Travel connectivity guides
What actually matters before you fly, written by people who test it.
Hong Kong — a separate coverage area from mainland China
Google and WhatsApp work normally in Hong Kong, and a mainland China plan may not cover it. Here is how to buy for a trip that includes both.
Laos — the one country in the region where you should plan to be offline
Towns in Laos have coverage. The roads, the rivers and the mountains between them often do not, and that shapes how you should prepare.
Cambodia — coverage around Angkor, Phnom Penh and the border crossings
Most Cambodia trips are short and cover two cities, so the real questions are how little data you need and what happens at the Thai and Vietnamese borders.
The Philippines — island-hopping, ferries and where the signal stops
Coverage in Manila and Cebu is fine. The useful information is what happens on the boats and the smaller islands, which is most of a Philippines itinerary.
Malaysia — what to expect, and why a Malaysia plan stops at the border
Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo are the same country and two different coverage pictures. Plus the mistake people make on a Singapore day trip.
Indonesia — Bali is not the rest of the country
Coverage in Bali is good and an eSIM is convenient there. Once you go east, both the signal and the honest answer about whether to buy locally change.
Australia — is there signal in the outback
Coverage in Australian cities is fine. The question that actually matters is what happens on the long drives, and the answer is that large parts of the country have no signal from any network.
The United States — why plans cost more than in Asia
Wholesale prices in the US really are higher, and here is why. Plus how to choose a plan without overpaying.
Mainland China — will an eSIM reach Google and Facebook
The answer depends on how the plan routes your traffic. Here is how to understand it before you buy.
How much data does Google Maps actually use
Far less than people assume. Here are measured figures, and how to get it close to zero.
What "unlimited" data actually means
No plan is truly unlimited. Here is how to read the small print and know what you are buying.
The eSIM works but is very slow — find the cause in order
Five causes, from the ones you can fix yourself to the ones nobody can. Including how to tell them apart.
I deleted my eSIM — can it be recovered
The short answer is no, and here is the technical reason. Plus how to avoid ending up there.
Keeping your home number abroad without roaming charges
How to set the phone so you still get bank messages and calls, while data runs over the eSIM and nothing is billed as roaming.
Europe — how many countries one plan actually covers
What a Europe regional plan includes, which countries are usually left out, and when single-country plans are better.
Before you fly — the phone and connectivity checklist
Ten things that take ten minutes at home and prevent most of the trouble people hit at a foreign airport.
Buy an eSIM before you go, or a local SIM when you arrive
An honest comparison, including the cases where buying locally really is cheaper. Plus the hidden costs people forget.
Daily plans and total-allowance plans — what actually differs
Two ways of selling data that look alike on a price list but behave very differently. Knowing which is which saves a bad trip.
The eSIM QR code will not scan — work through these in order
Six causes, most common first. Most of them take under a minute to fix.
Singapore for a few days — which plan is worth buying
Singapore is small and public wifi is genuinely good, so most visitors buy more data than they use. Here is how to size it properly.
Thailand — how coverage differs between Bangkok, Chiang Mai and the islands
One trip to Thailand can cross three very different kinds of terrain. Here is what to expect from each, and which plan fits.
South Korea — how eSIM coverage differs inside and outside Seoul
Korea has some of the best mobile infrastructure anywhere, but a few spots on the usual itinerary are weak. With real data figures.
How many GB do you actually need abroad
Real figures for a week away, based on what you genuinely do with your phone. Plus how to check your own usage before buying.
eSIM installed but no connection — the eight usual causes
A checklist in order, from the most common cause to the rarest. Most cases are fixed in a minute without contacting anyone.
eSIM, local SIM or roaming — which one to pick
An honest comparison of the three ways to get online abroad, including the cases where an eSIM is the wrong answer.
Several countries in one trip — regional plan or one per country
A quick way to work out when a regional plan is cheaper, and three traps that make it the wrong choice.
Does my phone support eSIM? How to check in ten seconds
The one dial code that answers it, why an unlocked phone matters more than the model year, and the two mistakes that cost travellers money.
Japan eSIM — what to know before you land
Which networks actually carry your data in Japan, why airport Wi-Fi is a trap, how much data you really need, and what to set on your phone when you arrive.