Your travel chip determines your mobile data plan during your trip.
Not being disconnected is almost impossible, but studies have shown that you can have bad surprises in your budget.
Currently, we basically have two options for staying connected.
Via WiFi or via mobile data roaming.
First, let's understand the difference between WiFi and mobile data.
WiFi is a wireless network that allows your phone to connect to the Internet using a nearby router.
On the other hand, mobile data refers to the cellular network provided by your mobile operator.
How do you know if your phone is using WiFi or mobile data?
The main hotels, inns, restaurants, shops, etc. offer WiFi access.
Not forgetting the security issue, we must observe when browsing, how to identify what type of connection your smartphone is using.
This can avoid a very high bill on your data package.
One of the most obvious signs that your phone is using WiFi is the presence of the Wi-Fi symbol in your phone’s status bar.
This symbol usually appears as a set of curved lines or a point with curved lines radiating from it. When you see this symbol, it indicates that your phone is connected to a WiFi network and is using that connection to access the Internet.
When it is being used, it normally uses a down or up arrow, showing whether it is uploading or downloading.
Another way is to disable the mobile network in your device’s configuration, this way you can ensure that the connection is only via WiFi.
On most smartphones, you can find this information in the “Settings” menu. Look for options like “Wi-Fi” or “Connections” and tap them. Here, you should see a list of available WiFi networks. If your phone is connected to one of these networks, it means it is using WiFi.
What does data roaming mean?
Data roaming occurs when you connect to a foreign provider’s network using your travel SIM card to use your smartphone’s services abroad. You start roaming when you travel outside your home network, whether to a new country or a different province or state.
When roaming, you operate as a guest on a network. Your calling, texting, and data services are charged at a different, usually higher, rate.
So we must avoid using data roaming and for this the best option is to have a local sim.
But how do we know which available plan we need?
First you need to know the time of your trip.
All plans are based on the validity period in days of each plan.
You need to find one that is a little longer than the number of days you will be traveling.
The second point is the amount of data to be used.
This feature is very important, because when your browsing ends, your navigation is interrupted.
Below is a list of the main applications and their consumption per hour of use.
Mobile data is measured in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB). 1 GB of data is equivalent to 1,000 MB. Anything that requires your phone to upload or download data from the internet will use MBs, or GBs.
The data plan you need depends on the apps and activities you use them for.
Typically, 1GB of mobile data would allow you to spend 20 to 30 minutes a day (for a month) checking emails, browsing social media and surfing the internet.
Here are some of the top apps.
- Google Maps: 5 MB per hour.
- Social media: 50 MB per hour.
- Internet browsing: 50MB per hour.
- Online games: more than 70 MB per hour.
- Music streaming: 100MB per hour.
- SD Video: 1 GB per hour.
- HD video: 4GB per hour.
- 4K video: 7GB per hour
With this you can calculate how much your usage would be for 7, 14 or 30 days.
How to choose the right Plan?
Let’s assume you are traveling to Turkey.
Then you need to purchase a travel chip.
After doing the calculation, you will see that you will use 2 GB on a 7-day trip to Turkey.
See the plans available at Airalo.
The plan, available on February 24, is 1 GB for 7 days or 2 GB for 15 days.
So you should choose the 2 GB for 15 days, as the plan ends as soon as the data limit or days are reached first.
But in this particular case, the ideal is to take the 3 GB for 30 days promotion, as it is cheaper than the 2 GB for 15 days.
I have used and recommended Airalo as it offers access to local, regional and global eSIM plans for over 200 countries and regions across the world.
I used the global plan on my trip to the Balkan countries.
eSIM plans come with a data allowance (e.g. 1GB, 3GB, 5GB) that you can use over a fixed period (e.g. 7 days, 15 days, 30 days).
If you run out of time or data, you can track and top up your eSIM directly in the Airalo app.
Additionally, it has:
- Instant connectivity. Use the Airalo app to download and install eSIM plans on the go.
- One of the best local fares.
- Application available in 22 languages.
- No hidden fees. eSIM plans are prepaid. You will only pay for data purchased in advance or topped up during your trip.
- Easy to manage and monitor usage, top up your plan and more.
Support is available 24 hours a day. 365 days a year
Atenção: As opiniões, revisões, análises e recomendações de viagens e produtos são baseadas nas minhas experiências e pesquisas pessoais, sem vínculo a nenhuma dessas entidades.
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