Mobile Internet

That’s the best advice I can give you. It works best if you have a smartphone with dual sim, so you keep your domestic sim card in just in case (and for those ubiquitous OTP codes).

A local SIM card is simply the cheapest way to have constant access to the internet.

I have bought a local SIM card in over 20 countries, from a simple over-the-counter purchase in Georgia to dodgy street vendors in Uzbekistan.

Here are my top tips for buying a local sim:

• Buying at the airport is most convenient, but also most expensive.
• If possible, always buy from an official provider’s office.
• Ask to have your IMEI registered. It’s mandatory in some countries.
• You probably don’t need that juicy 100 GB of data. Save some money by buying a smaller pack. 10 GB for a month is plenty of data.
• Keep the little package that the SIM card comes in. You may need it. Also, your phone number is there.
• Providers’ statistics on % covered land are usually meaningless, unless you’re going to remote regions.
• Make sure your internet works before leaving the store. Duh

eSims is a relatively new technology (first released in 2016) that is slowly replacing physical SIM cards.

The premise is simple: instead of inserting a small piece of plastic into your phone, you simply install the required software.

Unfortunately, not all phones support them yet. You can check this list to see if your phone supports eSims.