Anyone else shocked by how many apps just stop working once you land abroad?

Yeah, totally get what you mean. When I was in China for work last year, it drove me crazy — no Google Maps, no WhatsApp, nothing. I ended up learning about best paid VPN for China and figured out that a lot of travelers use VPNs just to stay connected to their usual apps. Once I set it up, everything ran normally again. It’s kind of a must if you move around internationally a lot.