Why eSIMs Are Essential for Anyone Who Travels Abroad

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I’ve been a professional travel writer for nearly 30 years now, and Mary and I have traveled to more than 50 countries together since our first trip abroad in 2009.

But despite the fact that we’ve traveled as much as 90+ days a year, we’ve never lived a “digital nomad” life. As a dad with 50/50 custody of my daughter, I’ve always balanced my career as a travel professional with personal responsibilities.

For us, that meant taking fewer (and shorter) trips each year than many of our travel blogging peers, but visiting multiple countries on each 2- to 3-week jaunt.

In fact, many of our favorite trips involved 2 or more international destinations, including Chile/Argentina/Antarctica in 2012, Norway/Sweden and Greece/Turkey in 2014, Tanzania/Rwanda in 2015, and Scotland/Ireland in 2017.

One problem we always encountered during these memorable adventures was the high price of calling my daughter back home, which limited how much time I could spend talking to her.

And of course the astronomical roaming charges for using our phones to tackle simple day-to-day travel challenges on the ground were cost-prohibitive, especially when we weren’t making much money from this site.

But in recent years the rise of eSIMs have offered a digital solution that allows you to activate a cheaper cellular plan while traveling internationally, with global usage expected to reach 70 million people in 2025.

Read on for a look at the many reasons eSIMs are essential for international travelers, and how not all eSIM options are created equal…

How eSIMs Help International Travelers

1) Helps You Save Money

Most major phone carriers these days offer international roaming plans that can be used in hundreds of different travel destinations.

But these pre-paid plans can be very expensive. For instance, the AT&T International Day Pass costs $12 per day for land and air travel, or $20 per day for sea and land travel.

These plans also come with limitations, including the number of days you can use them in a given bill cycle or reducing data speed after you use a certain amount.

Pay-per-use plans can be even more expensive, with high rates for data usage, phone calls, or texts.

But eSIMs are up to 70% more affordable, starting at around $3 for 1 GB of data, and can be used for up to 30 days from date of purchase.

2) Helps You Access Essential Apps

With all of the phone service providers we’ve tried using abroad during our travels, there were inevitably dead zones and dropped calls once we got away from the major cities.

But eSIMs allow travelers to connect with local networks in virtually every corner of the globe, allowing you to use essential apps on the go.

Whether you’re trying local taxi apps to avoid getting ripped off, checking local bus or train schedules, or simply using an app to translate signs in foreign languages, eSIMs can help make tackling these sorts of travel challenges a breeze.

3) Helps You Manage Your Itinerary

When it comes to the unpredictable realities of international travel, the one constant you can count on is the old adage, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong” (a.k.a. Murphy’s Law).

Whether it’s an airline losing your luggage (which happened to a friend in the Peruvian Amazon), an unexpected delay causing you to miss a flight (which happened to us in Ireland), or a tropical storm forcing you to change hotels (which happened to us in Dominica), weird stuff happens all the time.

An eSIM makes it easier to download maps, book alternate accommodations on the go, or schedule tours of local attractions on the fly.

4) Helps You Keep In Touch With Folks Back Home

I’ll never forget the day in 2016 when I realized the emotional toll our life as professional travelers was having on my daughter, who was 14 at the time.

We were on a gorgeous, but remote private island in the Philippines, nearing the tail end of an incredible trip that included teaching a travel blogging workshop at the TBEX conference in Manila.

Our cell network connection was sketchy at best, and after several dropped calls my daughter broke down in tears. I was crestfallen, and an eSIM that connected to local networks would’ve helped.

Not only with the communication aspect, but also by making it easier for us to share the photos and videos that help us stay connected with the people who love us, miss us, and occasionally worry when we’re gone.

How HOAM is Changing the eSIM Industry

Launched in the USA in March of 2025, HOAM is a relatively new eSIM provider with unique multi-destination plans that eliminate high roaming fees, offering an easier, more affordable way to stay connected while traveling.

Billed as “the most tailor-made and traveler-friendly eSIM in the United States,” HOAM allows travelers to customize their plans with the specific countries they want, helping them save up to 70% on international coverage without sacrificing speed or coverage.

Their corporate values emphasize Savings, Seamlessness, Service, Simplicity, Speed, and Sustainability, offering a personalized experience with no hidden fees or unnecessary extras.

The web-based platform is ridiculously easy to use. Simply pick a plan for the countries you’re visiting, scan the QR code, follow a few on-screen prompts, and you’re online. There’s no app necessary, and no updates to manage.

We love the fact that all HOAM data packages are valid for 30 days from first use, providing enough time for most trips. And once it’s enabled, the HOAM eSIM automatically detects where you are and connects you to a local mobile network.

We only wish such a service had been available for our first 20+ years of professional travel! –by Bret Love

This story was brought to you in partnership with HOAM. But our opinions remain our own, and we will never sacrifice the principles of editorial integrity that are at the core of our relationship with our readers.