How much travel data do you need?

Build a data budget for your trip

Check your phone’s data counter over a representative day, including the apps you expect to use abroad. Multiply that total by your travel days. Add activities you normally do over Wi-Fi, plus room for unexpected use.

Worked example, not a typical-user estimate: 200 MB per day × 7 days is 1.4 GB; over 14 days it is 2.8 GB. Adding 1 GB of uploads brings those totals to 2.4 GB and 3.8 GB. A 3 GB or 5 GB plan may fit those examples, respectively, only if its validity covers the trip and your actual use stays within the allowance.

Plan allowance and validity are separate limits. A 30-day plan with 3 GB is 3 GB in total, not 3 GB each day.

Maps, messages and booking apps

Directions, text messages and booking confirmations are a different workload from sending videos or joining meetings. Check app usage on your own phone rather than relying on one universal MB-per-hour estimate.

Download maps over Wi-Fi where available, and save tickets and addresses offline. Google notes that offline Maps does not provide walking, cycling or public-transport directions; downloads are also unavailable in some locations. Keep data available for live routes, transport and booking changes.

Photos, videos and cloud backups

Count the files you intend to upload. As a planning example, 100 photos at 5 MB each total 500 MB before transfer overhead. Actual file sizes depend on the camera, format and compression. Video files can be much larger.

Pause cloud photo backups and automatic app updates until you have Wi-Fi. Uploading a photo in one app and backing up the original to another service can use data twice.

Streaming can use an allowance quickly

Netflix lists up to 0.3 GB per hour at its Low playback setting and up to 3 GB per hour for HD. Its mobile-app settings differ: Automatic is about four hours per GB, while Maximum Data can use 1 GB in 20 minutes or more. These are Netflix’s figures, not measurements of this eSIM or estimates for every video app.

Download entertainment before travelling, reduce playback quality and disable autoplay if you need to preserve data.

Using a laptop or sharing with family

Check that the selected plan lists hotspot support. One eSIM installs on one phone; nearby devices connect through that phone’s hotspot and consume its allowance. Hotspot does not create extra data or a separate plan for each person.

Budget for laptop sync, software updates, file transfers and video meetings as well as phone use. Turn on a metered connection or low-data setting on the connected device where available. For a long meeting, measure a short call using the same app and video settings first.

Coverage, congestion and phone battery affect hotspot use. Do not rely on a fixed-data travel plan as guaranteed office broadband. If your group will split up, each person needing independent mobile data needs a separate connection.

Keep data for the rest of the trip

Apple’s Low Data Mode can pause automatic downloads, backups and iCloud Photos updates. Check similar data-saver settings on your phone and in the apps you use.

Check usage during the trip. Phone and supplier counters can differ or update at different times, so leave a buffer before the allowance runs out. My eSIMs shows eligible top-ups; availability is not guaranteed.

Internet calling apps use data, but a data-only eSIM does not add a phone number or carrier SMS. Keep any existing number needed for verification and check its home-carrier charges. App availability can also depend on your destination.