Those who travel a lot and find themselves abroad for business/vacation reasons know why a VPN for foreign countries is a real necessity. Apart from security and privacy, which are other important features of these services, the world still has some ‘digital barriers’ when it comes to going online.

For example, platforms such as Netflix or HBO offer different content depending on your IP. Simply put, if you are abroad, you may not be able to watch your favourite TV series or films via these platforms.

If this is not a problem for those who are on holiday or out of the country for a few days, those who spend more time abroad may feel this need more. Therefore, VPNs such as NordVPN (official website here) are almost the only solution for watching your favorite TV channels abroad, like watching English Channels abroad.

Best VPNs for abroad

  1. NordVPN (Official Site);
  2. PureVPN (Official Site);
  3. CyberGhost (Official Site);
  4. Express VPN (Official Site).

If you are interested in reviews and opinions of the different VPN services that are on the market, we recommend that you see our section specifically dedicated to VPN reviews.

Why do you need a VPN abroad? Audio-video streaming, security and more…

However, foreign VPNs are not only linked to audio-video streaming. In China, for example, government blocks prevent the use of some of the main social networks. Those who are in this country may find it difficult to keep in touch with friends and family. A VPN for China, in this case, can easily ‘bypass’ the blocks.

Finally, the security and privacy factor must be taken into account. Regardless of whether you are in Italy or abroad, most VPNs, such as NordVPN (here is the link to the Official Site), also offer a service to protect your online data (often through encryption). This allows you to operate online without the danger of some hacker (if not our own provider taking a look at our actions) as unfortunately often happens in the USA or Russia.

VPNs are legal in most countries. Of course, this does not mean that you are allowed to do whatever you want through such a service: illegal activity pursued through VPNs is obviously punishable.

Countries that completely ban the use of these services include China, North Korea and Turkmenistan.

Are VPNs abroad safe and fast?

The speed of VPNs usually depends on the quality and number of servers that make up their structure. Each service of this kind offers a more or less high number of nodes to which it is possible to connect.

By choosing a server, it is possible to ‘adopt’ its IP number. The quality of the line therefore also depends very much on the node chosen and its quality.

How to use a VPN abroad

Obviously, each service works differently. VPNs abroad, as well as those used in Italy, usually work through

  • obile app, for those who intend to use the service from a smartphone or tablet perspective
  • desktop client, i.e. through a real PC software
  • browser extension, to use the VPN directly on your favourite browser

Once the app, client or extension is activated, it is usually possible to choose the geographical region of origin of one’s IP and sometimes even the actual IP. Once this has been done, it is possible to surf the Internet. ISPs will know that any online activity comes from the IP selected via VPN.

Are there really free VPNs for abroad?

Some VPN services are provided free of charge by certain companies. From this point of view, just think of the one integrated directly into the Opera browser. Although these are a good solution to approach the sector, as we will see in the next chapter they are not particularly performing for serious and intensive use, but you will need a more performing VPN such as NordVPN (Official Site here), also read our review of NordVPN.

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Why are the best VPNs ultimately the paid ones?

Obviously, if some services are free and others are paid, there are substantial differences. For instance, streaming services easily detect and block free VPNs, as they are used en masse, and prevent them from bypassing territorial limits.

For the same reason, the speed is significantly reduced on free services, which makes it virtually impossible to enjoy streaming services without the annoying buffering phenomenon.

Finally, even on the security side, free VPNs are not able to offer as high standards as their paid competitors.

In conclusion, a free service can be useful to try out how these platforms work. For those who are serious about using a VPN, however, switching to a paid service is almost indispensable, such as NordVPN (Official Site).