The thing that catches nomads out isn't untrusted wifi — it's account recovery when you're far from your usual devices, in a country your bank doesn't expect, with a phone number that may not work. Build for that first. Per-service addresses on a domain you own, two-factor that doesn't depend on a local SIM, and backup codes stored offline matter far more than anything you do at the café.
What actually changes
- Recovery gets harder. Password resets, SMS codes and identity checks all assume a stable location and phone number.
- Your SIM changes. SMS-based two-factor breaks the moment you swap to a local number or eSIM.
- Signups are frequent and short-lived. Coworking spaces, local services, short leases, visa services — high volume, mostly one-off.
- Wifi is untrusted by default. Less dangerous than it used to be thanks to near-universal HTTPS, but captive portals still want an address.
- Geography triggers security flags. Logging in from a new country routinely triggers verification — to the address and number on file.
Build for recovery first
You're locked out of an account. The reset goes to an address you can reach — fine. The two-factor code goes to a phone number that stopped working when you swapped SIMs — not fine. And the fallback identity check asks for something you left at home.
Fix this before you go, not when it happens.
- Move two-factor off SMS. An authenticator app travels with you; a phone number doesn't. Do this for email, banking and anything financial first.
- Print or securely store backup codes. The answer to nearly every lockout scenario, and useless if they're only in the account you're locked out of.
- Keep your primary inbox reachable from anywhere and secured with a hardware key or authenticator, not email codes — it can't email itself.
- Don't put your registrar or alias service behind an address on the domain they control. If the domain breaks while you're abroad, you'll need that account to fix it. The circular dependency
The address structure
- Your own domain, not a provider's. Stronger here than for most people: you may change country, provider, phone and bank, and the one thing that shouldn't have to change is the address every account uses. Why
- A permanent alias per critical account — bank, insurer, government, tax. Never disable these.
- Burnable aliases for local and short-term signups — coworking, gyms, delivery apps, visa agencies. Disable when you leave.
- One for captive portals, expected to be sold, disabled whenever it gets noisy.
- Keep a "home base" address — a stable postal and contact identity for institutions that struggle with someone who moves constantly.
Wifi, in proportion
Near-universal HTTPS means public wifi is much less dangerous than the standard advice implies. A VPN is reasonable on genuinely untrusted networks and for geo-restrictions — but be clear it does nothing for email privacy: your address travels inside the message, not the connection. Why
The realistic wifi risk is the captive portal harvesting an address, which a burnable alias solves.
The annual admin
- Domain auto-renew on, card current. An expired domain takes every address with it, and you'll discover it at the worst moment.
- Disable the aliases from the last country when you move on.
- Re-check that backup codes and recovery routes still work whenever your phone number changes.
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