How to find the best internet option when traveling
Whether you’re going on a short vacation, a city break, or traveling long-term, one question always comes up: where do we buy internet from and without overpaying?
For some, it’s just a few WhatsApp messages, an Instagram story, or checking Google Maps. For others, especially digital nomads, it’s about having a stable connection for meetings and virtual machines. No matter the case, we all want the same thing: the best and most affordable internet option when traveling..
At the beginning, the solution seemed simple: we bought physical SIM cards directly from the airport or from local operator shops. But many times we lost time, stood in queues, or didn’t understand all the offers (especially when they were only in the local language), plus the inconvenience of changing the existing SIM card.
That’s how we discovered eSIM, which in the meantime has become a real lifesaver for those who travel. No need anymore to look for a physical shop or to change the SIM card. Everything is done online: you buy the plan, scan a QR code and you are connected in a few minutes.
But here comes the dilemma: do you choose an international provider or a local one?
International providers - simple, but more expensive
Platforms such as Airalo, Holafly, Nomad or Mobimatter are extremely popular. They are convenient because you can buy the plan directly from their app, through a very simple process.
The problem is that these options are, in general, more expensive than those offered by local operators. Many times you receive less traffic for more money, and the speed or coverage are not always the best.
Local eSIMs - most of the time the best choice
If you want to save money and have a better connection, it is worth looking for local offersIn many countries, big operators (for example Elisa in Finland, Moldtelecom in Moldova, 3HK in Hong Kong, AIS in Thailand) offer eSIMs with data packages much more advantageous than international versions, which are specific to the country where you are.
For example, if you want to travel to Thailand, the most advantageous is to choose directly a plan from a local operator, instead of the offers from global platforms such as Airalo or Holafly, where the price also includes the intermediaries’ commission, and the packages are standardized. The situation is similar in Romania: for a tourist, a virtual Yoxo card from Orange will be much more affordable in price than the options available on international sites.
The difference is noticeable even if you only need a few GB for messages and social media, but especially when you work remotely or need stable internet for a longer period.
However, there is also a challenge.
Unlike international providers, local operators usually hav their own websites, some only in the local language, which makes the process more complicated at first sight.
But, with a little help and a step-by-step guide, you realize that you can buy a local eSIM at a much better price, with only a few extra clicks.
How do you find the best local eSIM options?
Here comes the difficult part when you search for local eSIM options:
- they are hard to find,
- often buried under sponsored links of international providers,
- sometimes they don’t have English translations, and if you don’t know the language, you lose time and energy trying to find the local operator.
That is why many prefer to pay more, just for convenience.
From our experience, whenever we stayed longer in a country and checked directly the offers of local operators, we managed to save money and have better internet connection.
To simplify the process, we use findlocalesim.com, a database that gathers local eSIM card options from all over the world, for each country.
All you have to do is go to the site, search for the country where you need internet and compare the available options. You choose the right offer for you, and then you are redirected directly to the official site of the local operator. Thus, you buy the eSIM directly from the source, without intermediaries and without third-party apps.
The good part is that the platform is created by the users themselves. Anyone can contribute by adding new local eSIM offers, or can report corrections and remove options that are no longer valid.
Thus, findlocalesim.com becomes a living database, built from the real experiences of travelers in the community. Whether you go on a short vacation or stay abroad for months, it gives you quick access to the best local options, without wasting time searching.
Our conclusion after the experiences so far
After years of traveling, we understood that there is no universal solution. If you spend only a few days in a destination, you don’t need much internet and you want to avoid complications, then roaming on your SIM card or an international eSIM are simple and convenient options.
On the other hand, if you stay longer or need more data traffic, the local offer becomes the more advantageous choice – and the price differences are definitely worth the effort.
In the end, internet should not be a headache when traveling. With a bit of research in advance and by using resources such as findlocalesim.com, we manage to save both money and time.
