When you are on the road, it can be a hassle to watch all of your favourite shows. It does not matter whether you are planning to watch a VOD or a brand new episode, geo-blocking will not allow you to use most of the streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. However, there are ways to bypass this, as we will show you.
There are many ways to work around the restrictions that are placed on you when you are travelling. Among those is a VPN. We will take you through some of the best VPNs that you can use to stream content and give you a few tips to help you keep up with all the latest shows.
How a VPN battles geo-blocking
Since geo-blocking uses your IP address to determine whether or not you are in the same region as the one that you registered in, a VPN is a great tool as it will spoof your location to your home country. This is done by routing your internet traffic through a server located at a place of your choice.
Once your traffic is routed through the secure server, the service that you use (e.g Netflix) will think that your location is the same as the one which you have always used. However, you will be able to move anywhere in the world and watch your shows as long as you have an internet connection.
Remember that Netflix tries to block VPN access to their service, so there are only a few VPNs which can reliably break through their security protocols. We are now going to recommend some VPNs which will have no problems connecting to Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and all the other mainstream services.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is the industry-leading VPN. It has a ton of features and some of the best speeds that you can find. Although ExpressVPN is a little bit more expensive than all of the other leading VPNs in the market, it is still worth it due to all of the advantages that it brings you.
ExpressVPN has absolutely no trouble running Netflix and has thousands of servers in many different countries for you to choose from. Not only are there dedicated streaming servers which will ensure that you get high speeds when streaming, but you will also be able to access most of the popular Netflix regions such as US, UK, and Japan.
NordVPN
NordVPN is another great VPN that you can use to watch all your favourite shows. The main reason that ExpressVPN is better than NordVPN is the fact that ExpressVPN is a lot faster (although Nord is no slouch). NordVPN does have better security (the best), but you will not need the additional security if your main goal is to stream content from the internet.
One advantage that NordVPN does have over ExpressVPN is that it is cheaper. If you do not want to spend a lot of money on a VPN, then Nord will easily be enough for streaming HD content from the streaming service of your choice. Nord is able to handle all of the streaming websites and has its own streaming servers as well.
Other tips for streaming abroad
We will now take you through some other important tips which can benefit you when you are trying to watch your shows during your travels.
Download VODs
You will not always be watching a brand new show. If you are starting a new series or are watching some of the older seasons in order to refresh your memory about what has happened so far, downloading the VODs before you leave will be a great idea.
Remember that almost all of the major streaming platforms allow you to download VODs. They will take up space on your laptop/phone/tablet, but this will avoid you a lot of hassle once you are on the road.
Check Netflix listings
If you are using Netflix, then you will connect to a localized version of Netflix depending on where in the world you are. There is a fair chance that this version of Netflix already has your show in that locality and you can watch it without a hassle.
The user interface of Netflix stays the same, so simply browse to your favourite show and if it is watchable, then there is nothing more for you to do except open the link and start watching.
Account for the time difference
Remember that there is a time difference between the countries. It is important to take note of the difference between your home location and the place where you are at. If you are planning to avoid spoilers and watch a new episode as soon as it arrives, then try using WorldTimeBuddy on your phone and set a reminder for yourself.
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