Whether you’re going on a city break with friends or backpacking for 6 months solo, having reliable data when travelling abroad is now crucial. Using maps to find your hotel or hostel, staying in touch with friends and family back home or contacting new friends is pivotal in 2024.
What data options are there when travelling abroad?
Most mobile phone providers let you either choose a bundle to use the internet abroad or pay as you go but these are often at extortionate prices. If you’re from the UK and travelling to Europe you need to check if you can use your existing data in those countries as since Brexit you often can’t.
Many people buy a SIM card when they arrive in a new country. It gives them a new mobile phone number and data at an attractive price. However, it’s quite fiddly to bring your sim key and keep your original sim safe when using the new sim abroad. It also means you can loose access to your contacts/whatsapp and phone number if anyone back home needs to contact you quickly. Plus if you’re only in that country a few days it’s not cost efficient to get a whole new sim and number (plus all your hotel bookings will try to contact you on your old number).
The best data option when travelling abroad is an e-sim. It’s adorable and means you can keep your original number and phone line (calls back home often are too pricey it’s the data that gets you) and easy access to data wherever you are.
What data package e-sim do I use when travelling abroad?
I started using Airalo when I first starting backpacking in December 2022 and it’s a game changer. It gives you the option to buy 1 week of data not just in one country but whole areas such as Asia or South America so when I travel 3 countries in one week I still have my data. It also connects you to the strongest network connection in the area so you don’t have to try and research which one is best when buying a sim in a new country. You can install the e-sim before your flight so that when you land you instantly have access to data which is crucial when contacting your transfer/transport to your hotel or hostel.
As a solo female traveller I can’t recommend Airalo enough, it’s been crucial in making me feel safe and giving my family reassurance that they can contact me at any time.