Moving iPhone off ATT Jailbreak/Unlock Pwnage question

[Astral Cars]

I'm leaving the country in a few days and will be suspending my AT&T service. I hope to use local pay as you go SIM cards when I'm gone. I wanted to get the jailbrake and unlock process going before I leave and I have a couple quick questions.

When Pwnage Tool asks if I have a phone that will activate normally with iTunes, I assume I need to say yes in order for it to work for the next few days, but do I have to go back and re-jailbrake it and say "no" once I'm abroad? Or do I just go through the unlocking process (via ultrasn0w or whatever) then? Is there any reason why I can't also unlock it before I leave?

And, in all the confusion of different versions of phones and firmware and basebands and outdated information, can someone just confirm for my paranoid mind that this will all work on my iPhone 3GS running 3.1.2 purchased in August?

Thank you very much, and sorry for the beginner questions.

 

[pcs are junk]

just go to http://blackra1n.com/ then click on the windows or apple logo, provided whichever one u have, and open the app and click make it ra1n, close the app after you get the message that says you've been successfully jailbroken. then on your iphone go to the blackra1n app, and download sn0w, this will unlock your iphone. much easier than that pwnage tool crap.

 

[Astral Cars]

Does that mean I'll have a tethered jailbreak then?

 

[Applejuiced]

You wont know untill you try it.
It might be untethered, how old is your 3GS?

 

[Astral Cars]

Bought it in August.

Question about tethered jailbrake:
Many apps from Cydia require a restart, but you have to re-jailbreak every time you restart. Do the Cydia-downloaded apps stay?

 

[Applejuiced]

If you got it in August you're good.
You wont have to deal with a tethered JB.