Tips Before You Go!

2. Purchasing a Sim Card

Having internet immediately upon landing in a new country is crucial to not only finding transport but also for safety! As a solo female traveler, one of the scariest moments in a new country is at the airport being hounded by local taxi drivers. Having internet and the means to look up public transport gives me a better sense of the environment, access to google translate, etc. 

Two Options:

Local Sim Card & eSIM

This may go without saying but the local sim is usually much cheaper than an eSIM however, only if you purchase the local sim outside of the airport. 

Then how do I get the best deal without being disconnected for too long? 

Try purchasing a few gigabytes of data through an eSIM that’s downloaded and ready to use before landing in the new country and then purchasing a physical sim card upon entering the city. Most tourist areas will have multiple phone stalls so this should not be too hard to find in the city!

Some great eSIM apps I use include Airalo and Holafly.

Another alternative: TMobile phone plans offer great benefits including free internet (slow speed) and international texting in most countries! If you plan to travel a lot switching to TMobile and gaining access to their international benefits might be worth checking out.

Additionally arriving at the airport is usually quite a chaotic experience and is easy to feel overwhelmed. I would recommend researching the taxi apps available in the area before arriving as well as public transportation options. This way you can immediately search for transport and usually find better prices. Plus you’ll be much safer using apps such as Uber, Grab, and Lyft that can track your trip status and enable a mic feature that listens in to your ride incase of an emergency.