Single-country vs regional vs global esims
I keep seeing people confused about single-country vs regional vs global eSIM plans, especially for multi-stop trips. I used to overthink this too, but it’s actually pretty simple once you match it to the trip. I’ll use Saily as the example here since it’s the one I use most when travelling.
If I’m going to Japan for 10 days and staying there, I’ll just go with coverage for Japan. No point getting anything broader.
Europe is where I almost always look at regional instead. You plan a week in Italy and suddenly a cheap flight and two train tickets later you’re doing Italy, Switzerland, France and the Netherlands. It’s just easier to have 1 eSIM than sorting out data every time you cross a border.
Global is more for when the trip itself is all over the place - say Europe, then the US, then Japan. For a normal Euro trip, I’d rather stick with regional coverage.
I’ve looked at Airalo, Nomad and a few others too, and the idea is basically the same even if they package or name the options differently.
For me it’s become pretty simple: I usually open Saily, look at where I’m actually going, pick the coverage that fits the trip and move on. One less thing to overthink before flying. Might be helpful info, considering the questions I saw in multiple subreddits about it.