Phone & SIM|
Set Up Your Phone Before Moving Abroad
Unlock your phone, set up landing-day data, and keep your US number working before your flight.
Read moreA tech guide for Americans moving abroad
Your move is sorted. Your tech isn't.
Set up your phone, banking, backups, streaming, and US mail before you leave. Written by an American who moved abroad, then helped other people do the same.
Before you leave
Fix these problems at home
Delayed
Your bank blocks your card
Your primary card fails and you don't have another way to pay.
Delayed
Your phone won't take a local SIM
A carrier-locked phone won't accept the local SIM you bought.
Delayed
Netflix is gone
The service changed its catalog, and your smart TV can't run the VPN app.
Delayed
You're locked out of your accounts
Your bank sends its login code to a US number you canceled.
Delayed
Your work VPN is fighting your personal one
The corporate VPN bypasses or blocks your personal connection.
Delayed
Your router fried itself
A plug adapter changes the shape, but it does not change the voltage.
Departures · your itinerary
- CH 03Phone & Connectivity
- CH 04Banking & Money
- CH 06Backups & Loss Recovery
- CH 07Streaming & VPN
- CH 08Security & Access
- CH 09Remote Work Infrastructure
- CH 11US Presence Maintenance
- CH 12Timeline Checklists
$29 — web access and updates while the Guide is offered
The guide
The Exit Nerd Guide
Thirteen chapters, an interactive phone tool, and timeline checklists. Written by someone who lives abroad.
- ✈Phone unlocking, eSIM setup, and keeping your US number
- ✈Keeping US bank and brokerage accounts usable abroad
- ✈VPN and smart TV setup for streaming abroad
- ✈Moving account security away from SMS before departure
- ✈A Phone Checker that compares a kept US number with local data
- ✈US presence maintenance: virtual mailbox, digital notarization, IRS filing from abroad
- ✈90-day, 30-day, and 2-week checklists with 148 items saved in your browser
- ✈Updated in place, with the edition and review date shown inside the guide
Pay once. Keep web access while Exit Nerd offers the Guide. No subscription.
Pre-boarding · free
Start with the free checklist
Work through 47 phone, account, document, money, and device tasks before you leave the US.
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Crew · Exit Nerd
Aaron Bailey
Living abroad since 2021
"I'm Aaron. I've lived abroad since 2021 and have been based in Costa Rica since 2022. I run businesses remotely and have worked through phone service, US banking access, streaming, VPNs, power, and internet across several countries. This guide is the setup I wish I'd had before I moved."
- ✈Living and working remotely in Costa Rica since 2022
- ✈Self-hosted systems across three properties in two countries
- ✈The guide I needed before my own move
From the blog
Banking|
How to Keep Your US Banking Working Abroad
Prepare your cards, contact methods, fees, and account recovery before moving overseas.
Read moreStreaming & VPN|
VPNs for Expats in 2026
Choose a VPN setup for streaming and remote access, then test it on the devices you will use abroad.
Read moreFinal call
Set up the tech.
Then pack.
Get the thirteen-chapter web guide and its planning tools for $29.