Best Overall

4.9

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On NordVPN's website

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NordVPN

• High-quality VPN offering safety and speed
• Loads of servers for multiple connection options
• Works with popular streaming services, including Netflix
• Too many confusing plans

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Most Affordable

4.9

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On Surfshark's website

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Surfshark

• VPN technology offering stability and speed
• Unlimited simultaneous connections
• Works with Netflix and other streaming services
• Headquarters in Nine Eyes Alliance

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Best for High-Level Encryption

4.6

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On ExpressVPN's website

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ExpressVPN

• Premium VPN offering strong security and ultra-fast speeds
• Strict no-logs policy with independent audit
• In-house Lightway protocol for more speed and security
• More expensive than NordVPN, Surfshark, and CyberGhost

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We recommend NordVPN as the best virtual private network (VPN) for travel based on our testing, experience, and research. Nord provides high levels of reliability and protection that can make it easy to work abroad or keep you safe on public Wi-Fi (such as in airports, cafes, or train stations).

You can also use Nord to access your favorite streaming content while you’re away from home — all at a low starting price of $2.99/mo.

Our runners-up are Surfshark (starting at $1.99/mo) and ExpressVPN (starting at $6.67/mo). Surfshark is a more affordable option packed with features. ExpressVPN is a reliable VPN that’s compatible with loads of devices, including Fire TV Sticks, which make excellent travel companions.

Let’s dig into the details of why these are the best VPNs for travel.

The best VPNs for travel 2024

• NordVPN: Best overall
• Surfshark: Best for value and unlimited devices
• ExpressVPN: Best for device compatibility

Top 3 VPN services for travel compared

VPN	NordVPN Best Overall	Surfshark	ExpressVPN
Starting price	Starts at $2.99/mo	Starts at $1.99/mo	Starts at $6.67/mo
Free version	No	No	No
Streaming support	Yes — Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and more	Yes — Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and more	Yes — Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and more
Learn more	See NordVPN Pricing	See Surfshark Pricing	See ExpressVPN Pricing

NordVPN: Best overall

4.9

Best overall

Learn More

On NordVPN's website

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NordVPN

• High-quality VPN offering safety and speed
• Loads of servers for multiple connection options
• Works with popular streaming services, including Netflix
• Too many confusing plans

Who it’s best for

NordVPN is best for travelers who simply want a VPN they can rely on. In our experience, Nord just works. It unblocks popular streaming services and provides high levels of protection and privacy without compromising your connection speeds. And the starting price of $2.99/mo is more than affordable.

What we liked

You can watch Netflix with NordVPN, as well as many other streaming services from our experience. This is handy if you frequently travel to different countries but still want to access streaming content from back home or other regions.

There’s also a little-to-no learning gap when using the NordVPN app on different devices, including phones or laptops. It’s user-friendly, not often requiring you to do more than install the app, log in to your account, and connect to a VPN server.

Uncomplicated VPNs can be helpful no matter the situation, but especially if you don’t want to introduce any additional stress into your travels. After all, you’re likely on vacation or need to focus on work, or maybe a mixture of the two. If you do need any help with your VPN, Nord has 24/7 customer support.

What we didn’t like

NordVPN is affordable, but there are still cheaper alternatives out there. Specifically, Surfshark (starting at $1.99/mo) and Private Internet Access (starting at $2.03/mo). If the price tag is one of your main concerns, a more affordable VPN could be the right move.

We also find the Nord subscription plans to be a bit confusing. Rather than having three options to choose from, as with many other VPN providers, you have nine plan options. Each option varies in price and online security features, and you can do month-to-month plans or one- to two-year plans. It just seems like too many options.

NordVPN specs

Surfshark: Best for value and unlimited devices

4.9

Best for value and unlimited devices

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On Surfshark's website

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Surfshark

• VPN technology offering stability and speed
• Unlimited simultaneous connections
• Works with Netflix and other streaming services
• Headquarters in Nine Eyes Alliance

Who it’s best for

Surfshark is best for travelers who want a super affordable VPN (starting at $1.99/mo) they can use on as many devices as they want. This could be useful if you’re traveling with family or friends and all have devices that could benefit from a VPN.

What we liked

Most popular VPNs have a limit on how many simultaneous connections you can have. But with how many devices people use these days, it’s nice to not worry about being able to use your VPN only on five devices (ExpressVPN) or six devices (NordVPN).

We also like how the Surfshark VPN encrypts your internet connection, unblocks different streaming services, and provides fast download speeds. And a big highlight of Surfshark is that it has servers in 100 countries, which is more than NordVPN (60) and ExpressVPN (94).

It could be useful to have servers in more countries if you want to access specific regional streaming services or something similar.

What we didn’t like

We generally didn’t have issues while testing Surfshark, but it must be mentioned that its headquarters are in the Netherlands. This is a country associated with the Five Eyes Alliance, which is a global surveillance alliance known for its anti-privacy actions.

This doesn’t necessarily mean there are any privacy issues with Surfshark, but it’s something to be considered.

Surfshark specs

ExpressVPN: Best for device compatibility

4.6

Best for device compatibility

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On ExpressVPN's website

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ExpressVPN

• Premium VPN offering strong security and ultra-fast speeds
• Strict no-logs policy with independent audit
• In-house Lightway protocol for more speed and security
• More expensive than NordVPN, Surfshark, and CyberGhost

Who it’s best for

ExpressVPN is best for travelers who want a reliable VPN that works with many types of devices. It isn’t the cheapest VPN (starting at $6.67/mo), but it could be useful if it works on your devices. Below are the types of devices you can use with ExpressVPN.

Operating systems and browsers:

• Windows
• macOS
• Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, Raspberry Pi, and Linux Mint
• iOS (iPhone, iPad)
• Android
• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Microsoft Edge

Devices:

• Chromebook
• Fire TV
• Kindle Fire
• Apple TV
• Android TV
• Xbox
• PlayStation
• Home or office router
• Other smart home devices

What we liked

Most VPNs work with popular devices and operating systems, such as iOS, macOS, Windows, and Android. But ExpressVPN takes it a step further by basically providing some sort of functionality with most internet-capable devices, including smart home electronics.

We also had no issues with using ExpressVPN to unblock different streaming services. And, although it wasn’t the fastest VPN we tested, ExpressVPN certainly provided excellent speeds during our speed tests.

What we didn’t like

The price is a bit high to be considered affordable compared to what’s available from other VPNs. It’s still not out of the realm of what many people would be willing to pay, but the price is well above most VPN services.

We also don’t like how ExpressVPN doesn’t publish its total server network count. Knowing the number of servers gives some idea of whether a provider has enough servers to meet demand, but we have to assume a VPN as big as ExpressVPN does have a sufficient number of servers for its customers.

ExpressVPN specs

VPNs that didn’t make the cut

We tested many VPNs and compared them based on various factors and features. Some of the VPNs we tested but didn’t make this list include:

• IPVanish
• CyberGhost
• Private Internet Access

IPVanish

IPVanish starts off at $2.92 per month, which is more than a reasonable price for a VPN. And from our testing, we found that IPVanish provides fast speeds and can unblock different streaming services.

Our main area of concern with IPVanish is a red flag from its company history in 2016 when it released private user information to the U.S. government. IPVanish was known as Highwinds Network Group at the time and had advertised a strict no-logs policy, but then released private logs to a government agency.

This doesn’t mean IPVanish isn’t trustworthy today, many years later. But it’s certainly not a good look. After all, a secure VPN is supposed to help you mask your IP address and internet traffic from your internet service provider (ISP) while also deleting or not keeping any identifying logs.

CyberGhost

CyberGhost is an affordable VPN starting at $2.19 per month. Our experience with this VPN has generally been good, including being able to access different streaming services.

But we had a few issues to work through when trying to get CyberGhost to unblock some streaming content (it eventually worked). And the internet speeds didn’t really compare with our top VPN recommendations.

Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access (PIA) is one of our more highly rated VPNs for its affordability (starting at $2.03 per month), fast speeds, and streaming support. In many ways, PIA is similar to Surfshark when it comes to pricing and speeds.

But we found Surfshark was easier to use and also provides access to unlimited devices, compared with 10 from Private Internet Access.

Best VPNs for travel FAQs

Bottom line: The best VPNs for travel

NordVPN is the best VPN for travel according to our testing, research, and personal experience. Nord is a speedy VPN that unblocks popular streaming services while providing high levels of privacy and protection at an affordable price.

Surfshark and ExpressVPN are our runners-up. Surfshark makes sense for budget travelers who want VPN access on multiple devices. ExpressVPN makes sense if you want one VPN that has apps for many types of devices.

3 best VPNs for travel

How we tested the best VPNs for travel

We selected the top three VPNs for travel by comparing a variety of factors and features between many VPN providers. These factors include:

• Price: We consider prices starting at $5 or less per month to be affordable for most people. ExpressVPN hits above this mark, but we think the price could be worth it in certain situations.
• Speeds: Our top VPNs provide fast speeds we’ve personally put to the test.
• Streaming support: We had no issues unblocking many streaming services with our top VPNs.
• Privacy and protection: These VPNs had no issues with DNS or WebRTC leaks, provide high-level encryption, and haven’t had any major known breaches from hackers.
• Additional features: Our top VPNs provide kill switches, split tunneling, torrenting support, and more.

These are some of the main factors we considered when deciding the best VPNs for travel, but we also relied heavily on our personal experience and research. Check out our page on the best VPNs for our overall VPN recommendations.

4.9

Limited-time offer: 69% off + 3 extra months

Learn More

On NordVPN's website

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NordVPN

• High-quality VPN offering safety and speed
• Loads of servers for multiple connection options
• Works with popular streaming services, including Netflix
• Too many confusing plans

Author Details

Ben Walker

About the Author

Ben Walker is a writer at All About Cookies with a passion for all things internet and technology, whether it's using VPNs while away from home or organizing his life with password managers.