Your move abroad is sorted, but your tech isn't.
You've moved abroad but your bank froze your card, you can no longer log into your work accounts and you can't access your email without verifying a SMS which doesn't arrive. I'm a massive nerd, living abroad for 6 years so I wrote the guide that prepares you to avoid all of the tech problems once you land.
One payment. Read it online, on any device.
Your US life runs on things that break at the border
Your bank, your phone number and your logins all assume you live in the US. You can fix each one in an afternoon before you leave. Once you've landed, each one can eat a week.
Your bank freezes your card
The first foreign ATM looks like fraud to them, and their fraud line wants a code sent to your US number.
Your phone rejects the local SIM
Your carrier locked the handset. You find out at the airport kiosk.
You can’t get into your own email
Google texts the login code to a number that stopped working when you landed.
Your laptop disappears
Mine walked out of an Airbnb. Your backups decide whether that costs you a week or a year.
Netflix moves countries
Half your shows vanish, and your old VPN won’t run on the TV.
Your US mail piles up
The IRS, your bank and the DMV keep writing to an address you no longer check.
I learned this the expensive way
One morning in an Airbnb in Puerto Vallarta's Amapas neighborhood, I walked into the kitchen to put the kettle on. The charging station on the dining table was empty. My MacBook, iPad, Kindle, Apple Watch and backpack were gone.
I spent the next few hours driving around town with the local police, chasing a dot in the Find My app. By that afternoon I knew half of what I'd called a recovery plan was wishful thinking.
I'm Aaron Bailey. I sold my startup to a Japanese multinational in 2014. I've lived abroad since 2021 and in Costa Rica since 2022, and I run my businesses from a beach house on the Central Pacific coast and a condo in San José. Friends and family call me before their own moves to ask which phone plan to keep and which bank will cause trouble.
I wrote the guide so I could stop answering those questions one phone call at a time. It holds the setup I use today and the fixes I'd have wanted before that morning in Puerto Vallarta.
The Exit Nerd's Guide to Moving Your Tech Abroad
Read it once to see the whole picture. Then pick the 90-day, 30-day or two-week checklist and work through it before your flight. Every chapter names the products I use and the settings to change.
Phone & Connectivity
Unlock your phone, pick a US carrier strategy, set up a local plan and chat apps. Don't show up with a locked iPhone.
Banking & Money
Keep your US bank usable abroad with secure logins, 2FA, transfer services, and backup cards.
Scanning & Storing Important Documents
Make protected, recoverable copies of the documents you may need abroad.
Backups & Loss Recovery
Backblaze, photo backup, the hit-by-a-bus recovery doc, and the playbook for the morning your laptop walks out of an Airbnb.
Streaming & VPN
Understand regional streaming catalogs, VPN limits, account regions, and device setup abroad.
Security & Access
Set up authenticator apps, password managers, hardware keys, border records, and account recovery.
Remote Work Infrastructure
The technical layer underneath working from abroad. VPNs, Tailscale, backup internet, power, timezone hygiene.
Hardware
What to buy before you leave, which warranties actually transfer, what to bring vs. buy locally, and repairs abroad.
US Presence Maintenance
Virtual mailbox, mail forwarding, digital notarization, IRS basics, the address-of-record trap, and the smart home you left behind.
Timeline Checklists
Pick a 90-day, 30-day, or 2-week plan and work through the move.
Advanced Setup
Optional deep dives for the self-hosters: Tailscale exit nodes, home servers, the gear behind my own setup.
SIM Cards & Local Carriers by Country
How to compare local mobile service in Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Canada, Spain, Portugal, and Thailand.
Also inside
- The Phone Checker. Answer a few questions about your phone and your move, and it recommends a setup with the settings paths for your device.
- 148 checklist items. Your browser remembers what you've ticked off.
Field notes
All postsGoogle Voice Abroad: Keep Your US Number Without Losing Your Bank Codes
Google Voice works internationally over Wi-Fi, but many banks reject it for verification codes. Set it up before you move, and port your number the right way.
The Schwab Debit Card Abroad: ATM Rebates, Fees and a Backup Plan
Schwab's debit card rebates ATM fees worldwide, but it won't cover every charge. Open it before you move, and pair it with the right cards and logins.
Tailscale Exit Node: A US Home IP for Banking and Streaming Abroad
Set up a Tailscale exit node at a US home so your bank, brokerage and TV apps see a residential US address from abroad. Hardware, commands and failover.
Land with everything still working
Start four to eight weeks before you fly. A carrier unlock and mail forwarding both run on someone else's schedule.
Get the guide for $29