Too small a plan means hunting for Wi-Fi; too big means paying for gigabytes you never open. This guide gives you realistic usage numbers, explains when a regional or global plan beats a country plan, and shows why the decision is lower-stakes than it looks.
How much data do you really need?
Usage is more predictable than it feels. Realistic daily figures for a traveler:
- Light use — maps, messaging, email and some browsing: about 0.5 GB a day.
- Medium use — all of the above plus social media, photo uploads and short videos: 1–1.5 GB a day.
- Heavy use — video calls, streaming and hotspot for a laptop: 2–3 GB a day and up.
Multiply by the number of days and add a 20% buffer. A week of medium use lands around 8–10 GB.
Country, regional or global?
- Visiting one country? A country plan is almost always the best price for a single destination.
- Hopping between several countries in one region — a Europe trip, a Southeast Asia route? A regional plan gives you one eSIM and one plan, switching networks automatically as you cross borders.
- A multi-continent itinerary? A global plan covers many countries with a single eSIM.
Always open the coverage list on the plan page before buying — every covered country is listed there, so there are no surprises at the border.
Validity: match the days, not just the gigabytes
Every plan has a validity period, and unused data expires when it ends. A huge package with a short validity can be a waste, and a long validity with too little data leaves you offline at the end of the trip. Pick a validity that covers your whole trip; if the trip runs longer, topping up takes under a minute.
Fixed data or unlimited?
Fixed packages win on price and fit most trips — if your day is maps, WhatsApp and some browsing, fixed is the rational pick. Unlimited buys peace of mind for heavy users: long work trips, video calls every day, kids streaming in the back seat, or a laptop living off your hotspot. Note that unlimited plans may reduce speed after very heavy use under the fair-use policy.
Three real-world examples
To make it concrete:
- A weekend city break (3 days, maps + WhatsApp + photos): a 3–5 GB country plan with 7-day validity is plenty.
- Two weeks across three European countries, medium use: a regional Europe plan around 10–20 GB with 30-day validity covers it with room to spare.
- A month of remote work abroad with daily video calls: go big or unlimited — and remember hotspot use counts too.
- Traveling as a couple? Two separate eSIMs usually beat one shared hotspot — each phone keeps its own maps and messages, and nobody's battery plays router all day.
You do not have to get it perfect
Two safety nets remove the pressure: data simply stops when it runs out — there are never surprise overage charges — and you can top up the same eSIM in seconds from My eSIMs. Starting a size smaller and topping up if needed is a perfectly good strategy.
