Best VPNs for travel and living abroad

Heading off on a global adventure? You might be moving abroad for work, embarking on a gap-year trip or relocating permanently. 

Whatever your plans, you might want to consider using a virtual private network (VPN). This can increase your online safety, protect sensitive data and make it easier to access home content from abroad. 

This guide compares the best VPNs for travel and living abroad, looking at country coverage, security, prices and more. This can help you choose the best option to fit your travel plans. 

Key takeaways

Here’s a quick summary to help you decide, before diving into the full details:

• Best for global coverage: NordVPN, covering 167+ countries
• Best budget option: PrivadoVPN, with a 2-year plan costing just £1.11/mo
• Best free plan: PrivadoVPN, free plan offers 10GB uncapped speeds and unlimited devices across 13 global servers
• Best for security: Proton VPN and NordVPN, both have advanced security features
• Best for larger households or shared use: Surfshark and Privado VPN, with unlimited simultaneously connected devices.
• Best VPN comparison table

Before looking at the features and fees of all VPNs in detail, here’s a quick comparison table:

NordVPN

NordVPN is an all-in-one digital security and VPN service. It has wide global coverage, with over 8,400 servers in 167+ countries. This means it’s likely to cover your destination, although you can also check its server list on the NordVPN website. 

It’s a really solid option for expats, especially those with security and privacy concerns when working abroad or simply browsing while traveling. 

You can connect up to 10 devices simultaneously. This should be adequate for many expats, but you may find this limiting if you’re a large household or you use lots of devices for work. 

NordVPN is known for its speed, consistency and security. It uses OpenVPN and NordLynx protocols, and AES-256 encryption. 

There are lots of additional security features available, such as:

• Anti-malware and browsing protection powered by next-gen antivirus
• Scam and phishing protection
• Ad and tracker blocker
• Unlimited email protection
• Call and message protection
• Cross-platform password manager
• 1 TB of encrypted cloud storage
• Scam loss and ID theft recovery
• Dark web monitor
• Kill switch – if your VPN connection drops, internet access is cut off so your data isn’t exposed. This needs to be switched on in settings. 

However, not all of these are available with all plans. 

As for speed, NordVPN claims to be the fastest VPN on the market in 2026, based on independent testing from West Coast Labs, leading tech publications, and its own test results. 

Pricing: how much does NordVPN cost?

NordVPN offers a tiered choice of plans, where you can unlock more features for a higher monthly fee. Pricing varies depending on whether you sign up for a rolling monthly plan, or a 1 year or 2 year plan. The best prices are available with the 2 year plan. 

Let’s take a look:

It’s worth noting that the 1 year and 2 year plan prices above only last for the initial term of the plan – they do increase on renewal. So make sure you check the price carefully before renewing. 

There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try out the service first and get a refund if it doesn’t meet your needs. 

Surfshark VPN

Netherlands-based Surfshark is a subscription-based cybersecurity and VPN company. 

It’s another popular pick for regular travelers and expats, offering wide global coverage, fast speeds and security features. It has 4,500+ servers in 100+ countries – you can take a look at its server list to see if it covers your destination. 

As for speed, Surfshark itself claims to be “among the fastest VPNs on the market”, clocking internet speeds at over 950 Mbps on the WireGuard VPN protocol in independent testing. 

One area where Surfshark stands out is its support for unlimited devices, making it ideal if you have a larger household, are sharing the account or need to connect lots of devices for work. 

Cybersecurity and other features at Surfshark vary depending on plan, but include:

• Double VPN – route your traffic through two different VPNs with Surfshark’s Dynamic MultiHop, which means double encryption
• Obfuscated servers – so even your Internet Service Provider won’t know you’re using a VPN
• Split tunneling/Bypasser – this excludes chosen apps and websites from VPN encryption
• Kill Switch – if your VPN connection drops, internet access is cut off so your data isn’t exposed
• NoBorders – use the VPN through network restrictions
• CleanWeb – blocks ads, banners and pop-ups.

You can get a dedicated IP, but it costs extra.

Surfshark gives you a choice of protocols, including Dausos, WireGuard, IKEv2, and OpenVPN. Each has its own encryption standards, and pros and cons. There’s a guide here to help explain it and help you choose. 

Pricing: how much does Surfshark VPN cost?

Surfshark has a choice of plans available on a rolling monthly, 1 year or 2 year basis. The more you pay, the more features you unlock. 

Let’s take a look:

Just like with some other providers, prices may increase on renewal, so check before recontracting. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test out Surfshark and get a refund if it’s not right for you. 

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is a privacy-focused technology company known for its VPN service, as well as its suite of privacy and security tools – all available under one subscription. 

Its server network covers 113 countries, spread across 214 locations worldwide. You can check the full list here. 

ExpressVPN promises “blazing speeds”, and unlimited bandwidth (only on its most expensive plan). It uses 256-bit AES encryption along with trusted protocols like OpenVPN and WireGuard. Its proprietary protocol is Lightway, known for fast speeds and strong security. There’s also a built-in speed test tool.

Security and other features offered by ExpressVPN include:

• Ad, malicious sites, adult sites and tracker blocker
• ExpressMailGuard to protect user identities and reduce spam
• ExpressKeys to protect passwords, passkeys and card details, plus a built-in 2FA authenticator.

You can connect up to 10, 12 or 14 devices simultaneously, depending on your plan. The Express Pro plan also offers additional features, such as a private AI chat bot, unlimited bandwidth and an eSIM for travel. 

Pricing: how much does ExpressVPN cost?

Like other providers, ExpressVPN has a choice of plans available on a rolling monthly, 1 year or 2 year basis. The more you pay, the more features you unlock. 

Let’s take a look:

There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee, giving you time to test it out. Prices for 1 and 2 year plans may increase on renewal, so check them carefully before letting your subscription automatically renew.

Proton VPN

Developed by Swiss tech company Proton AG, Proton VPN is available for both individuals and businesses. It was endorsed as a Which? Best Buy in March 2026, and is used by 100 million+ users and organisations worldwide. 

Coverage is impressive, spanning 140+ countries and a huge 20,000+ servers. Check the full list here.

Proton VPN security features include:

• A built-in ad and malware blocker
• Secure password manager 
• Encrypted storage
• Private inbox
• Dark Web Monitoring (only with Proton Unlimited)
• Kill Switch.

It uses several secure VPN protocols, including WireGuard, OpenVPN, Stealth, IKEv2, and Smart Protocol.

You’ll also get access to Proton’s VPN Accelerator technology. This can boost speeds by up to 400%.

Proton VPN has a free plan, but it is quite limited. You’re only promised medium speeds and can only connect 1 device at a time, connecting to servers in just 10 randomly selected countries. Upgrade to a paid plan and you’ll get faster speeds, many more locations and be able to connect up to 10 devices simultaneously. 

A useful thing to note is that Proton VPN is based in Switzerland, which has some of the most robust privacy laws in the world. This could matter to you if privacy is a priority. 

On the downside, its Trustpilot score is pretty low – with some customers unhappy with connection failures, unexpected subscription renewals and some other issues. It could be worth reading reviews before signing up. 

Pricing: how much does Proton VPN cost?

Proton VPN has a free plan, along with two paid plans available on a monthly, 1 year or 2 year basis:

There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee for paid plans. Prices for 1 and 2 year plans may increase on renewal. 

PrivadoVPN

Iceland-based PrivadoVPN offers a VPN, antivirus and privacy protection all in one. It has high-speed servers in 66 cities in 49 countries, so less than some providers on our list. You can see the full list here. 

But it makes up for it with built-in security measures, support for unlimited devices and the value of its plans. 

PrivadoVPN uses AES-256 encryption, with security features such as:

• Ad and tracker blocker
• Real-time antivirus protection
• Threat prevention against malicious websites 
• Parental controls
• No-log privacy policy.

It uses OpenVPN, IKEv2 and WireGuard protocols. 

Alongside a good value paid plan, it has a decent free plan. This includes unlimited devices, 10GB of unlimited speeds on 13 global servers, and the same security and encryption features as paid plans. It’s ad-free and offers 24/7 support if you need it. 

Pricing: how much does PrivadoVPN cost?

There’s a free PrivadoVPN plan, or you can pay to unlock more features:

Its 1 year and 2 year plans include a discount, so prices are likely to increase on renewal. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee. 

Best VPNs for different countries

Looking for the best VPN provider in your location? Some have strong global coverage, while others are best in specific countries. 

Our country-specific guides can help point you in the right direction, including:

• Best VPNs in Germany
• Best expat VPN in Thailand
• Expat VPN in Japan: How to choose the right service

Final thoughts

The right VPN for you depends on what you’re looking for. If budget is the main concern, PrivadoVPN offers one of the cheapest 2-year plans, as well as a good free plan. 

Choose PrivadoVPN or Surfshark if you need to connect unlimited devices, or NordVPN or Proton VPN if security is a top priority. 

For the broadest country coverage, go for NordVPN. For the best-reviewed provider, Express VPN currently has a slight edge on its competitors.