Sometimes, all you want is to stay in touch with folks at home, to Netflix and chill.
When you bring your computer to a different country, it turns on you. Suddenly, you can no longer access Netflix to binge-watch an entire season of “House of Cards.” Suddenly, you can no longer ship that cute bag from a Kate Spade Surprise Sale directly to your front door, much less view its webpage. And to your utter horror, previously-loyal, hilarious sites like the Onion suddenly begin putting up pay-walls on your “Non-US-visitor” computer screen.
Yes, you should be exploring the streets of your new home and making new local friends. But sometimes, all you want is to stay in touch with folks at home by keeping up with the latest TV shows and buying into the hottest sales. Because let’s be honest, what beats American TV and American brands?
1. MediaHint: Do you miss Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, and Rdio?
2. ComGateway: Do you miss shipping the newest JCrew arrivals directly to your front door?
3. Proxy Websites:
Is the Onion suddenly trying to charge you for a subscription after five page views? No problem! Just search for proxy websites in Google, such as Hidemyass.com, and use their free proxy service to mask your IP address, which allows you to access the New York Times as many times as you please.
4. Subscribe to a VPN service!
If worse comes to worst, you can always buy a VPN (Virtual Private Network) subscription, which allows you to bypass LAN (Local Area Network) limitations. HBOGo, Hulu, Netflix are no match. You can even use your VPN to access Facebook and Gmail in Mainland China!