The Dufresnes

Nine years of full-time travel has taught us a lot of lessons the hard way, and "run a VPN everywhere" is one of the few habits that's paid off consistently no matter which country we're in. Here's why it actually matters once you're on the road, not just in theory.

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The Networks You're On Are Not Trustworthy by Default

Every hotel Wi-Fi network, airport lounge, and cafe hotspot you connect to abroad is a network you know nothing about — who set it up, how it's secured, or who else is watching traffic on it. That's true at home too, but it compounds fast when you're connecting to a new unknown network every few days. A VPN encrypts your traffic before it leaves your device, so even on a sketchy network, what you're sending is unreadable to anyone else on it.

Your Bank Doesn't Know You're Traveling

Log into your bank, PayPal, or even email from a new country and there's a decent chance you'll trip a security flag — a login held for review, a forced two-factor reset, sometimes a temporary account lock. It's your bank's fraud system doing its job, but it's a genuine headache when you need access right now. Connecting through a VPN server based in your home country doesn't guarantee you'll avoid this, but it often reduces how often it happens, since your traffic appears to originate somewhere familiar to the account.

Content and Apps Don't Travel With You

Streaming libraries, certain news sites, some banking portals, and even a handful of everyday apps behave differently — or don't work at all — once you're outside your home country. Licensing agreements and regional restrictions are the usual reason. Routing through a VPN server back home is the simplest way to make those services behave the way you're used to.

Some Countries Actively Restrict Access

Depending on where you're traveling, certain apps, messaging platforms, or entire categories of websites can be throttled or blocked outright by local network policy. This varies enormously by country and can change with little notice. A VPN doesn't guarantee access in every situation, but it's the standard workaround travelers rely on when normal access is cut off.

It's Not Just About You

If you work remotely while traveling — logging into client systems, company tools, or anything with sensitive data — a VPN isn't optional, it's basic professional hygiene. Plenty of companies flat-out require one for remote access from outside the country of employment, and using unsecured networks for client work is a real liability, not just a personal inconvenience.

What We Look For in a Travel VPN

After years of relying on one daily, here's what actually matters on the road:

• A large server network — more countries and cities means a nearby, fast server almost anywhere you land. NordVPN runs 7,200+ servers across 118+ countries, which covers nearly everywhere we've traveled.
• A genuine no-logs policy — NordVPN is based in Panama, outside the international data-sharing alliances some other providers' home countries belong to, and its no-logs claim has been independently audited.
• It has to just work — no fiddling with settings in an airport lounge with five minutes before boarding. Reliable auto-connect and quick server switching matter more day-to-day than any feature list.
• Bundled extras are a bonus, not the point — NordVPN's Complete tier throws in a password manager and encrypted cloud storage, which cuts down on the number of separate travel apps we're juggling, but the core VPN reliability is what actually matters.

Bottom Line

A VPN isn't a nice-to-have if you travel with any regularity — it's closer to a seatbelt: cheap, easy, and the one time you actually need it, you'll be glad it was already on. Grab NordVPN through this link and use code THEDUFRESNES at checkout for up to 76% off a 2-year plan.