Tessa Pemberton
Contributor at Unblock Couch
About
I left London in early 2022 for what was meant to be a four-month design contract in Lisbon. The contract ended. I didn't go back. Then a project in Bangkok came up, then Mexico City, then some version of that rotation again. At some point it stopped feeling temporary.
The VPN situation started with stubbornness. I pay the BBC TV licence and I was not going to let a different postal address take University Challenge away from me on a Monday night. That was the original reason. It spread from there: US Netflix libraries disappearing in Southeast Asia, iPlayer going dark in Thailand for no obvious reason, my partner losing his video call connection at the exact moment something important was being said. These days we travel with a dedicated travel router plugged in permanently on one side of the desk, and I maintain two VPN subscriptions because one of them develops a specific grudge against iPlayer every few months while the other covers the gap.
Yemi Adesanya, a friend from a Shoreditch co-working space we both used around 2019, was the one who first told me a VPN wasn't optional for remote work travel. She went fully nomadic a year before I did and was completely calm about it in a way that was, at the time, slightly annoying. She was right about all of it.
Four years of subscriptions, hotel televisions, and rented flats with wifi that was described as excellent in the listing. That is the experience base here. No formal qualifications in networking or security, which means when something needs explaining, I explain it the way I would explain it over a voice call to a friend who just texted asking why their iPlayer stopped working: plain language, probably slightly irritated in tone, and specific about which step to try first.
Articles by Tessa Pemberton
- How NordVPN Obfuscated Servers Help with Strict Hotel Wi-Fi Networks
- How to Use a VPN for Secure Work Emails on Public Cafe Wifi
- Why I Use Private Internet Access Port Forwarding for Travel Security
- Why I Use NordVPN Meshnet for Secure Remote Work and File Sharing
- Why Private Internet Access MACE is Great for Ad-Free Streaming Abroad
- Best Ways to Use NordVPN Threat Protection on Public Cafe Wifi
- Best VPN for Apple TV to Watch British Content from Mexico
- Best Ways to Watch Hulu Outside US Without Constant Buffering
- How to Fix Amazon Prime Video VPN Proxy Error While Traveling
- How to Fix Buffering on Firestick While Using a Travel VPN
- How I Use a VPN to Find Cheaper Flights While Traveling
- VPN App Platform Compatibility Comparison: iOS, Android, Smart TV, Fire Stick
- Why ExpressVPN is Best for iPad Streaming During Long Layovers
- How to Watch US Netflix Abroad Without Getting the Proxy Error
- Using NordVPN Double VPN for Extra Security on Public Bangkok Wi-Fi
- Private Internet Access Review for Digital Nomads Needing Low Latency
- How a Dedicated IP for Streaming Stops Constant Captcha Problems
- How to Change Disney Plus Region to Watch UK Content from Anywhere
- Is ExpressVPN Good for Microsoft Teams Calls While Traveling Abroad?
- Easy Way to Unblock Netflix Japan for Anime While Living in Mexico
- Why Your VPN Is Not Working With Sky Go Abroad
- Why Surfshark is the Best VPN for Travel with Multiple Devices
- NordVPN vs Surfshark for Streaming British TV From Mexico and Lisbon
- Best Ways to Use a Travel Router for Hotel Room Streaming
- Why ExpressVPN is the Best VPN for BBC iPlayer When Others Fail
- Why CyberGhost is the Best VPN for Streaming Overseas on Firestick
- Best VPN for Travelers with Multiple Laptops and Streaming Sticks (2026 Guide)
- Best VPN for Lisbon Digital Nomads Working From Coworking Spaces (2026 Update)
- Best VPN with Unlimited Device Connections for Nomadic Couples (2026 Update)
- How to Watch ITVX Outside UK for Free Without Buffering (2026 Guide)
- Easy Way to Set Up a VPN on a Hotel Smart TV for Streaming (2026 Update)
- Is Private Internet Access Fast Enough for Gaming While Traveling? (2026 Update)
- Why Digital Nomads Need a Dedicated IP for Remote Work in 2026
- University Challenge in Mexico City: Which VPNs Actually Unblocked the Beeb This Month?
Disclosure
Some outbound links on this site are affiliate links. If you sign up for a service through one of them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend services I have paid for and used myself while traveling. If something stopped working for me mid-trip, the review says so.