:
- Securely browse the Internet
- Log in to home locations, for instance banks that may freeze you out if you log in from overseas, or to stream media
- Log in to locations around the US to test Amex target offers!
- Log in to different countries, for example to get local airline pricing, or to stream BBC
A good VPN costs money, usually around $100/year for an account that supports around 4 devices.
How to Pick a VPN:
One way to pick a VPN is to use the VPNDada ratings for China. A VPN working in China is a good sign. Currently their top two VPNs for China are ExpressVPN and VyprVPN.
I have used ExpressVPN for the past two years and love it.
In the past two months I have tested VyprVPN which has given me a free trial account.
Side by side in my travels I have found both ExpressVPN and VyprVPN to perform well. I recommend both. ExpressVPN’s add is a little more usef-friendly, VyprVPN looks a bit more geeky. Both are normally $99.99/year.
VyprVPN is offering a Cyber Monday special: 40% off for the first year. That is $59.99 with a free 3-day trial.
ExpressVPN has their normal $99.95 offer which comes with 30-day risk-free cancellation.
Both are refer-a-friend links. If you use them, thank you for supporting this blog!
Take this as the incentive to push you into action! We travelers need secure browsing around the world and should not risk our accounts and security.
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There is a massive discount on Ivacy VPN as well for cyber monday, vyprvpn discount aint that appealing. Ivacy is is as low as $1.50/mo
I have iPhone, iPad, Mac and PC. Do I need to buy four sets of membership?
ExpressVPN one account is 3 devices, VyprVPN is 2-5 depending on the plan you get. It is not always clear to me if those limits are simultaneous connections or installed devices. So I would purchase just one account and see how many it will take.
Astrill has 2 years at $100.
J – good find. It is not one that I have tested. Recently Astrill has been blocked in China, though for most users this will not be an issue. If I understand correctly the account is limited to one computer and one mobile device though you can buy up for more devices.
Can I buy now and activate later? I still have an ExpressVPN sub with about 4 months left but would love to switch and get this deal when it’s up
I believe all purchases for both start immediately.