Five years ago, landing in a new country meant hunting for a SIM card kiosk in the arrivals hall, fumbling with a paperclip to swap tiny plastic chips, and hoping you’d bought enough data. Today, many travelers download a connectivity plan before takeoff and have working mobile internet the moment they touch down. That shift is driven by eSIM—the embedded SIM technology that’s removing one of international travel’s most tedious rituals.

But while eSIM has genuinely changed things for short trips and light data use, it hasn’t made every other connectivity option obsolete. We’ve shipped hundreds of portable WiFi devices to digital nomads across Europe, sent eSIM plans to freelancers heading to Bali, and fielded late-night support messages from van lifers losing signal in the Pyrenees. Here’s what’s actually changing in the mobile industry—and what hasn’t.

What eSIM Actually Means for Travelers

An eSIM is a chip already built into your phone. Instead of inserting a physical SIM card, you scan a QR code or download a profile, and your phone connects to a mobile network. For international travelers, the appeal is obvious: you can buy and activate a data plan from your hotel in London for your trip to Spain next week, without visiting a shop or waiting for a card to arrive in the mail.

This matters most when you’re moving between countries frequently. A digital nomad spending two weeks in Portugal, then a month in Germany, then three weeks in Greece used to need three separate local SIMs—or pay extortionate roaming fees to their home carrier. With eSIM, you can switch plans without physically swapping anything.

The technology has also pushed the entire industry toward more transparent pricing. When customers can compare and buy plans instantly online, the old model of airport kiosks charging €40 for 5GB starts to look ridiculous.

“We managed to stay always connected while travelling around Europe, without having to buy SIM cards in every country and ending up with a handful of them with different balances we couldn’t use. Excellent support team.”
— Patrícia Reis de Magalhães, verified ConnectPls customer

Where eSIM Falls Short: The Reality Check

We see two patterns in our support inbox that reveal eSIM’s limits. First, people run out of data faster than they expect. A 10GB eSIM plan sounds generous until you’re working remotely, uploading client files, and streaming an evening Netflix show—suddenly it’s gone in four days, and you’re buying top-ups at inflated per-GB rates.

Second, eSIM doesn’t help when you need to connect multiple devices. Your laptop, tablet, and your partner’s phone all need internet, but an eSIM only works in the device it’s installed on. Tethering your phone as a hotspot drains the battery and often violates the eSIM provider’s terms. This is why we still ship dozens of portable WiFi devices every week to remote workers and van lifers—they need one connection that covers all their gear, all day.

There’s also the lock-in problem. Many eSIM providers sell one-time data packages: you buy 20GB for Thailand, use it, then it’s done. If you’re traveling across Southeast Asia for three months, you’re constantly researching new providers, comparing prices, and managing multiple eSIM profiles. It’s better than physical SIMs, but it’s still admin work every time you cross a border.

How Portable WiFi Subscriptions Fit the Revolution

Portable WiFi—a pocket-sized mobile router that connects up to 10 devices at once—hasn’t disappeared in the eSIM era. It’s evolved. The old model was rental: you’d pick up a device at the airport, pay a daily fee, and return it before your flight home. That worked for a week in Tokyo but made no sense for a digital nomad spending six months across Europe.

ConnectPls runs on a different model: the mobile hotspot device is included in your monthly subscription and shipped to your address before you travel. You’re not renting hardware by the day—you’re subscribing to connectivity that works across 160+ countries, which you activate for the months you’re traveling and pause when you’re not.

Our Plus Europe package, for example, offers truly unlimited data (no fair-usage throttling) across 70 Group 0 countries—UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, the Nordics, Turkey, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand. The router uses Cloud SIM technology, which connects automatically across multiple operators, plus a backup physical SIM slot if you ever need to manually insert a local card. Delivery takes 2-3 working days across Europe, 4-5 in the UK.

This setup makes sense if you’re living out of a campervan crossing France and Spain, where motorhome broadband needs to cover navigation, work calls, and evening entertainment across multiple devices. It’s why van lifers choose subscriptions over daily rentals—you’re not paying for every single day, just the months you’re on the road, and there’s no hardware deposit or return logistics.

Comparing Your Real Options in 2025

The mobile industry hasn’t been revolutionized by a single technology—it’s been improved by more options. Here’s how they actually stack up for someone living and working abroad:

If you’re a freelancer taking a two-week client trip to Madrid, an eSIM is probably the smartest pick—quick, cheap, and you’re only working from your laptop in the hotel anyway. But if you’re spending three months moving between Lisbon, Barcelona, and the French Riviera, working full days and video-calling clients, the math shifts: a subscription that delivers unlimited data across all three countries, covers your phone and laptop, and doesn’t require you to research new providers at every border is worth the simplicity.

What’s Actually Changed (and What Hasn’t)

The biggest shift isn’t the technology itself—it’s that travelers now expect connectivity to be simple, predictable, and fairly priced. eSIM forced the industry to compete on transparency. Portable WiFi providers had to drop the exploitative daily rental model and offer real monthly plans. Even traditional carriers started offering better roaming deals because customers could easily compare alternatives online.

What hasn’t changed: heavy data use still costs money, and sharing connectivity across devices still requires either tethering (which drains batteries and often breaks terms of service) or a dedicated hotspot. Physics hasn’t been revolutionized—you’re still connecting to cell towers, and in rural Spain or the Scottish Highlands, your signal depends on which operator has infrastructure there. Cloud SIM helps by switching between operators automatically, but it can’t invent coverage where none exists.

We’re also honest about trade-offs. If you’re spending six months in one city—Berlin, Lisbon, Bangkok—a local SIM card with an unlimited data plan is probably cheaper than any international subscription or eSIM package. The subscription model makes sense when you’re moving between countries, not when you’re staying put.

Choosing What Actually Works for You

Start with your real usage pattern. Are you crossing multiple countries or staying in one? Do you need 2GB a day or 20GB? Is it just your phone, or are you running a laptop, tablet, and Chromecast off the same connection?

For digital nomads doing the classic Europe circuit—a month in Portugal, six weeks in Spain, two weeks in France, then back to Portugal—a portable WiFi subscription with truly unlimited data across those Group 0 countries removes the admin overhead. You activate it before you leave, it works the moment you land in Lisbon, and you’re not buying a new plan every time you cross a border or rationing your video calls because you’re close to your data cap.

For shorter, lighter trips—a long weekend in Paris, a week hiking in Norway—eSIM is faster and cheaper. You don’t need a device shipped, and you’re not using enough data to worry about caps.

The real improvement is that you finally have choices, and they’re all available before you leave home. That’s the part worth celebrating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use eSIM and portable WiFi together?

Yes, and some travelers do exactly that. You might use an eSIM for your phone (for calls and light browsing) and a portable WiFi subscription for heavy data use across your laptop and tablet. They’re not mutually exclusive—pick based on what each device actually needs.

Does portable WiFi work everywhere an eSIM does?

Coverage depends on the provider and the technology. ConnectPls portable WiFi uses Cloud SIM, which connects across multiple operators in 160+ countries, including all the major European, North American, and Asia-Pacific destinations digital nomads frequent. In practice, if there’s cell signal, the device will find it—but remote rural areas are challenging for any mobile technology, eSIM included.

What happens if I don’t use my subscription for a month?

With ConnectPls, billing is monthly and flexible—you activate the subscription for the months you’re traveling and pause when you’re not. There’s no long-term contract. The only exception is a £25 fee if you cancel a mobile router subscription within the first three months, which covers the cost of shipping the device and processing the return.