Friday–Monday in Paris
Hotel Wi-Fi, restaurant maps, a few stories. Plan 3–5 GB for the long weekend. A 20 GB monthly pack is wasted money.
Compare plans · FranceData calculator
How many GB
for this trip?
Maps, video and hotspot decide the pack — not the number of days alone. Get a size, then compare live plans.
A city weekend with hotel Wi-Fi usually finishes on 1–3 GB. A typical sightseeing week with maps, social apps and some video needs 5–10 GB. Two weeks on the road with weak Wi-Fi lands around 15–30 GB. Remote work on a phone hotspot is a different product: look at 20 GB+ or an unlimited plan and read the fair-use policy, especially the hotspot clause. Unused gigabytes on a travel eSIM almost never roll to the next holiday.
Recommended pack
Days away
Recommended pack
10 GBHonest range: 5–8 GB
Estimated daily use: 690 MB
What actually burns gigabytes
What actually burns gigabytes
These are planning figures, not lab measurements. Video and hotspot dominate. Messaging does not.
| Activity | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Maps, 1 hour of navigation | 10–20 MB |
| WhatsApp / iMessage, text only, per day | 5–15 MB |
| Instagram or TikTok, 1 hour | 150–400 MB |
| YouTube or Netflix, 480p, 1 hour | 300–700 MB |
| YouTube or Netflix, 1080p, 1 hour | 1.5–3 GB |
| Spotify / Apple Music, 1 hour | 40–150 MB |
| WhatsApp video call, 1 hour | 400–700 MB |
| Hotspot for laptop work, 1 day | 0.8–2 GB |
| Cloud backup, ~50 photos | 150–400 MB |
Six trips we would actually size
Six trips we would actually size
Same calculator as the form above. Open the destination to compare the live pack that matches the number.
Seven days in Tokyo
Suica, Google Maps, translation and some video on the Yamanote. Plan 8–12 GB. 5G helps in stations; hotspot is optional.
Compare plans · Japan
Ten days, Thai islands
Ferry Wi-Fi is decoration. Maps, Grab and evening video add up. 15–20 GB, or unlimited if you refuse a meter.
Compare plans · Thailand
Two-week US road trip
Rural stretches, ride-hailing, cabin without Wi-Fi, light hotspot. 20–30 GB or unlimited with a published hotspot rule.
Compare plans · United StatesInterrail, 16 days
One regional Europe eSIM beats five QR codes. The UK, Switzerland and Turkey are not automatic — open the Europe page and the country list.
Compare plans · Europe
30 days working from Lisbon
Apartment Wi-Fi plus a phone modem for calls and backup. Treat hotspot as a requirement. A large fixed pack is often more honest than a throttled unlimited.
Compare plans · PortugalWhen unlimited beats a fixed pack
Unlimited is a commercial label attached to a fair-use policy. It wins when you will stream or hotspot every day and you accept a speed drop after a daily bucket. It loses when 8 GB already covers the week. On esimcomparator.com, compare both families on the same destination page, then read the FUP — especially the hotspot sentence — on the provider site. We do not sell the SIM.
How to pick the pack without overbuying
How to pick the pack without overbuying
The calculator gives a range. The catalog gives a payable price.
- 01
Estimate the trip, not a fantasy month
Use real days and the heavier of video or hotspot. Add a 20 percent buffer. Do not buy 30 days “just in case” for a long weekend.
- 02
Snap to a commercial size
Travel eSIMs are sold as 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 50 GB or unlimited. Round up to the next pack, not to a monthly contract.
- 03
Open the destination you land in
Compare live prices for that country or a regional plan if you cross borders. Check 5G, hotspot and validity on the same card.
- 04
Confirm activation and FUP at checkout
Some plans start when you install, others at first connection. Unlimited plans need the fair-use threshold in writing before you pay.
Now compare eSIM plans for your destination.
The calculator tells you how many GB to buy. Open a country page to see current prices for that volume, then buy from the provider.
How many GB do I need for a week abroad?+
Most sightseeing weeks finish between 5 and 10 GB if you are not hotspotting a laptop. Heavy video or almost no Wi-Fi pushes that toward 15 GB. A weekend with hotel Wi-Fi is often 1–3 GB.
How much data does Google Maps use?+
About 10–20 MB per hour of live navigation, far less than video. Offline map downloads before you fly shrink that further. Maps rarely empty a 5 GB pack on their own.
Is 5 GB enough for Europe?+
Yes for a Wi-Fi-heavy city week. No for a 14-day rail trip with evening streaming. Run the calculator with your days and video habit, then compare a Europe regional plan if you change country.
How many GB for Japan?+
A typical Tokyo week is 8–12 GB on our calculator (maps, translation, some video). Islands or a work hotspot need more. Compare live Japan plans after you have the number.
Do I need unlimited data?+
Only if you will blow past a fixed pack every day or you refuse to watch a meter. Read the fair-use policy: many unlimited labels throttle hotspot first. A 20 GB fixed plan can be the more honest work tool.
What if I run out of data?+
Most travel eSIMs sell a top-up or a second pack. That is cheaper than starting with a 50 GB monthly plan you will not empty. Check the top-up field on the destination card before you buy the first QR code.