How to stay safe using public Wi-Fi when travelling

How to stay safe using public Wi-Fi when travelling

Many travellers use their mobile devices during their trips, often taking advantage of public Wi-Fi offered at hotels, airports, restaurants and city streets, however this can leave you vulnerable to hackers.

While number of people using public Wi-Fi continues to climb, the amount of online scams and hackings is increasing at the same – if not faster – pace.

Free wireless networks, found almost everywhere, provide us with easy access to now-essential Internet service, but are not able to offer security in most cases, since public Wi-Fi can be hacked into very easily.

As we have become more globally interconnected, no one is protected from breaches of privacy, unless we take steps to protect ourselves.

For example, hackers have been using sniffers, a software designed to intercept and decode data when it is transmitted over a network. Wireless sniffers are specifically created for capturing data on wireless networks.

If you are shopping online or doing online banking by using a wireless network, you are especially vulnerable to hacking attacks by illegally used sniffers that can steal your credit card data or your identity.

The best and most effective way for any traveller to protect their data is to use a VPN. A VPN service encrypts all the traffic flow between the Internet and a device and helps to hide an IP address.

The benefits of using a VPN when on the road:

  1. Protect your online activities when you are using public wi-fi. For example, if you are shopping online or doing online banking, you are vulnerable to hacking attacks, even by a hacker or software.
  1. Access banned sites: Facebook in Vietnam, gaming sites in Morocco and multiple other blocked sites in various countries.
  1. Stream as if you were in USA or UK: With a VPN, you can access most streaming services just as if you were in the U.S. – and that includes Netflix, Spotify, Pandora, Hulu, YouTube with local restrictions and so on.
  1. Save money on flights.  The trick to find cheaper airfare is to make it appear that you¹re accessing the booking website from another country, the one where you can buy the same tickets at a lower price.  For example, airplane tickets are cheaper when purchased in the country of origin, i.e. when buying local tickets in Latin America, you will save money if you appear to be in Latin America, not in the U.S. Sometimes it appears there is no apparent reason why tickets bought from one country cost less than booked from another country. You have to experiment by switching between different countries with a VPN to find lowest airfare.

VPNs are becoming the future in the world of tightening online security, and soon using a VPN will be as common as going online. Besides using a VPN, travellers should use antivirus and anti-spyware and automatically update their software.

To find out more, visit www.nordvpn.com

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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