How to stream Netflix and Hulu safely while traveling

Posted on August 7th, 2019 by in Privacy & Security.

 

If you’re traveling abroad this summer, you’ll probably have a full agenda of sun and sightseeing. But if you get bored and flip on Netflix or Hulu, you might find yourself unable to catch your favorite shows or movies. And if you’re using a VPN to protect your Internet connection, you may not be able to stream videos at all. That’s because many streaming services enforce geo-restrictions and VPN blockers.

In this article, we’ll show you how to stream Netflix and Hulu while traveling, keep your Internet connection private, and stay safe even on unfamiliar and public WiFi networks.

Benefits of using a VPN while traveling

A virtual private network (VPN) is a basic online safety tool that you should consider using whenever you connect to the Internet. When connected to a VPN, your Internet traffic is encrypted between your device and the VPN service. This prevents your Internet service provider and potential hackers from monitoring your activity. It also masks your location, replacing your real IP address with that of the VPN server you’re connected to.

For these reasons, a VPN can be especially valuable for travelers. First of all, travelers are more likely to use untrusted WiFi networks, which can put you at risk of public WiFi attacks and monitoring. Second, a VPN gives you a digital portal to your home country. Many news and entertainment sites restrict access to IP addresses from certain locations. You may end up locked out of information because of these blocks unless you connect to a VPN server in your home country. This includes Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and other streaming video services.

How to stream Netflix and Hulu while traveling

A VPN can help you access video streaming websites no matter where you are. Websites may block content for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it has to do with outright censorship because of a government order. Other times it has to do with commercial decisions or data privacy regulations. A VPN allows you to bypass information censorship. Here’s how to stream sites like Netflix and Hulu no matter where you are in the world:

1. Get a Plus or Visionary subscription

The first step is to get a trustworthy VPN that offers access to video streaming websites. Proton VPN was developed by the same team of engineers that created Proton Mail, the largest encrypted email company in the world.

Follow this link to get started using Proton VPN.

2. Buy a subscription to the streaming site

A VPN can help you bypass blocks while keeping your Internet traffic private and secure. But it can’t get you free stuff. Here’s where you can sign up for a Netflix subscription or a Hulu subscription if you don’t already have one.

3. Install Proton VPN 

You can stream Netflix and Hulu securely using the Proton VPN applications for Windows, macOS, and Linux. (Streaming on mobile devices is not yet available.)

Windows: https://protonvpn.com/download
For installation help, here’s the Windows support article.

macOS: https://protonvpn.com/support/protonvpn-mac-vpn-application/

Linux: https://protonvpn.com/support/linux-vpn-tool/

4. Connect to a VPN server in the US

Once you’ve installed Proton VPN on your device and logged in to your new account, connect to any United States server marked with a “P” icon. This icon indicates a server is reserved exclusively for Plus and Visionary users. (Secure streaming is currently only available via US servers.)

You may find that some servers prevent you from streaming videos. If this happens, try connecting to another server. Typically, servers installed most recently are the most likely to function. You can find new server announcements on the Proton VPN Twitter page

If you still experience issues watching Netflix, please follow the troubleshooting instructions on our support page

You can also use Proton VPN to stream Disney+, HBO Now, and Amazon Prime Video.

Stay safe wherever your travels take you

Proton VPN is committed to protecting its users no matter what websites they choose to visit. Even if you decide to sign up for a Proton VPN free plan, you’ll still benefit from the same security and privacy safeguards included in our paid plans. As a community-supported VPN service, our mission is to increase access to a private, secure, and free Internet. 

Best Regards,
The Proton VPN Team

You can follow us on social media to stay up to date on the latest Proton VPN releases:

Twitter | Facebook | Reddit | Instagram

To get a free Proton Mail encrypted email account, visit: proton.me/mail

Prior to joining Proton, Richie spent several years working on tech solutions in the developing world. He joined the Proton team to advance the rights of online privacy and freedom.

4 comments

  1. ????? ?????

    If you have servers in which you can stream then why not allow all people to have access to your services?

  2. Richie Koch

    We offer a Free VPN service that is available to everyone that needs online security and privacy. Other features, such as online streaming, require greater resources and are difficult to maintain. Additionally, the revenue raised from paid accounts with premium features, like streaming, allow us to develop other security features that are available to everyone.

  3. Curious user

    Why the streaming works only on plus plan and not on the basic plan?

  4. Richie Koch

    Hello,
    Setting up VPN servers that work with streaming sites is a technical challenge, so we reserve it for the Plus plan. Thanks for reading!

Comments are closed.

Secure
your internet

Get Proton VPN
Get Proton VPN

For customer support inquiries, please submit the following form for the fastest response:
Support Form

For all other inquiries:
contact@protonvpn.com


-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
Version: OpenPGP.js v4.10.10
Comment: https://openpgpjs.org
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=ueTT
-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----

You can also Tweet to us:
@ProtonVPN