VPN for Business Travel

Zoom calls from Beijing. Slack from Dubai. Corporate access from Moscow. Here's how to keep your business tools working in restricted countries.

Zoom & Teams Slack & messaging Corporate security
VPN for business travel

What gets blocked in business destinations

Many of the world's top business destinations — China, UAE, Russia, Saudi Arabia — block or heavily restrict the tools western businesses rely on daily. See our country-by-country VPN guide for destination-specific details before you fly.

🇨🇳 China
Google Workspace, Zoom (sometimes), Slack, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Microsoft services (intermittent)
🇦🇪 UAE
WhatsApp and Skype voice/video calls, Zoom calls (restricted via consumer ISPs)
🇷🇺 Russia
Many Western services, LinkedIn, some Google services
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
VoIP calls including WhatsApp voice, Skype
🇵🇰 Pakistan
WhatsApp, Telegram (intermittent restrictions)

Personal VPN vs corporate VPN

Most businesses use a corporate VPN (Cisco AnyConnect, Palo Alto GlobalProtect, Zscaler) for secure access to internal systems. A personal travel VPN does something different — it bypasses censorship and protects you on public Wi-Fi.

Corporate VPN
Secure access to your company's internal network, shared drives, and applications from outside the office.
e.g. Cisco AnyConnect, Palo Alto, Zscaler
Personal travel VPN
Bypass geo-blocks and censorship. Protect your traffic on public Wi-Fi. Use blocked apps like WhatsApp and Zoom.
e.g. ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark

China-specific: both may be needed

In China, even corporate VPNs can be unreliable during crackdowns. Many large companies use dedicated MPLS circuits for China operations. As an individual business traveller, you need a personal VPN (ExpressVPN or Astrill) in addition to — or instead of — your corporate VPN.

Business travel VPN checklist

1
Set up before you leave
Install your VPN at home. You can't download VPN apps inside China or Iran — the download pages are blocked. Follow the step-by-step <a href="/vpn/setup-guide-iphone" style="color:var(--brand-primary);font-weight:600;">iPhone</a> or <a href="/vpn/setup-guide-android" style="color:var(--brand-primary);font-weight:600;">Android setup guides</a>.
2
Enable obfuscation
Turn on stealth/obfuscation mode in the VPN app settings for China, UAE, Russia. This makes VPN traffic look like normal HTTPS.
3
Test Zoom and your corporate tools
Connect to the VPN and try a Zoom call and access company email before you travel. Verify everything works.
4
Save a backup IP
Write down a server IP from your VPN provider's website. Useful if the VPN app domain itself gets blocked.
5
Get a uPhone eSIM
Rely on your own eSIM data rather than hotel Wi-Fi. Hotel networks are shared, slow, and often blocked by their own content filters.
Business app status by country
App
China
UAE
Russia
Zoom
⚠️
⚠️
Slack
Teams
⚠️
⚠️
Gmail
WhatsApp
⚠️
LinkedIn
Google Drive
✅ Works · ⚠️ Unreliable · ❌ Blocked (use VPN)
Recommended for business travellers
ExpressVPN or Astrill for China. NordVPN or ExpressVPN for UAE. Both work reliably with Zoom and Teams when connected.
See full reviews →

Stay connected for business — eSIM + VPN

A uPhone eSIM gives you reliable 4G/5G data without hotel Wi-Fi. A VPN keeps your corporate tools working. Together, they're the business traveller's essential kit.