Published March 12th, 2023

I’ve traveled to Europe and Asia a number of times, many of which were before smartphones were a thing. On my last trip to Korea and Japan in 2017, I fully realized what all my well-traveled friends were warning me regarding the benefits to having data-roaming, if for nothing else, to have full access to Google Maps so I would know where I was and where I was going. But I thought to myself “Nah, we live in the age of free wifi everywhere. EVERYWHERE!” But my penny-pinching was exhausting. It was pretty time-consuming to stop into every Starbucks in the area to sneak a little wifi. And costly, ironically.

For my next trip to Scotland (and abandoned plans to France and Czech Republic), I was determined not to make the same mistake. So I called up my service provider to see what kind of data-roaming packages they had on offer. Not much. What they did have was very expensive. I was ready to map out every Starbucks in every city I was going to.

That was until a friend told me about eSIM cards.

They are exactly what they sound like. They are the digital, software-based version of those tiny SIM cards you may remember putting in your device when setting it up on a mobile network. This means they can be set up remotely and downloaded straight onto most modern devices of the last couple of generations. All this can happen alongside your existing service plan without the need to physically switch out cards.

Within a few short taps you could be ready to go and freely explore the area with peace of mind that you’ll have a lifeline to a mobile network. Once you’ve selected a plan, you’ll get an activation or QR code.

Plans will vary from carrier to carrier, plan to plan even, which is great for tailoring a plan to your itinerary. Only need a few gigabytes to get around? There’s a plan for that. There’s also a plan if you need 20gbs, international voice and text, albeit more expensive. There really are endless possibilities, so do a bit of digging for what carrier and plan will suit you best for your destination.

However, there will be a few things you’ll need to check and consider before diving in. First, make sure that your phone is indeed compatible with eSIM technology. It is a relatively newer tech phenom that might not play well with a legacy device older than 2 years. If your device is compatible, setup is as easy as tapping the link or scanning the previously mentioned QR code that will get sent to you upon purchase. You may have to go into your settings to activate.

This brings up the next thing you’ll need to get started: an internet connection for the initial purchase and activation. I know that might sound a bit backwards. Think of it like any app. You need to download it first in order to use it.

There’s something to be said about not having to worry about things like having mobile internet access while you’re in a foreign land. Sure, there was a time not THAT long ago when we relied purely on our intuition, paper maps, or the kindness of others to get around our own home cities, let alone a place we’ve never been before, with strangers who may or may not speak our native languages. But, I’m still using my phone to discover places and experiences in my own backyard. The promise of bringing that ease of discovery to a place I’ve never been before excites me very much.

Rome Without Roaming - Using eSIM cards while travelling

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