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Let’s be real: half of us are “based” in one country, but actually working from a beach, jungle, or rooftop pool in a totally different time zone. And if you’ve ever gotten a Slack message from HR asking, “Hey, quick question—where are you logging in from?” then you already know: it's time to stop screwing around without protection, for work at least.​

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So how do you work remotely without your company knowing your location?

We’re not just throwing out the usual NordVPN or Surfshark suggestion—most of us already know that route doesn’t cut it. So here's the better way: set up your own self-hosted VPN, tunneling your internet traffic to where you’re “supposed” to be.​

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This system isn’t about fooling your boss just for less awkward Zoom meetings—it’s about being able to work and travel without triggering a company compliance panic or getting geo-blocked by your own internal tools. Whether you're working from a coliving space in Mexico or a coworking cafe in Lisbon, this setup keeps your location (and your job) safe.

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DIY VPN for Working Abroad: What You’ll Need

Buy Two GL.iNet Beryl Routers:

  • One router at your "approved" home base (ex: your parents’ house in California)

  • One router travels with you

The home base router acts as a VPN server. The travel router acts as your gateway—connecting to the home router via an encrypted tunnel.

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The Best Way to Work Remotely Without Setting Off Security Alerts

GL.iNet routers have a user-friendly interface that makes setting up WireGuard or OpenVPN surprisingly painless. And once you’ve done the initial setup, the hard part’s over. From then on, just connect your laptop to your travel router—ideally via Ethernet for maximum stealth—and you're good to go. All your internet traffic will automatically route through your home base. It’s like your laptop’s chilling in your parents’ living room—even if you’re actually working from a hammock in Bali.

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Compared to a standard VPN app:

  • You’re using a real residential IP address, which companies trust more

  • Your traffic doesn’t go through a commercial VPN that might be blacklisted

  • You’re in control—no random server hops or DNS leaks

  • Much lower risk of location-based app leaks (if you disable other services properly)

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How to Stay Private While Living in a Coliving or Coworking Space

If you're in a shared space—like a hostel, coworking hub, or coliving villa—you’ll want to tighten things up:

  • Turn off Wi-Fi on your laptop. Always connect via Ethernet to your travel router.

  • Disable location services on your device (and in your browser).

  • Run DNS leak tests regularly to make sure nothing’s slipping.

  • Don’t mix personal and work logins on the same device. (Don’t order tacos on Uber Eats from your work laptop. Yes, that includes VPNed ones.)

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What Is This Setup Called?

There's no sexy name for this system, but if you want to google it try:

  • Privately hosted VPN

  • Self-hosted WireGuard/OpenVPN

  • Router-based VPN tunnel

  • Site-to-site VPN setup

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Work from Anywhere. Actually.

Look, we’re not encouraging you to break your company’s rules. (Okay, maybe just bend them a little.) But if your job says "remote in the US only" and your soul says “I need tacos and surf,” this setup helps you fly under the radar—safely and smoothly.

It’s not hard to set up, it’s not sketchy, and it works. 
Hope this helps some fellow remote workers out there! If you pass through Mexico come say hi to us here at Amplitude Coliving! :)

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