A VPN??? Ok, we’re aware that we’re tackling a subject which, on seeing the title of our post, might make you widen your eyes and say to yourself, but what’s this stuff, it doesn’t concern me at all!
Well, think again. While most of you will discover in this post what a VPN is and why it’s particularly useful when traveling, and also for preparing your trip, those of you who know about this service, but don’t use it yet, will end up being convinced of its usefulness!
So here’s an post explaining why a VPN is your friend, whether you’re a computer pro or a nerd who just can’t seem to use Google!
Disclaimer: we apologize in advance for any grammatical or syntactic errors, as our native language is not English (we're a Colombian-French couple), so we hope you'll forgive us and still enjoy the information we share with you! Please note that all the information on our blog is based on our own experience, and is checked and updated regularly.
We were fed up with paying fees abroad…
Now you can travel with our dedicated bank card and save money in Colombia and beyond!
Exclusive 5% Off Discount For you
Best Travel insurance for Colombia
Since the difficulties we experienced during the Covid-19 period, it's more than advisable to take out travel insurance. Our partner offers the best rates and a 5% discount for blog readers!
What is a VPN
AND WHAT IT’S FOR
As you may know, the Internet is a huge network that allows you to connect to anyone, to any information, anywhere in the world. It’s also known as the web, because each information flow could be illustrated as a thread, and each thread is connected to billions of other threads, making a gigantic spider’s web. All these feeds are “public” in a way, and anyone can easily monitor your activity (sites visited, e-mail, communications, etc.) or even retrieve or hack your personal data. All they have to do is “plug in” to the stream and suck out your information.
Why use a VPN?
For us, a VPN is an essential part of any traveler’s toolbox. At a time of massive collection of personal data for commercial or surveillance purposes, and the risks associated with hacking, a VPN offers nothing but advantages.
A VPN allows you to surf the Internet completely securely, preventing the collection of your personal data and protecting you against piracy. It also allows you to bypass geographic zone restrictions. So it’s both an interesting choice for everyday use (privacy protection), and a handy protection tool when traveling.
Our choice: Express VPN
This is the VPN we use: reliable, fast, secure, with servers in Colombia.
Is it easy to use a VPN if you don’t know anything about it?
Nothing could be simpler: a VPN is nothing more than a small piece of software that you install on your computer or phone like any other software or application.
Using a VPN is very easy:
- Connect to the Internet
- Launch the VPN program
- The VPN connects to a server remote from yours, you choose the country you want to connect to and it encrypts all your activity, so you can surf with peace of mind!
Why a VPN is useful when traveling
AND ESPECIALLY FOR A TRIP TO COLOMBIA
A VPN is a solution for everyday protection, but it’s also a very practical tool when you’re traveling, allowing you to surf with peace of mind and connect securely anywhere.
Why is it useful when traveling?
A VPN is very useful, for example, when connecting to public wifi networks in airports, train stations or cafés. Most of the time, these connections are even less secure than your personal connection at home. In some cases, these wifi networks are password-less, which means that the door is wide open to piracy.
If it doesn’t matter to you what sites you visit, you certainly don’t want your login passwords stolen and your e-mail, Facebook or other accounts hacked… and when it’s time to make online reservations during your trip, book a hotel room, buy a bus or plane ticket, and therefore use your bank or credit card information, etc., you certainly don’t want someone stealing your passwords or hacking into your e-mail, Facebook or other accounts. you certainly don’t want your sensitive information to be sucked out of your bank account!
That’s why VPNs can be useful when traveling!
Our choice: Express VPN
This is the VPN we use: reliable, fast, secure, with servers in Colombia.
Why it’s useful for a trip to Colombia
To add another layer regarding Colombia, it’s also a way of bypassing geographical zone restrictions and therefore being able to connect to sites inaccessible from abroad and/or Colombia.
For example, it enabled us to pay for our tickets online on the website of the regional airline San German Express! From abroad, all our payments were rejected , so all we had to do was connect to Colombia using a VPN for the payment to be validated… very practical!
Especially as San German Express is a very interesting company, offering flights that only they do: to Nuqui, to Capurgana, between San Andres and Providencia, etc. etc.
Which VPN solution should I choose?
FREE AND PAID SOLUTIONS
Choosing a paid VPN
This is the solution we’ve been opting for, for several years now. There are a number of reasons why we opted for a paid solution:
- Quality of service
- Service security
- Servers located in Colombia
A VPN allows us to access Colombian sites that are inaccessible from abroad, and that’s important in our daily lives!
We tested several and definitely opted for ExpressVPN, which we find fast and has a server in Colombia, allowing more possibilities for preparing our trip.
The different subscriptions :
- Monthly: handy for preparing your trip. Once you’ve finished, you can unsubscribe.
- Yearly: an opportunity to test if you need it (travel, home, security, etc.)
- Over several years: super attractive financially, this is the option we chose to save money!
Our choice: Express VPN
So this is the VPN we use, and it’s perfect for us. It’s one of the best known, it’s renowned for the speed of its servers, it’s possible to connect to servers in Colombia.
Available subscriptions :
- 1-month subscription
- 6-month subscription: – 23% off the monthly rate
- 1-year subscription: 49% off the monthly rate
Choosing a free VPN (not recommended)
Most of you will be looking for a free solution, and you’ll find plenty of “free VPNs” on the Internet.
In this area, the solution may lie with Tunnel Bear, or Hideme. These services offer a limited monthly browsing quota (between 500 MB and 1 GB), but depending on your usage this may be sufficient.
Problems with free VPNs
First of all, free services quickly become saturated, considerably slowing down your connection. They are often used to create an appeal to switch to the paid solution.
But the biggest problem with free VPNs is the protection of personal data, and free solutions sometimes present a security problem.
Using the TOR network
You’ve probably all heard of the “Dark Web”, and lately there have been a number of sulphurous stories in the media about TOR, the hidden Internet network where whistle-blowers and traffickers of all kinds rub shoulders.
As far as we’re concerned, there’s a browser called “Tor Browser”, offered by Firefox, which uses the TOR network to protect your data and enable you to bypass certain geographical restrictions.
Problems with TOR
Browsing can be extremely slow because the network sends your requests bouncing around the web before they reach their destination.
The other concern, if this was one for you, is that governments tend to track TOR users in the spirit of “if you’ve got something to hide, you’re a suspect”.
Hello
i’m going to Colombia in October and I’m thinking of going to El Valle
We contacted Andando who unfortunately did not answer us
On the other hand I tried to buy tickets for a flight Bogota Bahia solano but the purchase of tickets by Satena is not available from France
so I’ll try to do it through tor browser
Hello, it’s strange that Andando didn’t reply to you. You can try again by filling in our form. Normally they reply without mistakes… What’s the problem with Satena? From now on, the site is accessible from France. Is this a problem at the time of payment?
Hello,
I’m leaving for Colombia on July 4 for 3 1/2 weeks. My son is marrying a beautiful Colombian woman, Johana. I’m just discovering your info on VPN, a bit late as everything is wrapped up. Do you think it will be useful for me when I’m there, even if everything’s organized, and do I have enough time to subscribe, especially since I’m taking off on July 4?
Your blog is really great, it’s helped me a lot
Thank you for answering me
Beatrice
Hi Beatrice, as we said in the article, a VPN is used to secure your Internet connection when traveling, it’s useful when shopping online from open wifi networks, for people who want to have access to French networks while traveling, or for people who have sensitive data or who are a bit paranoid 😉 In any case, it’s not really useful in your case.
Hello Angelica and Samuel
many thanks for your quick, clear and kind reply! Your blog is a precious resource for us!
I have noted that N26 allows you to pay free of charge abroad … even by internet….and from France,???? (I want to buy my domestic flight tickets to Colombia from France right now).
You can use N26 anywhere, even in France, as long as you’ve transferred money to the account.
Hola Angelica y Samuel!
We’re leaving in mid-July to get back to our two daughters’ roots, and I can’t hide the fact that I’m a bit worried about the logistical side of things, as all these facilities are Chinese to me. I want to buy my internal plane tickets to Colombia and book the hostels before departure
i’ve just read your comments about N26 and Nord VPN
– should I take the 2: if I’ve understood correctly, N26 is a bank card with its own account, and Nord VPN is a software package that lets you surf discreetly
with VPN, once I’m connected I’ll pay with my N26 card?
for downloading Nord VPN: if I download it on my PC, I have to take my PC with me…? (I feel like such a loser, sorry 🙂
For N26 I noted that I had to buy a local sim once in Colombia. Will I be able to connect to Nord VPN from this local sim?
Thank you so much for your help!
Hello Antoinette, you do seem a little lost! No worries, I’ll try to give you a simple overview of the 3 things you’re talking about:
– N26 is a free bank account with a free credit card that allows you, once you’ve deposited money on it, to pay free of charge abroad and to withdraw with reduced fees (or no fees for the “black” version). It’s an account that’s easy to manage via the mobile app you can install on your phone (super handy for managing your budget, by the way)
– A VPN is just a piece of software (to be installed on your computer or phone) that protects your data. It’s extra protection for those who want it. By the way, Satena’s website has been accessible from France without a VPN for a few days now, so we’ll be updating the article. Finally, don’t forget that not having a VPN doesn’t prevent you from using N26! N26 is a normal CB, you don’t need to have a VPN installed to use it.
– The SIM is the local chip that you’ll put in your phone and have a prepaid plan to be able to call and connect anywhere to the Internet (very practical). It’s actually more convenient to have a local SIM to use N26, because every time you make a payment or withdraw money, the N26 application sends you a notification, which is reassuring 🙂 so you need to be connected to the network to receive this notification. But it’s not compulsory either; not having a local SIM doesn’t prevent you from using N26. You can also decide to have your phone just to connect to the hotels’ wi-fi from time to time.
Hope that clears things up!
Hello! I’ve been using your recommended VPN – NordVPN for 7 months, because I travel a lot, it’s necessary for me. In my opinion, its no logs policy is perfect and if we’re talking about streaming or torrenting – it works well with Netflix US. Personally, I’ve taken out a three-year subscription
Have you tested PIA? It’s a popular choice too.
Hi Baptiste, thanks for your message, we agree it’s useful 🙂 No, we don’t know PIA, but there are plenty of offers in the field!
bonjour,
i’m looking at your blog a lot to prepare my trip to Colombia in J -6..
on the other hand!?
to be more simple: just use Tor Browser, and you can easily bypass the restrictions, free, easy to use and no less secure than a VPN, even a paid one !!!
Hi, and thanks for your comment! 🙂 I didn’t know there was such a browser, I had heard of TOR for its sulphurous side, but I didn’t know there was a Tor Browser accessible to the general public. That said, when I did some research, I came to understand that the way it worked slowed down browsing enormously, and that given its sulphurous side, governments were tracking TOR users… but that’s a solution I’ll add to the article 🙂