Living There
Going away from your usual communications set up, such as your mobile phone provider, internet
Photo by Alper Çuğun
service provider and local networks, can make staying connected feel a lot more of a pain than usual. You may dread paying roaming charges for calls and data, you may not be able to access certain web resources you want securely, or at all, from the networks available to you, and you may generally feel a little lost trying to negotiate the best deals on these kind of services in a country where you are unfamiliar with the major providers or how packages are organised.
If you are going to Germany, whether to visit, study or live, you will be pleased to know that the tech infrastructure there is excellent, and so getting a connection, even if at first you stick to Wi-Fi in public places like hotels or coffee shops, is not a difficult thing. However, there are a few reasons why you may want to subscribe to a VPN service before you go, and use it for all your browsing and downloading while you are there.
Security
One thing you can never count on when using unfamiliar networks is security. This is even more true when you use open networks such as the ones in bars and cafes or public libraries. While it is of course great to be able to get free internet access in these kinds of places, it is best to take the extra step of logging in to your chosen VPN before you start to really do anything online. This will make sure your passwords and browsing activity are safe from prying eyes, and is a step that takes no time at all each time you access the web. If you have a VPN that you access from a website rather than a client on your computer, you can also access it if you use public computers, for example in an internet cafe or library. In fact, a VPN is a handy thing to have wherever you are in the world, though if you are planning to travel or become an ex pat it really is the best way to secure your internet connection in Germany.
No Location Based Issues
One thing that can happen when you are in a country other than the one you are used to accessing the web from, is that you may find certain services are not available in your region. This can be fairly common with things like video, and often for no discernible reason. If you want to avoid these problems in Germany, a VPN can help by making it look as though you are in your usual country (or wherever else you want), allowing you to access things that may not be available to general users in Germany.
A VPN is a simple thing that is easy to activate and can give you all kinds of benefits when you are away from home. Make sure to look into it before you start your travels.
