Never miss your favourite TV series when on holiday with simple travel hack

These days, many TV fans plan their lives around their favourite TV series, with the latest season premiere a major event in the diary. The biggest streamers like Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video and Disney+ have already unveiled their stellar summer slates packed with new and returning shows.

June saw beloved series like Clarkson’s Farm, The Bear and Squid Game all back on screen, with more still to come including Dexter: Resurrection (Paramount+, July 11) and Alien: Earth (Disney+, August 13). But while everyone loves a summer holiday, jetting off to greener pastures often means having to wait to watch the latest episodes until one returns home.

This is because some content on streaming platforms like Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ can only be accessed in the UK. But there is a way to access them from abroad with a VPN, which means Brits don’t have to miss out on the latest TV series when they jet off this summer.

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Please be aware streaming platforms may take the view that the use of a VPN to watch content from another territory may be a breach of its terms of service and may constitute copyright infringement. It is the user’s responsibility to ensure the use of a VPN is legal and The Mirror does not encourage any illegal use of a VPN.

How to watch your favourite TV series while travelling

Brits heading abroad this summer can use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to unblock websites and services that usually only work in the UK. This allows users to access streaming platforms including Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ from abroad as they would at home.

A VPN works by changing a device’s IP address – the unique identifier of a device connected to the internet – to any location around the world. There are many VPN providers on the market, with Surfshark a top choice that boasts the more than 3,200 Surfshark servers in 100 countries including the US, Australia, plus in Europe and Asia.

Surfshark is compatible with devices running Windows, iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, and FireTV. The brand is currently offering its services for the discounted rate of £1.49 per month for its 24-month Surfshark Starter plan, which now comes with three extra months at the reduced rate.

This option costs a total of £40.23 over the 27-month term, a whopping 88% saving compared to the usual £331.83. With this, users get a secure VPN that lets them watch their favourite shows from outside the UK, with advert and cookie pop-up blockers, a constantly changing IP address and the ability to use Surfshark on unlimited devices simultaneously.

There’s also 24/7 customer support on live chat or email and a 30-day money back guarantee. However, Surfshark members on the Starter plan won’t receive antivirus protection, a feature included in the £1.89 Surfshark One plan.

This provides a range of security features, with 27 months of VPN, antivirus, alert, search, and alternative ID. It offers the same benefits as Surfshark Starter but with the added benefit of detecting and removing viruses and malware in real time, as well as preventing advertising companies and bots tracking online activity and sending alerts if an email address appears in breached online databases.

Other VPN services include NordVPN, which rivals Surfshark with more than double the amount of servers. However, this comes at a cost as it’s also more expensive at £2.69 per month for the Basic plan.

ExpressVPN is another alternative and is said to be easier to use than other services but is also more expensive at £4.04 on its 24-month plan. The Daily Express compared Surfshark, NordVPN and ExpressVPN and found Surfshark to be ‘great value for money’.

It said: “Surfshark offers great value for money and that’s one of the big attractions. It’s actually owned by the people behind NordVPN, but this is their budget offering – not that the features are lacking.

“There are apps for a wide range of devices, but Surfshark doesn’t put a limit on the number of devices on the same contract, so you can sign-in across all your devices, making sure your whole family is protected.”

However, Chris also found a potential downside, adding: “Surfshark has fewer servers than some of its rivals and can sometimes be a little slower, but unless you’re moving huge amounts of data around, that’s unlikely to be a problem.”

Surfshark users have awarded the service an average 4.5-star rating on Trustpilot, with many impressed with its customer service. One said: “So nice to talk to a human when tech issues arise.”

Another said: “I’m really happy with how easy it is to use on the app and TV, and also for how reliable the service is.”

However, this mixed review said: “It has trouble connecting on my iPhone 12. Ok on iPad but seems to slow everything down.”