You know, there are a hundred different things that can ruin a holiday, like poor weather, war, protests, volcanic eruptions, etcetera, etcetera. Now you cannot be blamed for things like these, as they are out of your control. But what about things you can control?
Like neglecting sunscreen when visiting countries like Egypt or Kenya or falling for common scams like the person who finds a ring you presumably lost. Or having an eSIM-compatible smartphone and still buying plastic SIM cards when going on a holiday. Many tourists, sadly, don’t realise the convenience travel eSIMs offer.
Yes, they may not offer calls and texts, like a local SIM card does, but they do offer high-speed data, which is essential for your trip. So, if you’ve never heard about a travel eSIM or know about one but don’t know about the best eSIM for your holiday, you’re at the right place! The sections below discuss everything about travel eSIMs. Continue reading!
Is it Worth Getting an eSIM for Your Holiday?
Absolutely! An eSIM, short for embedded subscriber identity module, is a digital version of the traditional SIM card. You don’t have to manually insert or remove an eSIM like you do with a physical SIM card. An eSIM is soldered into your device. You just have to download an eSIM profile from an operator of your choice and activate it. That’s all! eSIMs are a tourist’s best friend. Because with a travel eSIM, you don’t have to fiddle with the SIM tray or anything.
And the best part? You can have multiple eSIM profiles on your device and activate them as per your requirement. For instance, say you plan to visit your grandparents in France. You get a Lyca Mobile pay as you go SIM, one of the best holiday eSIMs, and activate it in the UK. Once you land in France, you can enable your Lyca Mobile eSIM and start using the allocated 5G data. Your France trip is going to be a lot easier now that you have an ultra-fast 5G data plan.
| Plan Name | Data | Pricing Starts At | Benefits | Get this deal |
| UK Plan Smart | 5 GB | £5.00 | • 100 International Mins • Up to 5GB EU Roaming | Get this deal |
| National Plus | 30 GB | £5.00 | • 100 International Mins • Up to 12GB EU Roaming | Get this deal |
| UK Plan Unlimited | Unlimited | £12.50 | • 100 International Mins • Up to 35GB EU & India Roaming | Get this deal |
And it gets better! You can use your Lyca Mobile eSIM and a physical SIM card simultaneously. This means that you can use the data in your eSIM to use the accounts related to your physical SIM card, like Gmail, WhatsApp, Telegram, and more!
How do I Choose the Right Holiday eSIM?
Okay, this is a really good question. Many tourists often face this dilemma. There are a lot of players in the travel eSIM market, and choosing between them might be difficult. Well, here is a short guide that talks about how you can choose the best eSIM for your holiday.
Check Device Compatibility
Most modern devices come with one physical SIM slot and one eSIM, so you don’t really have to worry about this. However, if you’re still concerned about eSIM compatibility, there is one thing you can do.
Simply dial *#06# on your Phone app and press call/send. This code is used to display your device’s IMEI number. If you have an eSIM-compatible device, then along with the IMEI, you should see an EID (Embedded Identity Document), which is unique to eSIMs. This says that your device is compatible with eSIMs.
Assess Coverage
Make sure the holiday eSIM you choose has benefits for the country you’re visiting. This is one area that tourists need to pay attention to, especially if they have plans to visit multiple locations.
The quality of coverage depends on the operator you choose. Say, for example, you choose a Lyca travel eSIM for your Italian holiday. Coverage isn’t going to be an issue, as Lyca already has a notable presence in Italy, so you’re set on that aspect.
Then come regional plans. Providers who offer holiday eSIMs usually have regional plans. These travel plans include data benefits for all countries/destinations in a specific region. For example, a Europe eSIM plan gets you data benefits to explore all European countries. The same goes for the Asia and America plans.
So, if your travel itinerary includes multiple countries in a specific region, you’re better off buying a regional plan. It is inexpensive when compared to buying an individual plan for each country.
Analyse Usage
This is an important factor to consider when you are in the market for a holiday eSIM. The average tourist can be categorised into three, based on their data consumption.
- The Light Data User: They need data only to check emails and messages, use maps, and book a taxi. Nothing else.
- The Moderate Data User: This category uses their smartphone as a mode of entertainment. Along with the functions mentioned above, the moderate data user might occasionally stream audio/video content and play online games.
- The Heavy Data User: This user eats, breathes and sleeps data. The heavy data user streams high-resolution content, downloads heavy files and is online for most of the day. They’re also making video calls often.
Analyse your expected data usage and pick a category. This makes choosing a holiday eSIM a lot easier.
Why Choose a Travel eSIM over a Physical SIM Card?
Because a holiday eSIM is a thousand times more convenient than a physical SIM card. And opting for a data-only travel eSIM is the recommended option, since your stay is going to be a short one. You don’t have to deal with swapping out SIM cards or carrying the SIM ejector tool.
You just have to pick a reliable travel eSIM provider, like Lyca Mobile, and scan the QR code sent to your registered email address. You can even activate your travel eSIM before you board your flight and start using the plan’s benefits as soon as you land in the destination country.
Travel eSIMs are also an effective counter to exorbitant roaming charges. Rather than being charged pay-as-you-go rates for data, pick a holiday eSIM and avoid bill shock.
How to Set Up Your Travel eSIM
Well, that’s enough information on why you should get a holiday eSIM. Let’s now focus on how you can set up your travel eSIM. For reference, we will be using a Lyca Mobile travel eSIM:
- Step 1: Connect to a stable source of internet. You can use the cellular data from your primary line as well.
- Step 2: Purchase a travel eSIM plan. Don’t forget, Lyca Mobile also has regional plans. If you’re visiting multiple countries in a specific region, then opting for a regional travel eSIM is the smart move.
- Step 3: Lyca Mobile will send a confirmation email with the activation QR code. Scan this QR code.
- Step 4: Simply follow the prompts. That’s it; you’re done!
You now have a holiday eSIM that offers high-speed 4G/5G data for the destination country. Note that your Lyca Mobile eSIM has to be activated in the UK. Just remember to set up your Lyca holiday eSIM before leaving the UK.
Essential Tips for Using an eSIM While Travelling
Even if you followed all the steps to the T, there are chances that something might go wrong. Take note of these critical tips, and your eSIM journey should be a smooth one.
- Always check for compatibility. Most operators have a compatibility checker on their website. Use it to see a list of eSIM-compatible devices before purchasing a holiday eSIM.
- Know when to activate your travel eSIM. Some operators, like Lyca Mobile, expect their travel eSIMs to be activated in the UK, while others would want the eSIM activation to happen in the destination country.
- Activation and connectivity issues are often fixed by enabling/disabling Airplane mode or restarting your device.
- Find out whether data roaming should be enabled/disabled. Like activation, some operators expect the data roaming option to be enabled for their eSIM to work properly.
- Keep an eye on your data usage if you have a holiday eSIM with limited data. Apps that use data in the background and updates will drain your data allocation faster than you think.
- Take a screenshot of the activation QR code. This comes in handy in case you accidentally delete your eSIM profile.
Final Thoughts
Holiday eSIMs (or travel eSIMs, whatever you’d like to call them) are a boon to the modern traveller. They are a convenient and eco-friendly alternative to the traditional SIM card. You can activate an eSIM in a few simple taps and just ignore it when not in use. You can also reuse the same eSIM after nonuse for a while, provided your eSIM provider allows that.
High-speed data, digital comfort, and being planet-friendly, these three reasons alone make travel eSIMs the go-to choice for travellers. So if you’re planning a trip to a different country, go ahead and purchase a holiday eSIM. It is the easiest way to stay connected without spending a fortune on data.