r/eSIMforTravelers

Any recommendations for e SIMs or similar for backpackers? Best value for money for longer periods (up to 3 months). Preferably global but heading to the US and Europe.

I've done some brief research but there seems to be a very large scope of different providers (price/range/plan length).

Hi!! This is so urgent but I'm wondering exactly what the title says. I need to access TikTok, Instagram, Youtube/Google for work in Hong Kong and China. I'm looking to get the Asia plan from Airalo because I will be in other countries too.

Does this by itself work, and if not, what VPN should i use thats affordable and sure to work?

Hi I wanted to ask as it’s my first time traveling to Prague and Vienna, I wanted to know if I could just get a European eSIM or if I have to get something in specific for these places. Please let me know your best options! Thank you

It's been pretty easy to shop for an eSIM for Germany but part of our 10-day trip is also in Austria. I wondered if I should just shop for Germany and assume it will work in Austria, or should I be looking at a Europe plan. I'll be covering three phones and will need calls and text as well (unless my US carrier [US Cellular] will cover that separately).

Looking at getting an eSIM for an international trip. But do you do anything to the local US one to avoid international charges?

Also, assume wifi calling should still work while on wifi, right?

Hope this makes sense. TIA

Hi everyone,

Travelling to Bali from India from 24 June to 2 July (Nusa Dua → Nusa Penida → Ubud). We’ll be doing a fully DIY trip using Grab, Klook, Google Maps etc. constantly.

Trying to decide between:

Airalo eSIM (Telkomsel network) vs

buying a physical tourist SIM at Bali airport.

Main priorities:

Reliable data in Nusa Penida

Smooth Grab/Gojek usage

Avoiding airport SIM hassle

Easy activation

Questions:

Is Airalo + Telkomsel reliable enough for Bali + Nusa Penida?

When should I activate the eSIM?

Is 10GB enough for 9 days for maps/social media/basic usage?

Any better eSIM options than Airalo currently?

Would love recent experiences from people who visited Bali recently 🙂

Which would be the best for 2 weeks in Europe and travelling between Amsterdam/Belgium/France/Switzerland/Italy/Croatia via bus/train?

When i went to thailand, i got an eSIM (holafly) before the trip and my partner didn’t

the idea was “we’ll just get a local sim for her when we arrive”

honestly… that was a mistake

first, it took time. we had to find a place, deal with registration, messages, setup, all that. not super complicated, but definitely not instant like eSIM

meanwhile i was already connected as soon as we landed, which made everything easier (maps, grab, etc.)

then her data ran out before the trip ended, and we ended up sharing my connection for the rest of the trip, which was a bit annoying since i had to hotspot all the time

in the end, both worked, but the convenience of eSIM was on another level

curious if anyone else had a similar experience or prefers local sims?

Hey guys, I’m leaving for Europe in a couple days for 90 days, I’m going to be in the Uk 90% of the time with some weekend trips to mainland Europe. I’m kind of overwhelmed with the options and not really sure what’s worth it. Is a plan with a uk number worth it? Any recommendations or suggestions? Basically clueless. Thanks

Am I the only one who feels like local SIM cards are starting to become less worth it for shorter trips?

A few years ago I used to buy a local SIM every single time I traveled, but lately I’ve mostly switched to eSIMs because the convenience is hard to ignore. Landing with internet already working, ordering a Grab/Uber immediately, using Maps without searching for airport Wi-Fi, not dealing with SIM registration, etc. just makes the whole trip smoother.

At the same time, I still feel like local SIMs can make more sense for really long stays or if you need huge amounts of data.

Curious what most people prefer these days:
local SIMs or eSIMs?

Heading to London this May for about two weeks, mainly around the Chelsea Flower Show. I’ll be spending most of my time in Chelsea and Belgravia, probably moving around a lot between different spots.

I’ll have two phones with me, one for livestreaming and the other for the usual stuff like maps, messages, and posting. So I’ll likely rely on hotspot quite a bit to keep things simple while I’m out.

Been comparing a few eSIM options like RedteaGO, Airalo, and Saily, and honestly didn’t expect the price differences to be this big. From what I can tell, they all connect to the main UK networks anyway, looks like RedteaGO runs on EE/Three, Airalo on EE, and Saily seems to use Vodafone, and some mention 5G support as well, but I’m not sure how consistent that actually is in practice.

I get that in theory they’re all just using local carriers, but I’m more curious how that actually feels in real life, especially when it gets crowded. Places like the Flower Show seem like the kind of environment where networks can slow down pretty quickly.

Not expecting perfect speeds or anything, just something stable enough to get through the day without having to think about it too much. If anyone’s used these around central London or during busy events, would be good to hear how it went.

I’m planning a 1–2 month Southeast Asia trip covering Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos.

Trying to figure out what SIM/eSIM makes the most sense for a trip like this. I’ll need reliable network + good internet throughout since I’ll be constantly moving around.

If it’s a one-month trip, what SIM or package would you recommend that works smoothly across these countries without having to switch constantly?

Seeing a lot of people planning trips for the 2026 IIHF Worlds in Switzerland, so I started looking into eSIM options after realizing how differently some carriers handle Swiss roaming.

Switzerland isn’t in the EU, and a friend of mine got hit with a way bigger bill than expected because he assumed his regular Europe plan covered everything normally.

Especially during a trip like this where you’ll constantly be using:

• Google Maps
• train apps
• ticket apps
• WhatsApp/Telegram
• uploading arena videos/photos
• checking highlights and scores between games

I started using eSIMs for trips because it’s easier than trying to figure out local SIM cards after landing.

The last time I was looking for an eSIM, I came across eSIM comparison table that was actually pretty helpful for figuring out which options make sense for shorter trips like this. I believe this can be also helpful right now to decide which one to pick.

The one I usually end up using is Saily mostly because setup has been straightforward and I’ve never really had issues with it while traveling.

Anyway just posting this now because I know a lot of people only think about mobile data after arriving and then end up relying on expensive roaming or airport options.

Every thread even remotely related to travel, mobile data, or SIM cards ends up full of random accounts pushing the same no-name eSIM brands. The comments always feel super forced too like “this worked AMAZING for me” with zero detail, or brand new accounts only posting about that one provider.

It honestly comes across as guerrilla marketing at best, and straight-up scammy at worst. Half of these companies have barely any online presence outside of those comments, and their websites look rushed or generic.

Has anyone actually used any of these smaller eSIM providers and had a legit experience? Or is this just a wave of low-effort marketing trying to game Reddit?

Curious what others are seeing because it’s starting to make it hard to trust any recommendations here.

This summer I am spending a week in Egypt and then two months in Morocco. Is there one solid eSIM I could get that will cover both countries (preferably more affordable than the global Airlo one), or do I need to get two different eSIMs? Thanks!

Hi all, sharing small mistake I made before a family trip, because it caused huge hassle later.

This winter I traveled around Europe with my wife and two kids - Germany, Spain, Italy, etc. Before the trip I asked a friend which eSIM he had used, and he gave me a provider name (RedDogFish)

A few nights before flight when I was half-asleep, juggling hotel bookings, train tickets and kids stuff, I just searched from memory instead of checking his message. I remembered only something like “dog eSIM” and bought from the wrong provider (eSimDog)

That was on me.

The plan looked cheap upfront, but during the trip it wasn’t great for our use. Coverage was patchy in some places and I had trouble with basic stuff like maps, rideshare apps etc.

Later I checked with my friend and realized I bought from a different eSIM company than the one he recommended. Lol.

Main lesson: don’t buy based on half-remembered names, especially when providers have similar sounding names. Check the exact app/site, plan details, supported countries, fair-use limits, network partners, and pricing before paying.

For solo travel this would’ve just been annoying, but with family relying on maps, tickets and check-ins it became way more stressful than it needed to be.

Not trying to promote or bash anyone, just a reminder to double check exact provider names before a trip!