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Staying connected abroad usually comes down to three options, and the right one depends more on your trip length and destination than on any one being universally best.
1. Your carrier’s international roaming plan: easiest, usually priciest
Roaming keeps your existing number and requires no setup beyond a phone call or app toggle before you leave. It’s the simplest option and the right call for a short trip where convenience matters more than cost, but per-day or per-gigabyte roaming rates are often the most expensive way to get data abroad.
2. A local physical SIM card: usually cheapest, but more hassle
Buying a SIM card at your destination (an airport kiosk, a local shop, or a convenience store in a lot of countries) typically gets you the best local rates, since you’re paying local prices instead of a roaming markup. The tradeoffs are losing your home number for calls and texts during the trip, needing your phone unlocked, and the hassle of finding a shop and physically swapping the card.
3. An eSIM: a middle ground that fits most trips
An eSIM is a digital SIM you can install through an app before you even leave home, without swapping any physical card, and many let you keep your regular number active on your primary SIM at the same time. Coverage and pricing vary by provider and destination, so it’s worth checking that your specific phone supports eSIM and that a plan is available for where you’re headed before you rely on it.
If you decide an eSIM is the right call, Airalo is a good place to start — it covers 200+ countries and you install the plan from your phone before you even leave home.
4. Check your phone’s eSIM compatibility and carrier lock status first
Not every phone supports eSIM, and even ones that do can be carrier-locked in a way that blocks adding one. Checking this in your phone’s settings, or with your carrier, before your trip avoids finding out at the airport that your options are more limited than you assumed.
5. Match the option to the trip, not a single default
A weekend trip with light data needs often isn’t worth the setup time for a local SIM or eSIM, and roaming is fine. A multi-week trip, or one where you’ll rely heavily on maps and translation apps, is where the savings from a local SIM or eSIM add up enough to be worth the extra step.
The short version
Roaming is the easiest option and fine for a short trip. A local physical SIM is usually the cheapest but takes more effort and costs you your number for the trip. An eSIM is a solid middle ground if your phone supports it and a plan covers your destination. Check compatibility and carrier lock status before you leave. And match the choice to how long you’re going and how much data you’ll actually need.