Why I Switched to Airalo for International Travel (And Never Looked Back)

WhatsApp Image 2026-06-11 at 3.57.55 PM.jpeg

Written By

Joba

June 1 2026

step 1

Step 2

If you’ve ever landed in a new country and immediately started hunting for airport WiFi just to text someone “I landed,” this post is for you.

I still remember the phone bill. I’d landed in Miami for the weekend, taken my phone off airplane mode, and couldn’t be bothered to find a SIM card kiosk. My carrier had sent a roaming text, but what I didn’t realize was that buried in that text was a part that said how much it would cost. $16 a day, for a connection that was barely usable.

That was the moment I decided I was done with international roaming for good. I’d heard about eSIMs before but never really looked into them. Well, that trip pushed me to finally try Airalo. Almost five years later, their eSIMs have remained a regular part of my travel checklist.

What is an eSIM?

Before I get into why I love Airalo specifically, here’s a quick explanation for how eSIMs work. It is basically a digital version of a traditional SIM card, that saves you the stress of swapping out a physical one. Once you install it, your phone connects to a local network in whatever country you’re visiting.

Most smartphones support eSIMs, including most iPhone models and a wide range of Android devices. If you’re not sure whether your phone is compatible, you can check here. Also, might be worth double checking that your phone is unlocked before you try to add an eSIM.

Why Airalo specifically?

There’s a handful of eSIM providers out there, but I keep coming back to Airalo because:

1. I’ve never had a destination that Airalo didn’t cover. Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and South America, it’s all there. They have coverage in over 200 destinations and offer local plans (for a single country) and regional plans (if you’re pairing multiple countries on one trip).

2. I get data the second I land. I activate my plan before I board (sometimes even before I leave home), and by the time the plane lands, my phone already has a signal. No hunting for airport WiFi. No looking for a SIM kiosk.

3. Their prices are genuinely reasonable for most destinations. Seriously, there are plans as low as a few dollars in some destinations. Even when they’re priced a bit higher, it’s still much cheaper than what your carrier would charge for international roaming. For context, roaming on that Miami trip cost me $48 for the weekend, while an Airalo plan for the same destination would have been less than that for an entire week.

4. Setup takes about two minutes. It’s easy: download the Airalo app, pick your destination, choose a plan, and install. That’s literally it. I usually do it any time from the night before my trip, or while sitting at my boarding gate. Same results.

See how it works:

At the end of the day, staying connected isn’t only about convenience, it’s also about safety, especially if you travel solo often. Being able to get a ride, do a quick translation, or call someone in an emergency makes your life much easier on vacation. The peace of mind alone is worth every cent and anyone who travels internationally should try Airalo. Whether you’re a solo traveler, frequent flyer, digital nomad or multi-destination traveler, it beats spending your first hour in a new country hunting for airport WiFi.

If you’ve read this far, you already know roaming fees aren’t worth it. Airalo is genuinely one of those travel tools that once you try it, you’ll wonder why it took you so long.

Click here to get started with Airalo + a discount on your first eSIM with code: PERFECTPATHS15.