Using a VPN while travelling

Hotel, airport, and café Wi-Fi is a shared network. A VPN encrypts traffic from your device to the VPN server, so the hotspot sees the tunnel rather than the pages.

People also use a VPN to appear in another country. A streaming or news site may then load a library it ties to that country. It may also refuse addresses it classes as VPNs. Banks sometimes block them too.

A VPN does not set the price an airline shows you. Some sites vary prices by country, and some do not. Comparing two exits is a check, not a promise of a lower fare.

The app has to be installed on the device you are using. A network that blocks the VPN protocol will not carry the tunnel until you change server or network.