Even when cycling far away from civilisation, the internet remains an integral part of life in the second quarter of the 21st century. So how does one stay connected on tour?
We have an international data plan from a French telecom provider, but this option may not be ideal for everyone. Depending on where, and how you travel, different options may suit your needs. Before buying the next best option, ask yourself a few questions, and potentially save a lot of money.
What is included in my contract?
Depending on your contract and destination, a certain amount of roaming may even be included in your package. Check what you have available, and if roaming will be automatically deactivated at some (cost) point by your provider.
How much bandwidth do I need?
Plans are available for anything from a few 100MB to GB. Ask yourself how much you actually need. If you want to know how much bandwidth different apps use, you can check this in your phone’s settings. On iPhone this can be found under: Settings > Mobile Service.
Checking your mobile data usage lets you find your biggest consumers. This lets you make informed decisions for saving (potentially expensive) data. Some apps can be replaced with others that work offline (i.e. Organic Maps instead of Google). For some apps you can ask yourself if you need to have access to them all the time, or if it is enough to use them where wifi is available, and deactivate mobile data use (i.e. YouTube). Lastly you will find a lot of apps where you really wonder what they are using the bandwidth for. I personally found some games that I haven’t used in years that use a suspicious amount of data. I do not know what information they need to transfer, so I deleted them.
Do I need a VPN?
On your trip you will likely use more than one unsecured network (airports, cafés, hotels, etc.). Therefore a VPN might be a good investment in general.
Depending on what country you go to, services that we in the western world see as central (i.e. WhatsApp) may be blocked. Inform yourself online what VPNs work in the country you are going to. We use Proton VPN, which works so well that the Russian government decided to block it. In these countries people often use smaller, less reputable, and less transparent providers. Also remember that there is no such thing as a free lunch. If you do not pay for a service, you are the product. “Free” VPNs are selling your data.
What are the best options in my destination?
At every airport (and border crossing in general) these days, you will find booths selling local SIM cards. Like airport taxis, the chance of being overcharged is big. Do the research yourself or feed your AI of choice the following prompt: “I am travelling to [country] for [number] weeks. I expect to use up to [number] GB on my trip. List available telecom providers that cover my needs. Indicate how much the package costs, how many GB are included, if other services (voice, SMS) are included, and if the service is available as an e-SIM that can be bought in advance.”
How do I travel?
Depending on the countries you visit, different options may provide the most bang for your buck. Below I have created a decision tree for finding the best data solution.
Data package by telecom provider: convenient, but typically horrendously overpriced. Avoid if possible.
E-SIM apps: convenient, but rather expensive. There are many options available, at varying degrees of cost and reliability. As providers (and their service quality) rise and fall, I will not give a specific recommendation.
Local SIM: if you travel to a single country, this will almost always be the cheapest option.
Aldi Talk: when travelling inside the EU, telecom providers are obliged to provide free roaming in other EU countries. We heard from many cyclists that they buy an Aldi (/Hofer) SIM card in the first EU country they reach, and use it through Europe.
International plan: Many telecom providers offer international plans that go far beyond their country’s borders. If you go on a world-spanning trip, this may be the easiest option. It is also what we have opted for.*
Conclusion
The length, distance, and mode of travel determine what method is best suited to cover your data needs. With these basic questions, I hope you will find the best solution for your trip.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments below.
*The telecom provider Free has crashed the French telecom market and driven prices down considerably. Other providers had to follow suit to compete. We use Voyage Global, by the French telecom provider Sosh. The contract offers 40GB in 120 countries for €16 a month. A friend “borrowed” us their residential address in France, so we could get a contract with a French provider. An additional advantage is that you will get another phone number that you can give to hotels, apps, etc. If you receive too much spam, you can easily delete this number once you return home.
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