Israelis like to travel abroad, and the younger generation has a particular penchant for backpacking. This can notably be seen in South America and Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Laos. Covid curtailed these activities for two years, and also affected travel to Israel by foreign visitors.
Israel tourism was hit hard again at the start of this year, but generally, things are returning to normal for people wishing to travel. Now, millions of individuals and families are planning vacations overseas or in their own countries.
Of course, when heading to a foreign country there could be some security concerns. The language may be different, the culture also, and the laws. Tourist destinations are sometimes prone to pickpockets and petty crime, but these days there are other risks to be aware of, ones that are hidden online.
How many Israelis travel overseas each year?
In 2019, there were 9,176,000 recorded departures of Israelis heading overseas. This number dropped sharply as the pandemic hit, not surprisingly. 2020 saw just 1,543,000 individuals leave Israel to visit family overseas, vacation, or take business or educational trips.
Popular destinations in the past have been Greece and Italy. Turkey sees a large number of Israelis arrive but the majority are only transiting to further destinations. Only a few years ago, Russia and Ukraine would have been two of the most popular destinations for Israelis to visit, but in the present climate, this is not so possible.
Around 200,000 Israelis, many of them in their early twenties will head to Thailand for an extended tour of Southeast Asia. Many of these travelers will visit neighboring countries such as Cambodia and Laos too. Nearly all of these travelers will likely own a mobile device or a laptop.
Why is a VPN vital when you travel?
If you are one of the many people planning to leave in September for a foreign vacation, or you are backpacking around Thailand, then you need to stay safe when you go online.
Around 6,000 Slovakians are entitled to Israeli citizenship, and many Israelis will visit this country in 2022 also. Slovakia provides free WiFi for tourists and inhabitants alike, however, there are concerns about privacy in the country. Using VPNs with servers in Slovakia will help to keep your online activity private from anyone who is snooping.
Some countries are very strict on what websites can be accessed within their borders, and others have tried to prohibit the use of VPNs. Here are some grounds for using a VPN everywhere when you access the net overseas.
Stream your favorite programs from home
This is one of the more enjoyable reasons for using a VPN. If you are missing your favorite TV shows from back home, you can use a VPN to pretend you are in Israel.
Protection while using public WiFi
Just because your WiFi is provided by your hotel doesn’t mean it is secure. A VPN will encrypt all the data that you send to another website, and keep your information safe.
Online banking and money transfers
No doubt you will need to access your bank accounts while you are away. A VPN will enable you to do this securely. If you are having problems accessing some of your accounts such as PayPal due to your location, then you can use a VPN to make it look as if you are back home.
If you are working online
If you need to access your employer’s network while overseas then you should use a VPN. Businesses and individuals are increasingly being targeted by hackers. In 2019, the world’s biggest beer producer had to open a cybersecurity base in Israel to fend off online attacks.
Access social media accounts
You may well want to update your status, put up a more exciting profile picture of you in your new location, or just message friends back home. In several countries, social media is restricted though.
If you find yourself in China then you won’t be able to use Facebook unless you have a VPN. There are restrictions in several Asian countries today.
Is it legal to enable a VPN in any country?
It may be that only essential travel is recommended for those heading to Turkey at this time, but that doesn’t mean many won’t still go. For those that do, there are rules surrounding VPN usage which should be noted. VPNs themselves aren’t necessarily illegal, but if they are used to access banned websites there could be legal problems.
Reporters Without Borders ranks Turkey only 149th out of 180 countries for freedoms of speech and the press. In 2019, the German Foreign Office warned travelers to Turkey to be wary about VPN usage due to the laws on censorship in the country. Other countries to be wary of for travelers using VPNs are China, Russia, and not surprisingly, North Korea.
Summary
VPNs should be an essential part of a packing list. Once you’ve decided on everything that is going in your backpack or luggage, download some protection for your mobile devices.
Ideally, you would install malware protection, anti-virus software, a password manager, and a good VPN. Consider using a paid-for VPN service, and check that it has a no-log policy so that your activity is not recorded in any way.
Logging in to your VPN every time you use the internet abroad will make you that much safer, and make sure you don’t become an online crime statistic. Plus you can watch Netflix wherever you are.
