Staying connected
What an eSIM actually is, how it differs from roaming and a local SIM, and what to check before you rely on one.
A map you cannot load is not a map
Connectivity has quietly become part of arriving somewhere: the ride you booked, the address you saved, the boarding pass and the translation all assume a working connection. There are three ordinary ways to have one abroad — roam on your home plan, buy a local SIM when you arrive, or use an eSIM — and they differ less in what they do than in when you have to sort them out.
Three ways to be connected, and one thing to check
Roaming is the least effort and usually the most expensive. A local SIM is often the cheapest and means finding a shop and swapping a card. An eSIM is a plan downloaded to the phone rather than a card put into it, so it can be arranged before departure — but only if your handset supports one and is not locked to a network. That is the check worth doing before anything else.
How they actually differ
Not by speed or coverage, which depend on the local network whichever route you take — but by when the work happens and what it costs.
Roaming on your home plan
Your existing number keeps working the moment you land, with nothing to arrange. It is the simplest route and generally the most expensive, and what it costs is set by your own operator.
A local SIM on arrival
Bought at the airport or in town once you land. Often the cheapest for a longer stay, at the cost of finding a shop, showing identification in some countries, and changing your number while you are there.
An eSIM
A plan downloaded to the phone instead of a card inserted into it, so it can be set up before you fly and be live when you land. It needs a handset that supports eSIM and is not network-locked.
Is your phone eligible?
Two things decide it: whether the handset supports eSIM at all, and whether it is locked to your home network. Both are answered by your operator or your phone’s settings, and both are worth confirming before you plan around it.
Ask before you fly, not after you land
- Check the handsetWhether it supports eSIM and whether it is unlocked. This decides which of the three routes is even open to you.
- Tell us where you are goingDestinations and how long you will be there. A fortnight in one country and a month across several are different problems.
- Connectivity is arranged through partnersSIM and eSIM services are partner-provided — we do not operate a network. What is available for your destinations is confirmed at the time you ask.
Live Traveller does not operate a mobile network. Connectivity is partner-provided, and what is available depends on the destination and on your device.
What it costs
Connectivity is partner-provided, so what it costs depends on the destination, the length of the stay and the plan chosen — and it is quoted at the time rather than published here. Roaming on your existing plan is priced by your own operator, and that is worth asking them directly.
Connectivity questions
What is an eSIM, in plain terms?
A mobile plan downloaded to your phone rather than a plastic card put into it. Because there is nothing physical to collect, it can be arranged before you travel.
Will an eSIM work on my phone?
Only if the handset supports eSIM and is not locked to your home network. Both are worth confirming with your operator or in your phone’s settings before planning around it.
Do you provide the network?
No. Live Traveller is a travel company — connectivity is provided by partners, and the underlying network is whichever operator serves that destination.
Is an eSIM better than a local SIM?
It is more convenient, because it is sorted before you fly. A local SIM can work out cheaper on a longer stay. Which suits depends on the trip.
Can I keep my own number?
On many phones an eSIM runs alongside your existing SIM, so your usual number stays reachable while data runs over the travel plan. It depends on the handset.
Ask us about staying connected
Tell us where you are going and what phone you carry, and we will talk through which of the three routes suits the trip.
Enquire now →