Best eSIM for International Travel (Unlimited Data + No Roaming Fees)
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If you’re traveling internationally and you don’t want to deal with SIM cards, sketchy airport kiosks, or insane roaming fees, then you need an eSIM.
A few years ago, there were only a handful of eSIMs. Nowadays, there are A LOT!
Choosing the right one is harder than it should.
After testing multiple eSIMs in European and African countries, HOLAFLY is the best eSIM for international travel if you want unlimited data, but it’s not for everyone, as it’s more expensive than other eSIMS.?
So, if you just want the easiest option with unlimited data, go with Holafly here.
Quick summary of the best eSIM for international travel
If you want the Best eSIM for international travel and you are new to eSIMs, choose Holafly.
Holafly’s biggest advantage is simple: for many destinations and regions, you can buy an unlimited data plan for a set number of days, then stop thinking about gigabytes and top-ups.
This is exactly why it is our top pick.
If you are like us and you like to travel actively (road trips, hikes, city breaks), where your phone is your navigator, camera, translator, and “backup plan” all in one, then unlimited data comes in handy!
We used it all over Europe, and most recently for a month in Kenya, quite a challenge since we moved around the whole country, from the beach to the national parks in the north and west.
Holafly pros and cons
If you are still not sure about getting Holafly, these are the CONSIDERATIONS you must take into account (based on our experience):
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| INSTANT ACTIVATION on arrival. You can activate Holafly as soon as you land, but we recommend to install it before you leave for your trip. No Wi-Fi hunting, no waiting, and no setup stress after a long flight. | DATA ONLY, no local phone number (unless you buy the unlimited Holafly Plan). Holafly does not include a local number by default. Calling restaurants or hotels is only possible via data-based apps. This is true unless you buy the unlimited Holafly plan with a subscriptions, which gets a bit confusing sometimes. |
| UNLIMITED DATA in 200+ destinations, plus 15+ regional and 1 global eSIM . You pay for the number of days you need, not for a data cap. We love that there is no guessing how much data navigation, uploads, or video calls will use. You have unlimited data. | LOCAL SIMS can be STRONGER in rural areas. Coverage is solid overall, but in remote regions a local SIM can sometimes perform better. During drives through national parks in Kenya, there were moments where a local SIM from our driver had coverage and Holafly did not. |
| Built-in DATA USAGE CALCULATOR. Holafly provides a data usage calculator to help estimate how much data you typically need, which we find useful as we publish a LOT of social media content. | Unlimited plans are EXPENSIVE. Our biggest negative point is that Holafly is expensive as you pay for the flexibility of unlimited data. |
| No need to remove your home SIM. Holafly works alongside your regular SIM once you adjust the settings, so you keep your home number, and your WhatsApp actived. |
👉 INSIDER TIP: If you are traveling as a couple like us, you can also get one Holafly eSIM on the primary phone, then test sharing your mobile data to the second phone.
What is an eSIM?
To choose the best eSIM for international travel, you need to know what an eSIM is.
- FASTER to set up
- MORE FLEXIBLE to change between countries or data plans
- CHEAPER than roaming
- Your MAIN NUMBER REMAINS ACTIVE for calls, SMS from your bank, and other two-factor authentication.
👉 DID YOU KNOW: A 2025 Proximus Global survey found that only 33% (!) of consumers have heard of eSIMs. So you’re already ahead of the curve!
Choosing the best eSIM for you
- Pricing. How expensive is it?
- Ease of Use. Is it easy to purchase, install, and activate?
- Customer support. Is someone available to help you if I run into issues? I am not talking about an AI bot but a real human support person.
- Compatibility. Does the eSIM work with my phone?
- Coverage. Is it available in the region I’m going to?
👉 DID YOU KNOW: There were almost 600 million eSIM smartphone connections worldwide in 2024, more than three times the number reported in 2022, according to Statista? This shows how important eSIMs are becoming in everyday life.
What is the best eSIM for international travel?
For us, Holafly is the best eSIM for international travel.
They are not the cheapest, but they win for us on EASE OF USE, CUSTOMER SUPPORT, and COVERAGE.
But there is one item that goes too much unnoticed, and is yet our most important reason why we choose them: LESS MENTAL LOAD.
So why is this Holafly’s winning point for us?
Because with Holafly, you just need to pick your destination, the number of days you will stay, and you have unlimited data during those days.
This means you NO LONGER NEED TO CHECK YOUR DATA USAGE. You have unlimited data, which you can even share with your friend via tethering.
For us, as full-time travellers who live off our social media content, this is very important. When we’re in a country for 20 days, we just pick a bundle for 20 days, et voilà, no more need to check your data usage.
Read here more about our review of the Holafly eSIM!
Best overall eSIMs
SUMMARY:
- BEST OVERALL eSIM: Holafly
- Best for high-speed data: Sim Local
- Best unlimited data: Holafly (unlimited plans across many destinations)
- Best budget-friendly: Sim Local performed the best in our price comparison
- Best plan variety: Nomad (flexible pricing, multi-country plans, and a user-friendly app)
- Best daily plans: GigSky (unlimited day passes + free trial and unique cruise/in-flight plans)
- Best pay-as-you-go option: Yesim (lets you pay only for the data you use, with no expiry or upfront bundle)
- Best for seamless multi-country coverage: Ubigi (very stable across borders, ideal if you are hopping
- Best newcomer: BambooSim (A promising new player with sharp prices)
Holafly Plans
Holafly Plans work like a simple MONTHLY MOBILE SUBSCRIPTION FOR TRAVEL.
You install one Holafly eSIM ONCE, pay monthly (or yearly), and your data refreshes automatically every billing cycle, so you can travel across multiple countries without buying a new eSIM each time.
With Holafly Plans, you can STAY CONNECTED in over 160 destinations without changing SIM cards.
There are two options.
- The light plan includes 25 GB of data and a hotspot per month for $49.90 (€42.86)
- The unlimited plan gives you unlimited data for $64.90 (€55.75), plus unlimited hotspot usage.
👉 KEEP IN MIND: The unlimited plan NOW INCLUDES the option to choose a local number from the United States, United Kingdom, or Canada, allowing you to receive SMS messages wherever you are. This used to be our point of CONCERN. You did not get a local number. So if you wanted to make a reservation for a restaurant, you could not call them. It’s a good evolution that they are now foreseeing this in some countries, however, we hope it will be avaible soon for all 160 destinations and not only for the unlimited plan!
👉 DID YOU KNOW: With a monthly subscription on Holafly Plans, you get 10% off with our code LOSTBETWEENOCEANS and for the annual subscription 10% extra (on top of the standard 22% discount)!
Always On
Always On is the feature we wish had existed years ago.
As an extra benefit to Holafly Plans, Always On (ONLY AVAILABLE SINCE NOVEMBER 2025) gives you 1 GB of FREE DATA each month. It activates automatically when your main plan ends or when you pause it.
When your main Holafly Plan ends, your eSIM switches to Always On so you still have connectivity (no configuration or eSIM reinstallation required).
Here are some KEY DETAILS:
- 1GB per month, refreshed automatically.
- 70+ destinations supported and no expiry date. It activates automatically when your main plan ends or you pause it.
- KEEP IN MIND: it is not instant; it can take a while before it activates.
👉 INSIDER TIP: Always On is not “scroll TikTok all day” data. Treat it as a safety buffer. We recommend using it only for the essential items.
Review from other travelers who have used Holafly
Holafly has a 4.6/5 star rating on Trustpilot from an amazing 83.000+ reviews.
About 84% (!) of these reviews are 5-star.
CB from Australia (29 March 2026): I had a great experience with Holafly. I accidentally installed my eSIM on the wrong phone, but their customer support was quick, helpful, and very professional. They resolved my issue without any hassle and made the whole process stress-free. Highly recommended if you want reliable service while travelling. Thank you!
Tershianna Maharaj from South Africa (29 March 2026): It was easy to choose a plan. The built-in VPN made the decision easy for the price I was paying compared to other eSIM providers. I used it in Shanghai and Singapore on the Asia package and had zero issues. I genuinely kept thinking this is too good to be true, but it never failed. I took the advice of other travellers and set everything up before I left my home country. Highly recommend Holafly and will use it on future trips.
How does Holafly work?
Step 1: Check your phone is eSIM compatible
Holafly will tell you to check compatibility before purchasing. Do this first, especially if you use an older Android or Apple model.
Step 2: Install before you travel (when you still have stable WiFi)
We recommend installing the eSIM BEFORE your trip, when you still have proper WiFi.
Step 3: Turn it on when you arrive
Your data plan will ONLY BEGIN once you arrive at your destination and turn on your eSIM.
👉 INSIDER TIP: Name your eSIM something obvious like “Holafly Kenya” or “Holafly Global” in your phone settings so you don’t mistake it for your primary SIM.
Network coverage review
Our network coverage with Holafly was quite good when we travelled across Kenya.
We just leave the network selection on automatic, so it changes over to other networks where necessary (it has done so a couple of times).
This means we often have LTE, as well as 4G and 5G (in cities).
We are currently traveling through Kenya, a country with savannahs and mountainous regions around Mount Kenya, and overall, the network coverage with Holafly has been surprisingly solid.
Connectivity only DROPPED TO ZERO during safari drives in very remote areas, where there are simply no nearby antennas, which is expected regardless of the provider.
Once we try out their global eSIM, we can provide more details on our network coverage from country to country.
Holafly pricing
| Region | Data | 30 days |
|---|---|---|
| USA | Unlimited | $74.90 ($2.50/day) |
| Mexico | Unlimited | $74.90 ($2.50/day) |
| Europe | Unlimited | $74.90 ($2.50/day) |
| UK | Unlimited | $74.90 ($2.50/day) |
| Asia | Unlimited | $74.90 ($2.50/day) |
| Kenya | Unlimited | $126.90 ($4.23/day) |
Read here more about using Holafly in Europe.
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