eSIMs and staying connected abroad, your options explained

Your phone is your map, your ticket, your translator and your way of finding the rest of the group. Arriving without data means standing at an arrivals hall trying to find a wifi network to book a taxi. A few minutes of planning before you leave means you land connected.

There are four ways to stay online abroad. Each suits a different trip.

The four options

• Roaming on your home plan. Easy, since nothing changes, but terms vary widely between plans and countries. Some plans include roaming in certain regions, others charge heavily or not at all. Check your own provider's terms, on its own site, for the country you are visiting.
• An eSIM. A digital SIM that you download and add to your phone, often before you leave. No physical card to find or swap.
• A local SIM card. A physical card bought at the airport or a shop in the country. It can offer good local data, but may need your passport to register, and you have to swap cards.
• Wifi only. Free in many stays and cafés, and fine for a short trip if you download what you need beforehand. It leaves gaps when you are out and about.

Many travellers combine them: keep the home number for calls and messages, and add data from an eSIM or a local plan.

What an eSIM is, and why people like them

An eSIM is built into the phone. Instead of a plastic card, you install a profile, usually by scanning a QR code or following a link in an app. You can hold several profiles and switch between them in the settings.

The main advantages for a traveller:

• You can buy and install it before you leave, so you land with data.
• Your home SIM stays in the phone, so you keep your number and can still get calls and codes by text.
• There is nothing to lose, and no tiny card to swap on a moving bus.

The main limits: not every phone supports them, and some providers offer data only, with no phone number, so you will use messaging apps and internet calls for communication.

Check your phone first

Before you buy anything, make sure it will work.

1. Does your phone support eSIM? Look in the phone's settings for an option to add a mobile plan, or check the manufacturer's page for your model. Most recent phones support it, older ones do not.
2. Is it unlocked? A phone that is locked to your home provider may refuse other SIMs and eSIMs. Your provider can tell you whether yours is locked and how to unlock it, and this can take time, so ask well ahead.
3. Does the plan cover where you are going? Single-country plans, regional plans and global plans exist. Pick one that lists the countries on your route, including any stopovers.

How to choose a data plan

You do not need a specific brand, just the right shape of plan. Think about:

• How much data you will use. Maps, messaging and the odd photo upload need little. Streaming, video calls and sharing your connection with others need far more. If in doubt, take a bit more than you think.
• How long it lasts. Plans usually run for a set number of days from when you activate them, or from when you first connect. Read how this works so you do not start the clock at home.
• Whether you can top up. Useful if the trip runs longer than expected.
• Whether it lets you share the connection. If one phone will act as the group's hotspot, check that the plan allows it.
• Reviews of the provider. Look at recent independent reviews, since quality varies and changes.

Because plans and prices change often, compare a few current options on the day you buy rather than relying on any list.

Set it up before you go

1. Install the eSIM while you still have home wifi, since many need a connection to download.
2. Do not switch it on for data until you arrive, unless the plan says otherwise.
3. Label the profiles in your settings, so you know which is which.
4. On arrival, turn on the new plan for mobile data and turn off data roaming on your home SIM, so it does not use your home plan by accident.
5. Test it at the airport: open a map and send a message.

Keep your home SIM active for calls and texts, particularly for banking codes that come by text.

Avoid a surprise bill

Roaming charges are the classic travel shock. Before you land:

• Turn off data roaming on your home SIM, unless your plan covers the country.
• Turn off automatic app updates and cloud backups on mobile data.
• Set a data limit or warning in your phone's settings if it offers one.
• Check the settings that make your phone use wifi for calls, if your plan supports it.

If you are unsure, put the phone in flight mode and use wifi, then turn on mobile data when you have checked the terms.

Make the most of wifi

Wifi is fine for most days. Before you leave a stay or a café, load what you need: the map of the area, the route to your next stop, the tickets you will scan. Public networks are open to others, so avoid banking or entering passwords on them, and be careful with any network that asks for more details than it should. For more, see travel safety tips.

Plan for no signal

Even with a plan, signal drops in mountains, on trains and in old city centres. Download offline maps for the area, save your tickets and bookings where you can open them without a connection, and know the address of where you are staying. The fuller version of this is in travel offline.

Staying connected as a group

You do not all need your own plan. A shared hotspot from one phone can serve a small group for light use, though it drains that phone's battery. On a trip where people split up often, it is more reliable for everyone to have their own data.

Agree how to reach each other: a messaging group that works over wifi or data, and a fallback meeting point and time in case someone loses signal or battery. Travel Life's shared plan gives everyone the same itinerary, so even without a chat it is clear where the group is meant to be.

Next step

Check that your phone is unlocked and supports eSIM, then compare current plans for your destination a week or two before you fly. Install the plan at home, and test it when you land.