Why you need a VPN, nomad or not

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As a digital nomad, you have probably noticed that the internet can look a lot different depending on where you are. Messages such as “This is not available outside of X country” are a familiar sight when abroad, among other things. But did you know you can easily circumnavigate these things with a decent VPN (Virtual Private Network)?

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://nomadgate.com/vpn-for-nomads/
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Thank You…Thank You for providing so much useful & digital nomad friendly information! I truly appreciate your time in sharing this, thank you. :hugs:

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This is a very interesting and helpful article. Thank you!

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Dear all

One should not take VPN companies at face value.
I have been, or could have been royally shafted here in the UAE, as I found out that executives of Express VPN have been working hand in hand with the UAE Government to spy on residents/citizens here, more precisely and by enlarge US citizens for the US Govt! (Google it, and read the story)
So ExpressVPN sell us a top quality VPN APP service and advertise how safe and secure it is, then they are working behind our backs to get around their own VPN service with Governments to spy!!!
I was livid with them, wrote them a tough e-mail accusing them of professional malpractice and they offered me money in compensation immediately.
I refused the 1st offer, pushed for more, got it and received monies back against my credit card within days, and then told them to go to hell !!!
So there is one example of a company NOT to trust, I don’t know about others, however its not acceptable that, and we are talking about good old MERKAN companies here, that they can be swayed from their basic Company objective of secure access, by Government Depts …
My advice is don’t trust any of them!

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I have had Nord VPN for some time and all is not perfect. When my current 2 year contract is complete, I plan to change to another service because of these two issues:

  1. Message apps such as Skype and FB Messenger somehow go around Nord. They can be used even if Nord does not load.
  2. Even if you move Nord to the top of the “start” list, other apps such as the browser will start first.
  3. Nord has no server in the Philippines and is a bevy of website that alter their behavior… or block when they perceive you are not in the Philippines. The Philippines is replete with hackers and the gov’t is surely not to be trusted.

I am now considering to switch to vyprvpn… they have servers in 70 countries versus 59 for Nord (including the Philippines) and other countries I visit. I don’t know if they fix the other issues I mentioned.

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I am also not thrilled with NordVPN. My main complaint is that it frequently logs me out and forces me to reenter the password. My password is a long string of gibberish; this is irritating behavior.

I wrote politely to customer service to ask about this. They never replied.

I have also observed a lack of effectiveness in the service. While I was in Europe, I activated a NordVPN proxy in the USA and tried to access the Whole Foods Market USA site (I was looking for halloumi cheese on the west coast, if you’re curious). The site kept reproaching me that wholefoodsmarket.com is only for users in the USA, and redirecting me to the UK site. It’s irritating that their web site does this, for sure, but it’s also irritating that my proxy service didn’t prevent Whole Foods Market from noticing that I’m in Europe.

I won’t go into details here, but I’ll pay close attention to the privacy policy and reputation of the next provider I choose.

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I am also not thrilled with NordVPN. My main complaint is that it frequently logs me out and forces me to reenter the password. My password is a long string of gibberish; this is irritating behavior.

I don’t seem to have that problem. I also use 1password to remember all my passwords.

I wrote politely to customer service to ask about this. They never replied.

A long time back, I had the same problem. But last time customer service was stellar.

I have also observed a lack of effectiveness in the service. While I was in Europe, I activated a NordVPN proxy in the USA and tried to access the Whole Foods Market USA site (I was looking for halloumi cheese on the west coast, if you’re curious). The site kept reproaching me that wholefoodsmarket.com is only for users in the USA, and redirecting me to the UK site. It’s irritating that their web site does this, for sure, but it’s also irritating that my proxy service didn’t prevent Whole Foods Market from noticing that I’m in Europe.

When that happens, make sure you are connected to Nord. I use

https://dnsleaktest.com/… this is the site that Nord customer service will tell you to use.

I won’t go into details here, but I’ll pay close attention to the privacy policy and reputation of the next provider I choose.

Ditto. For me, the one to beat is vyprvpn.

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