When you’re traveling across Europe or anywhere really, staying connected is crucial. Whether you’re navigating cobblestone streets in Italy, snapping photos of landmarks in France, or checking maps while hiking in Norway, reliable mobile data is essential. Taylor and I visited over 35 countries in the last 5 years and have learned a thing or two when preparing for a trip. As digital content creators, one of the most important things we ensure we have is a reliable data connection so we can stay connected with friends and family, get our work done, but also stay safe knowing if we can contact emergency services, or look up information if we ever ran into an issue. Before eSIM technology, traditional SIMs were the method of choice since international data plans with our phone providers were expensive (and still are). But thankfully technology continues to improve and get better and better. We turned to eSIM technology back in 2022 for a more efficient, flexible solution and fell in love with Holafly’s eSIM, particularly the Holafly’s Regional Europe eSIM when traveling to Europe
In this blog post, we’ll break down our experience using Holafly’s regional Europe eSIM after using the eSIM in ten different European countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, and the United Kingdom. We’ll break down the experience, highlighting the pros, cons, and overall performance.
What is an eSIM?
Before diving into the specifics of the Holafly Regional Europe eSIM, let’s quickly review what an eSIM is.
Unlike traditional SIM cards, an eSIM (embedded SIM) is a digital SIM card that allows you to activate a cellular plan without needing a physical card. This technology is compatible with most modern smartphones and has made international travel significantly easier, as you can switch networks without swapping out SIM cards. You simply need an internet/wifi connection and a compatible phone and you’re all set. Holafly is one such provider, offering data plans specifically designed for travelers.
Holafly provides eSIMs in 200+ destinations, they have 7 Regional Plans (Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America), 1 Global Plan (coverage in 113 destinations). Over 200 Destinations have unlimited data and come with hotspot capability.
Setting Up The Holafly eSIM
Setting up the Holafly eSIM is a breeze and it takes no more than 5 minutes to activate.
You can purchase an eSIM directly through the Holafly Mobile App or at esim.holafly.com (we have a coupon code MATHERSONTHEMAP that gets you 5% off your order).
After you purchase your eSIM you have three methods to activate your eSIM.
- Automatically within the Holafly app.
- Use the QR Code sent to your email address.
- Manually in your phone settings using the SM-DP+ Address and Activation Code.
The first method (automatically within the Holafly app) is by far the easiest and my preferred method.
The activation is seamless you just need to make sure you have an internet connection which is easy to find when traveling through airports and train stations. We simply connect to the airport/station wifi when we arrive and begin the activation process immediately.
Holafly works with both iPhone and Android devices. Taylor and I are both iPhone users and haven’t tested eSIMs on an Android device but do know Holafly’s eSIM’s are compatible with both iOS and Android. They have a list of compatible devices, to confirm if your device is compatible.
Coverage and Performance In Each Country
For this blog post, I listed the countries in chronological order when we visited and used Holafly’s Regional Europe eSIM.
1. Norway:
Back in 2022, we visited Norway’s Lofoten Islands and fell in love with the country. This was our first experience using Holafly and it was perfect for our trip. Due to Lofoten’s unpredictable weather in the late spring / early summer months, we wanted to explore freely not being tied down to hotel reservations. So we rented an RV to explore Lofoten instead of staying in hotels each night to keep our plans flexible.
Since we were living off the grid in our RV we didn’t connect to WIFI once and required a TON of data. This made Holafly’s unlimited data plans the perfect use case for our adventure.
The Regional Europe eSIM provided consistent coverage from our trip in Tromsø to the tip of Lofoten in Å and back. We were able to stream videos at night, use our GPS during the day, and the internet without any worry of running out of data.
Lofoten is rather rural with mountains everywhere, we didn’t expect the signal to be so reliable with strong internet speeds and we didn’t experience any noticeable lag or interruptions.
2. Ireland
Back in the summer of 2022, we spent 3 weeks in 3 different countries in Europe, including Ireland, Croatia, and Italy. Taylor and I each used a Holafly Europe Regional eSIM for the entire trip which is one of my favorite things about Holafly’s Regional eSIMs. When we explore Europe we’re often visiting multiple countries so only having to purchase one regional eSIM for the trip is so nice.
For this trip, Ireland was the first country we visited to kick off our summer tour. Here we rented a van to do “van life” in Ireland and then spent a few days in Dublin. We activated our Holafly Regional eSIM right when we landed in Dublin airport before heading to the van rental. The eSIM worked seamlessly whether we were in the city of Dublin or Galway, or along the remote coast of the Wild Atlantic Way, we had no issues with connectivity. Again the data speeds were solid and we never experienced any service drops, which is a huge plus for navigating unfamiliar roads. We even had to upload a YouTube video from our phone and we were able to do so successfully.
3. Croatia
The second country of our summer 2022 “Euro Trip” was Croatia and it did not disappoint. To get to Croatia from Ireland you have to board a plane, so it was a good test to see how Holafly’s Europe Regional eSIM works not only by crossing land borders but also when visiting a new country over a thousand miles away.
As expected, the eSIM worked immediately as soon as we landed in Croatia and we didn’t have to do any additional activation or steps. The same eSIM we used in Ireland was now working in Croatia.
This was nice because we had to get an Uber from the Dubrovnik airport to our Airbnb and we didn’t have to worry about losing any connection leaving the airport since we didn’t have to rely on WIFI connections as our phones were always connected.
While staying in Dubrovnik, we used our phones often to look things up, find specific landmarks, and WhatsApp with tour companies. Dubrovnik is also home to many scenes of the HBO series Game of Thrones so it was fun to quickly search the scenes of the show when we were standing in a particular Game of Thrones scene location. Again we didn’t have to worry about running out of data, consistently loading video scenes, and images looking up the different Game of Thrones locations.
Overall Croatia’s coastline and historical cities make it a popular destination for travelers, and Holafly’s eSIM worked perfectly here. Whether it was exploring the old town of Dubrovnik or taking a boat tour to the neighboring islands, data speeds were great and we had a consistently strong signal. Croatia’s mobile network coverage was excellent overall, and Holafly did a great job tapping into it.
4. Italy:
The last country of our summer trip was Italy, which was incredible. We visited two areas of Italy including the Amalfi Coast and Lake Como.
Similar to our experience arriving at the Dubrovnik Airport when we landed in Naples our Holafly Regional Europe eSIM worked immediately without any hiccups. The service was reliable in both urban areas around Naples as well as the more scenic and remote spots like the Amalfi Coast. There were no issues with connectivity, and I had fast speeds for navigation, video calls, and social media. Whether we were indulging in pasta or cruising along the water on Lake Como, we always were connected.
5. Germany:
After our summer trip in 2022, we weren’t back in Europe until December 2023 for the Christmas Markets. Germany was the first country on our Christmas Market tour and since we’ve had much success using Holafly, not only in Europe, but also in Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean, Holafly was our go-to once again. We opted for the Regional Europe eSIM for this trip too since we were visiting Germany and Austria on this trip.
While in Germany we visited the Christmas Markets in Cologne and Munich traveling by train as well.
Holafly worked in both cities as well as our travel on the train. We had fast, reliable data throughout my trip. I was able to stream videos, use navigation apps, and share content on our Instagram with no delays.
6. Austria:
Austria was next on our agenda to explore the Christmas Markets in Vienna. We took the train from Munich to Vienna which was a good test to see how Holafly handled crossing land borders. We didn’t experience any issues crossing the border from Germany into Austria and Holafly never missed a beat. I’d describe it as crossing state borders in the United States, it’s seamless and you don’t even realize it.
Once we arrived in Vienna we used the GPS a ton navigating the many Christmas markets in the city and trying to understand which ones to explore and when. We had a great connection throughout the city and once again didn’t have any issues.
7. Belgium:
After our 2023 Christmas Market Tour it took another 12 months to head back to Europe. This time we’re back for another Christmas Market Tour visiting four countries, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom.
For this trip, we got the Holafly Regional Europe eSIM which covered all four countries. We ordered the eSIMs the night of our flight and activated them the morning we landed in Brussels to kick off our trip.
The Holafly eSIM delivered reliable data across Brussels and helped us find each Christmas market as well as good dining options while we were there.
8. France:
After Brussels, we were off to France taking the bullet train from Brussels to Paris then a local train to the town of Strasbourg.
Holafly’s eSIM worked flawlessly across France. In Paris, I experienced excellent 4G/5G speeds, and when traveling outside the city, the coverage remained strong. Even in the crowded streets of Strasbourg, I never had trouble accessing data, making it easy to navigate and stay connected.
9. Luxembourg
From Strasbourg France we we’re off to the next country of our trip, Luxembourg. Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in Europe tucked between Belgium, France, and Germany. It’s often overlooked by its neighboring countries, but it’s truly beautiful and one of our favorites.
The Holafly Regional Europe eSIM worked seamlessly here providing reliable coverage giving us once again the confidence needed to explore the city and ensure we visit every place we planned to see.
10. United Kingdom
The last country of our 2024 Europe Christmas Market tour was the United Kingdom to explore London. We flew from Luxembourg airport to London Heathrow to spend four days in the city. Once again the Holafly Regional Europe eSIM worked seamlessly when we arrived in Heathrow Airport. It was so nice not having to worry about our data plans and connectivity.
While in London we visited each Christmas Market, toured the city, saw Big Bend, the London Eye, Tower Bridge, and more. London is one of Taylor’s favorite cities and there’s so much history and beauty within the city.
Final Thoughts: Is Holafly's European eSIM Worth It?
Overall, the Holafly Regional Europe eSIM offers an excellent solution for travelers seeking reliable and cost-effective mobile data across Europe. It provided fast and consistent service in every country we tested—Norway, Ireland, Croatia, Italy, Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom—without the hassle of constantly swapping SIM cards or worrying about exorbitant roaming fees. My favorite part is you can be proactive in purchasing your eSIMs before you arrive at your destination so you don’t have to worry about finding local SIM cards once you get to your destination and there are no additional steps required when crossing borders.
Head to eSIM.Holafly.com and use our discount code MATHERSONTHEMAP to get 5% off your order!
Below is a quick list of the pros and cons when choosing Holafly’s Regional eSIM.
Pros of Holafly Regional eSIM:
- Easy Setup: Activation via the app or QR code system makes installation quick and hassle-free.
- Wide Coverage: Holafly’s eSIM offers excellent coverage in all the countries tested, including remote areas.
- Consistent Speeds: Data speeds were fast and reliable on LTE, 4G and 5G, suitable for all typical travel needs like navigation, browsing, and streaming.
- No Roaming Fees: Since it’s an eSIM specifically for Europe, there were no surprise roaming fees, which made managing costs much easier.
- Hotspot: Enjoy 1 GB per day to share with others.
Cons of Holafly Regional eSIM:
Ok so what’s the catch? Well there isn’t one really other than one thing.
- Data-Only Plan: Holafly’s eSIM provides data-only plans, so you can only make calls via Voice Over-IP using apps like WhatsApp, Facetime Audio, or Skype. You cannot make cellular calls or send SMS text messages, but fortunately, most people communicate over the internet in the form of iMessage, WhatsApp, or other voice-over IP communication methods.
Bottom line, if you’re planning to travel to multiple European countries and need a simple, seamless mobile data solution, Holafly is a solid choice. Its ease of use, reliable performance, and extensive coverage across Europe make it an attractive option for modern travelers. They also have 24/7 customer support via WhatsApp to help with activation if any questions arise.