If you’re like most travelers, you probably spend a fair amount of time online when you’re on the road — checking flight details, booking hotels, finding directions, or logging into your bank. Here’s the problem: every time you connect to Wi-Fi in a café, airport, or hotel, you’re stepping into a potential minefield for hackers and snoops.
That’s why using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) isn’t just an optional extra for us. It’s a simple, smart habit — right up there with packing light, counting our medications, and buying travel insurance. Here’s why you need one, what it actually does, and which VPN we personally use.
This post is part of our Travel Skills for Travelers Over 50 guide — your starting point for the practical side of travel.
What Is a VPN, and How Does It Work?
A VPN places a private, encrypted tunnel between your device and the internet. Instead of connecting directly to a website through whatever public Wi-Fi you’ve joined, your connection routes through the VPN’s own secure server first. Anyone watching the public network — including the network operator itself — sees only scrambled data, not your actual activity.
Beyond privacy, a VPN can also mask your location, since websites see the VPN server’s location rather than your own. That turns out to be useful for more than just security, as we’ll get into below.
Why You Need a VPN When You Travel
Public Wi-Fi Is Convenient — and Dangerous
Open networks at airports, hotels, and cafes are notoriously insecure. Anyone else on that same network can, with minimal effort, intercept your traffic and see what you’re doing — your logins, passwords, credit card numbers, even your email. This is called a “man-in-the-middle” attack, and it happens more often than most travelers realize.
A VPN encrypts your traffic before it ever touches the public network. Even if someone intercepts it, it’s unreadable gibberish. Check your bank balance or book that last-minute train ticket without worrying who’s watching.
Keep Your Financial and Personal Information Private
Seasoned travelers are used to thinking about pickpockets. Online theft is more common, and harder to notice while it’s happening. Logging into email or banking from unprotected public Wi-Fi is a lot like leaving your passport on a café table.
What’s on your phone or laptop is nobody’s business but your own — and that’s not just about hackers. In some countries, local authorities can monitor device activity on public networks and see what sites or apps you’re using. A VPN keeps that traffic private, which is also why a few other identity-protection habits are worth layering on top.
Get Around Regional Restrictions and Censorship
Ever tried to access a news site or streaming service abroad, only to find it “unavailable in your region”? By connecting to a VPN server back home, you can browse as if you never left — keep up with hometown news, stream your usual shows, or reach your U.S. banking and tax accounts without running into location blocks.
In some countries this is more than a convenience: certain governments block VPN access altogether specifically to control what residents and visitors can see online. No VPN can get around every block, but having one gives you a fighting chance at reaching trustworthy, familiar sources when local options are restricted.
Save Money on Flights and Hotels
Here’s a lesser-known trick: airlines and booking sites sometimes show different prices depending on where you appear to be browsing from. We once saved several hundred dollars on flights to and from Buenos Aires simply by connecting through an Argentina-based VPN server before booking.
It’s not a guaranteed discount every time, but switching server locations to compare prices costs nothing extra and can easily cover your VPN subscription if it works even once.
The Downsides of Using a VPN
A VPN isn’t magic, and it’s worth knowing the trade-offs going in.
It Can Slow You Down
Routing your connection through an extra server can add a little lag. Cheaper VPNs sometimes throttle speed or cap data on purpose to save bandwidth — another reason to avoid the bargain-bin options.
Some Apps Don’t Like It
Facebook in particular tends to flag VPN connections and may force you through an authentication process, or lock you out until you confirm your location. Annoying, but usually solvable.
Some Countries Block VPNs Outright
As noted above, some governments block specific VPN providers. They can’t realistically block them all, so if reliable access in one of those countries matters to your trip, it’s worth having accounts with two or three VPN providers as a backup.
Don’t Make These Mistakes With Your VPN
Don’t Rely on a Free VPN
Free VPNs usually confirm the old adage: you get what you pay for. Many make money by selling your browsing data — which defeats the entire purpose, and can be genuinely risky if you’re in a country that restricts VPN use. Look for a paid provider with servers worldwide, strong encryption, a no-logs policy, and no speed throttling.
Don’t Turn It Off to “Save a Little Speed”
Unless you’re on a network you know is secure, the small speed bump isn’t worth the risk.
Don’t Assume a VPN Is All You Need
A VPN protects your connection, not your accounts. Pair it with strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication.
Which VPN Do We Recommend?
In our experience, the best VPN for international travel is Mozilla VPN. Mozilla partners with Mullvad, an industry leader in privacy, to provide the service — so if you’d rather go directly through Mullvad, that works too. Either way, you get industry-leading connection speeds, 500+ servers across 30+ countries, no speed throttling, and up to five devices on one account. We never leave home without it.
We have no affiliate or sponsored relationship with Mozilla or Mullvad — in fact, they don’t allow one. So this recommendation is exactly what it looks like: genuine, no strings attached.
If Mozilla/Mullvad is more than you want to spend, Surfshark and NordVPN are both solid, budget-friendly alternatives that cover the fundamentals — encryption, no-logs policies, and wide server networks — at a lower price point. Full disclosure: we do have paid partnerships with these providers, so if you sign up through our links, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We’re only linking to VPNs we’d genuinely recommend to a fellow traveler, commission or not — but we want you to know the arrangement either way.
The Bottom Line
Using a VPN belongs in the same category as packing light and buying travel insurance: inexpensive, easy, and the kind of thing you’re glad you did the one time it matters. Before your next trip, take five minutes to download one and set it up on all your devices. Then when you log onto that café Wi-Fi in Paris or that hotel network in Bangkok, you can scroll with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions: Using a VPN When You Travel
Do I really need a VPN when I travel?
If you ever connect to public Wi-Fi at a hotel, airport, or cafe, yes. A VPN encrypts your connection so hackers on the same network can’t see your logins, banking info, or personal data. It also lets you get around regional content blocks and sometimes find cheaper flight or hotel prices.
What’s the best VPN for travel?
We personally use Mozilla VPN, which partners with Mullvad, for its speed, no-logs policy, and lack of throttling. If you want a more budget-friendly option, Surfshark and NordVPN are both solid choices that cover the essentials at a lower price.
Is a free VPN good enough for travel?
We don’t recommend it. Free VPNs often throttle your speed, limit your data, or make money by selling your browsing data — which defeats the purpose of using one in the first place.
Can a VPN really save me money on flights or hotels?
Sometimes. Airlines and booking sites can vary prices based on your apparent location. Switching your VPN server to another country and comparing prices costs nothing and occasionally turns up a better rate.
Will a VPN slow down my internet while traveling?
It can add a little lag since your traffic is routing through an extra server, but with a quality VPN the difference is usually barely noticeable. Cheap or free VPNs are more likely to throttle your speed.
Do any apps or websites block VPN use?
Facebook is the most common culprit — it may ask you to verify your location or temporarily lock your account if it detects a VPN connection. This is usually easy to resolve.
Are VPNs legal everywhere?
Most countries allow them, but some restrict or ban VPN use entirely, often as part of broader internet censorship. If you’re traveling somewhere VPNs are restricted, research the specific rules before you go.
