I posted this to r/techsupport but did not get any replies, so I'm trying here - thanks in advance...

This is several issues combined - there may be several solutions needed. I'll just state the problem:

Case #1: I go to a country in Central America (I'm based in the US). I take my regular laptop with me (old and beat up but works well - it's the one my work recognizes, b/c I use it at home for all my meetings). I have no issues logging in to my work platform and holding client meetings in the country I am visiting. I am using the network where I am staying, and occasionally a local sim-card's network.

Case #2: I go to a European country and take a different laptop with me. This is a laptop that I just bought, but logged in at home with no issues and no being asked for authentication.

I travel overseas with it to European country. The first time I log in to my work platform I am asked for a 2-factor authentication. This is an issue because the code is sent to my US phone (no email option to recieve it) and even with roaming minutes purchased, it is still extremely erratic and often I do not get the code and so I am locked out of my work platform. I can't even contact clients to let them know what is going on, b/c the contact is only possible through the work platform.

In addition to this (for reasons unknown), I am sent the 2-factor authentication request every single time I try to log in to the work website. This makes being at client meetings impossible, due to the delay in getting the code(s).

I am using the network where I am staying and also a vodaphone internet card. Both have the same issue (that didn't happen when I used my old laptop in my earlier travels)>

In the end I fly back home, ending my month-long trip after 2 days.

Please note that my work platform does not have a tech support number for the workers. We have to email the general support and so far I have done so twice and gotten no reply.

I want to be able to travel and work (since my meetings are all remote) but I have to figure out some way to fix this issue. Ideally it would be a relatively foolproof way to not trigger the 'suspicious activity' algorithm on my work website.

By the way, my work finally told me (after I was already on the way home) that I could change the number they send the codes to. I could conceivably change the number to my Google Voice account and see if I can get the authentication codes to my Google Voice account (on my laptop), but that still won't fix the issue of being asked for an authentication code every single time I log in.

Note - being out of country did not trip their logarithm when I used my old laptop.

Being at home did not trip their logarithm when I used my new laptop.

So this might have been a combo of both factors together - the new laptop and the different location.

This still doesn't answer why it was tripped again and again even after authentication.

I could just travel with my old laptop (like I did the first time), but I would be afraid if something happened to it while I was on the road. Also I'd be afraid that it would trip the authentication process even though it didn't the first time when I traveled with it.

I could try a VPN and my old laptop.

I could make my US number worldwide (probably expensive!) and use it as a hotspot and see if that prevents the work logorithm from being tripped.

I am not sure what the best solution is, but I would prefer a multi-part (multi-layered) solution so that it has some redundancy - I don't want to have to ghost clients and/or have to cut a monthlong trip after a day or two.

At the same time, I don't want to stay in my city all year long working a remote job just because I couldn't figure out how to make the tech work.

Again - my laptop is old. I'm going to have to at some point have a solution that would allow for a different device - though that isn't an immediate concern.

So what I need are essentially two solutions: One that assumes my old laptop is useable and one that allows for a different device, if possible, because my old laptop (that didn't trigger the issue) won't be around forever.

And again - I'm not comfortable just travelling with the old laptop and hoping it doesn't trigger the logarithm when I arrive at my destination. The more layers of safety, the better.

Thanks for any advice - I'm happy to give more details if needed.

I'm on Windows - my old laptop that works fine and that my workplace recognizes is an HP Pavilion G-series running Windows 7 - it works well, I've put in a SSHD and upgraded the RAM. The new (slightly crappy) laptop was a Lenovo Ideapad - super cheap and probably going to return and get something better.

Thank you so much for any and all ideas - it's greatly appreciated!

Note again that I'm not sure this is just a 'get a VPN' issue - I'd rather have some redundancy, i.e., a multi-part solution that has some strength/resiliency to it.