VPNs are very popular among travelers because they allow you to encrypt your internet connection and as such avoid it from being intercepted when connected to a public WiFi. When you are traveling it’s highly recommended to use a VPN every time you connect to a publicly available and unsecured WiFi.
But there are a couple of countries where it’s especially recommended to use a VPN in if you are traveling there. Below you will find a list of countries where you should use a VPN every time you visit.
Romania
Romania is a EU member state and as such it may seem safe to trust public WiFi but this is not the case. Romania has one of the fastest internet speeds on the planet and has a very strong hacker culture. As such, you can never be safe if connected to a publicly available open WiFi.
Some 16 year old kid may be sitting close to you at the Starbucks you’re visiting waiting for foreigners to connect to the network in order to steal their passwords and login details on various websites.
This is why you should always use a VPN in Romania. That way all your internet traffic will be completely encrypted and will remain safe no matter what.
The United Kingdom
You may be surprised seeing the UK on this list. But this is not a mistake. For many years now the UK is known to be very unfriendly towards free speech. There have been cases of people being fined or arrested by the police for posting certain politically incorrect opinions on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
For this reason you should be using a VPN when in the UK. Sure, you may not be someone who posts political views online but you can never be sure what the latest politically incorrect opinion is according to the British Thought Police.
China
China is a classic example. You should assume that if you are a foreigner and are visiting China then all your internet communications will be monitored by the government. This is not even a controversial subject. It’s something that even the Chinese government openly admits.
The problem with this is that even if you abstain from posting “controversial” opinions or comments online you can never be sure what is deemed “dangerous” by local government agents. Also, if you are on a business trip then you could end up having your company secrets stolen by local companies who then replicate your products and technology solutions.
Russia
Same with China, you could get into trouble by posting your views online or you may end up having your company’s trade secrets stolen in case you don’t use a VPN. You could also get into trouble in Russia if you are found to visit western adult websites. So, even if something seems inoffensive to you, you can never be sure what is deemed offensive according to local laws. Similarly, you need to assume that in Russia all your internet communications are monitored, especially if you come from the US.
A VPN will protect you from all of this.
Turkey
Turkey is the newest country to join the list of countries that enforce internet censorship. After 2017 the number of detained foreign journalists but also regular tourists who posted critical comments online about the country has increased dramatically. Even a simple comment that you didn’t like you latest vacation in the country may get you arrested in case your internet communications are intercepted (they will be!).
So you absolutely need a VPN if you are in Turkey and are recommended to use it every single time you connect to the internet.
