Netflix Account Travelling

[Martin Glow]

MyNetflix frustrations have come to a boiling point that I now seriously want to ditch my subscription. The frustration is with travelling around the world and keeping my subscription going and watching content on Netflix. We live in a world that loves to compartmentalise and segregate for marketing and media right purposes. For streaming giants like Netflix, but also many others streaming companies be it in entertainment or sports, love to create different products for different markets.

Netflix in the Netherlands has different programs and movies compared to Netflix in Argentina. This model works fine for 98% of the population that is static. But what if you are a digital nomad and you want to try to access your account whilst abroad. In the past this seemed to work fine and users could login and watch almost anywhere in the world. This also had a side effect where some subscribers would open accounts in countries like Turkey where a standard subscription is $3.08 (57.99 TL) vs US$15.50 in the USA. This is undercutting Netflix's revenue stream and I am not even talking about password sharing which has even a greater impact on Netflix revenues.

This does not matter when Netflix shares were trading at maximum value valuing the company at $314 billion, but when the shares took a dive and subscription growth started stalling things now start to matter.

With it becoming increasingly difficult to login into my account whilst travelling around the globe there are solutions to this problem. Welcome to the world of VPNs (Virtual Private Network). A VPN consist of a software client on a computer, smartphone or Android box that will connect to a server in another country via an encrypted connection. I am in Thailand at the moment and with a VPN I can create a connection to the United Kingdom to let Netflix or any other streamer believe that I am there.

Problem solved for the moment and everyone is happy. Digital nomads are used to travel with a VPN anyway as there are now so many geo restricted services and websites that are now not restricted anymore. The fact that VPNs also use encryption makes accessing your bank account or other confidential data that more secure, especially when you use public WiFi networks.

But the crackdown on VPN use has not stopped for Netflix and other streamers like HBO Max. I opened my HBO max subscription whilst staying in Spain when it had a very lucrative 50% lifetime discount. However it has now almost become impossible to use it even if I set my VPN to use Spain. It now recognises that I am using a VPN and will not allow me to access it any longer. It is a similar story for Netflix where I now increasingly get the message that I am using a VPN and will block me from watching certain content. This seems to be more a case now with Android boxes and Amazon Fire sticks than with content watched on Laptop or mobile for the moment. However I am sure these other devices will eventually get caught.

My frustrations are now so big that I am cancelling my HBO Max subscription, I will miss the Succession show. I am close to doing the same with Netflix where it not that I have topped up with gift cards for the next 4 months. Maybe it is a good thing and it will allow me to submerge more in local activities and take my eyes of the screen. I have also noticed I spend more time on YouTube than on any of the streaming giants anyway.

I will now have to resort to taking monthly subscriptions when I am long enough in a certain country so that it makes sense to subscribe. If I am lucky to not be blocked again from opening an account due to not having a local credit card. On top of that every time it is a new account and Netflix will start from zero again with recommendations and what to watch and what you have already seen. As you can see my frustrations are real.

Where there is a problem there is a solution. Start catering to Digital Nomads by creating a product for them. Countries and even local hill top villages are creating programs to attract the growing digital nomad community to help their economies. The key here is to make things less complicated for digital nomads and they will come. The same can be said for streaming companies. Please create a subscription service with the following:

Netflix has cracked down on the use of VPN's and other location hiders and the software will recognise when one is in use. Netflix will work abroad (I don't know about Hulu) but you won't see the same films and shows that you'll see in your home country due to licensing isues.

I had this same experience last year, but while we lived in Italy, Unblock-US worked. I also found that with any VPN (usually I use HideMyAss on my laptop and hook up to a TV using an HDMI cable) I could stream CBS and PBS.

If you have internet service at home, you can always set up a VPN at home (hire someone or have a tech-savvy friend do it). This is something I did myself and know how to do - I'm assuming you wouldn't. Yes, it would cost you a one-time fee if you have to pay someone, but there would be no monthly fee, and when you connect to it from anywhere you are connecting to your own home network. Netflix and Hulu aren't going to block you on that.

I have been able to use Netflix (via their mobile app) in every country I have visited, even third-world countries; never been blocked. They only catch is that you are limited to Netflix's own shows. The Hollywood studio movies don't show up in the choices.

Alan, For those of us who travel for many weeks, it can be a great pleasure to spend an evening in with a home cooked dinner and a movie. We rent apartments often and cook in about half the time. After an 8-to-10 hour day of exploring and discovery in a foreign language, having my feet up with a glass of wine and a movie hits the spot!

I usually keep my mouth shut when I hear the "You shouldn't be in your hotel room anyway!" thing. I'm not a night owl. When traveling I like to have dinner in or out, maybe go for a walk, and then relax in a hotel watching a movie or a couple TV shows I like.

Don't feel bad. I watch TV shows and movies while traveling abroad as well. If I'm on a train with beautiful scenery, I'll usually look out the window, but often the scenery is nothing special, so I'll sometimes watch something on my phone. If I get back to my hotel early enough in the evening I'll also watch something but usually I am getting back late enough that I just want to get to bed.

I think it should be "to each his/her own" in what they do during their down time. In my most recent trip, I was traveling for 7 months. I spent a total of 4 months in the U.K., Scotland, and Ireland, and 90 days spread between Germany, Hungary, Poland, Belgium and France. I rented apartments as my stays were generally a week or more with a few 2 or 3 nighters. I enjoyed having entertainment in the evenings after long days of being out or on the few occasions I was in "sight-see" overload mode. I did not have any fancy vpn or back door things, just used my travel laptop and my existing Netflix and Hulu accounts. As previously noted I was unable to use HBO Now.

With young children in tow my wife and I have little choice but to spend the evenings in whilst they're asleep. During such times we often do what the locals do (much advocated here on RS) and watch Netflix/browse the internet.

The point is that you don't need a VPN to access Netflix, possibly Hulu as well. If you're in a country served by Netflix you can use the service without relying on a VPN. You can log into your account but you won't be able to see or access those films and TV shows that are not licensed for broadcast in the country you're in. I've been able to use Netflix in all the countries I've been to recently, with or without my VPN being on (I use HMA). What I can't do is set my VPN to a UK address and then try to view the Netflix offerings that are available in the UK.

Of course, no one goes to Europe just to watch Netflix or Hulu. Jet lag can do weird things, and being awake at 3 am with nothing on TV in English except for BBC news is certainly a good reason to use Netflix and/or Hulu. Plus, if you've got a child or teen, sometimes a familiar movie or TV show can be a perfect way to keep the peace after they've been dragged through cathedrals or art galleries all day.

As far as secret VPNS, I think the OP might want to try a tech forum, I"m sure they're out there. My friend in Canada finally gave up as Netflix blocked all the VPNS he was trying to use to get the USA content.

Again, the best solution (not always cheapest for some of you if you have to pay someone) is setting up a VPN on your home network. Netflix can't block you if they think you are on your home network. Yes, I know some of you don't want to mess with it personally. Find a tech friend or relative who can.

I just picked up a cheap Netgear wireless router at Goodwill for $3.99 (a relatively new one, which is why I bought it). I was surprised that it has an OpenVPN server built in. All you'd need to do is generate the certificates (find a how-to online) and hook it up on your home network. (Don't even need to replace your existing router if you wish not to - just forward a port through your home firewall to the router. Again, ask your tech friend to set it up if this sounds intimidating to you.)

You can now download lots of content from Hulu, Netflix, etc. But sometimes you still can't watch it abroad, as it's blocked. So, put your device in Airplane Mode and make sure the Wi-Fi is shut off. Your device will then think you are genuinely in an airplane, and you can watch the downloaded shows/movies, even if they're blocked in the country you're watching them in.

Once in awhile on Hulu I would see some pop up like "Oh. Looks like you are using a VPN" blah blah blah. I contacted VPN Express and they told me to just change the VPN location from CA to NJ (I think), and it worked.

Again I love traveling, but I'm probably in the minority of people on this forum with how I like to travel. I enjoy spending most of the day out, and then relax in a comfortable room with my favorite shows and watch a movie. I also travel with a CHECKED IN (yeah I said it!) suitcase, wear makeup, and don't wear "crossbody" bags.

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