You don’t give your phone much thought before a trip and for UK riders staying in the EU zone, its not normally something to worry about if you have the right Travel Add-ons to your mobile phone package.   But the issue of staying travel connected starts once you leave the EU zone.  That’s when roaming charges either become expensive very quickly or stop working altogether.  So how do you stay travel connected? There are a few ways around it, and most riders end up trying all of them at some point.

  • You can stick with your home SIM, which is simple enough, but the costs rack up quickly if you use data properly. It is fine for the occasional message, but not for navigation or regular use.
  • You can buy local SIM cards in each country. This is often cheaper and gives good coverage, but it means finding a shop, dealing with registration, swapping SIMs at borders, and losing your number each time. It’s OK if you ware only going to one country, but if you’re doing a lengthy trip and passing through many countries, then this can be a hassle.
  • You can also carry a pocket WiFi device, which sounds like a good idea until you realise it is just another thing to charge, carry, and keep track of.

This is where eSIMs have made life much easier.

An eSIM is already built into your phone, so instead of swapping physical SIM cards, you simply download a data plan. If you choose the right plan, you can cross borders and stay connected without doing anything at all.  From a motorcycle travel point of view, that simplicity is what makes the difference. There is no stopping to sort out local SIM cards, no fiddling with tiny bits of plastic at the side of the road and no disruption to your normal number for calls (or bank security 2FA codes) and WhatsApp.

We have used eSIMs on Trans Americas, Trans Canada, Morocco, and even China, so this is not theory. They do work, and as long as there is a phone signal, you will normally get connected.

The provider that we keep coming back to is Airalo, mainly because it has proven reliable across multiple trips and continents. It offers a wide range of country and regional plans, which is ideal when you are crossing borders regularly, and the pricing is clear with no surprises. The app itself is straightforward to use, even if you are not particularly technical, and topping up data mid-trip is quick and painless.  There are other providers available, such as Nomad or Holafly, and they are worth a look, but in our experience Airalo has been the most consistent overall.

It is worth saying that no solution is perfect. If you are riding through very remote areas with no signal, an eSIM will not change that. However, for the vast majority of a journey, towns, main roads, fuel stops, and cities, it does exactly what you need it to do.

For multi-country motorcycle travel outside of the EU, eSIMs are currently the most practical option. Set it up before you leave, keep your main SIM active (but not for data roaming), and then forget about it and enjoy the ride.

If you do decide to try Airalo, you can use the code **RHYS8810** to get a small discount on your first purchase.