If you’re planning a move abroad (whether that’s three months in Valencia, a summer bouncing between Greece and Portugal, or a year testing out Melbourne), most moving checklists focus on visas, housing, and bank accounts. Internet connectivity gets added as an afterthought, usually the night before you fly.

That’s a mistake. As a digital nomad, your internet is your infrastructure. You can’t afford to spend your first week hunting down SIM cards in a language you don’t speak, or burning through expensive roaming while you sort it out.

Here’s what actually belongs on your moving checklist for internet connectivity, based on what we see work (and fail) for the remote workers and nomads we serve every day at ConnectPls.

What Internet Connectivity Actually Means When You Move

Before you compare options, get clear on what you need. Most digital nomads moving abroad have three non-negotiables:

• Working connection the moment you land — no two-day wait for a local SIM appointment or WiFi installation
• Multiple devices online — laptop, phone, maybe a tablet or backup device
• Predictable monthly cost — no surprise roaming bills, no year-long contracts you can’t cancel if you move again

Those three requirements rule out most of the “obvious” solutions. Your home carrier’s roaming? Expensive and usually capped. A local SIM? Great for your phone, useless for your laptop unless you tether (which drains battery and counts against mobile data). Apartment WiFi? Fine once you have an apartment, but not much help during your first Airbnb week or when you’re working from a campervan in the Algarve.

“So many countries we visited over the last 2 months, from Ireland to Turkey and back home again, and they were always there for us 24/7. Truly a pleasure — 150% satisfaction.”
— Sergey Kondratiev, verified ConnectPls customer

Four Real Options (And When Each One Works)

Here’s an honest comparison of the connectivity options digital nomads actually use when moving abroad, with the trade-offs we see play out in practice:

Option	Best For	Arrival-Day Ready?	Multi-Device?	Monthly Flexibility?
Home carrier roaming	Short trips (under 2 weeks)	Yes	Phone only (or tethering)	No — you’re stuck with your home plan
Local SIM card	Single-country stays, phone-only use	No — requires local shop visit, sometimes ID/address	No (unless you tether)	Varies — often prepaid or 12-month contracts
eSIM (data-only)	Phone/tablet users, light data needs	Yes (if purchased before departure)	One device per eSIM	Yes — typically pay-as-you-go or short plans
Portable WiFi subscription	Multi-device nomads, frequent movers	Yes (ships before you leave)	Yes — up to 10 devices	Yes — monthly, cancel anytime

Why Portable WiFi Subscriptions Fit the Moving Checklist

When you’re moving across countries or continents regularly, a portable WiFi device on a monthly subscription solves the problems other options create.

The Device Ships to You (No Upfront Hardware Cost)

Most pocket WiFi models require you to buy the router outright — £100-£200 before you even pay for data. ConnectPls includes the mobile hotspot device in the monthly plan. You don’t own it (you return it if you cancel), but you also don’t front the cash. It ships to your current address in 2-3 working days across Europe, 4-5 days in the UK, before you fly.

For digital nomads moving frequently, that’s essential. You’re not sinking money into hardware you might not need in six months.

It Works Across 160+ Countries (No SIM Swapping)

Traditional pocket WiFi rentals are country-specific. Renting pocket WiFi in Japan means returning it when you leave Japan, then getting another one in Australia, then another in France.

A portable WiFi subscription with Cloud SIM technology works across borders without changing anything. ConnectPls uses Cloud SIM (automatic operator switching) plus a backup physical SIM slot. The Plus Europe package covers 70+ countries — UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Nordics, Turkey, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand — with truly unlimited data and no fair-use throttling.

If your moving plan includes bouncing between Spain and Portugal for winter, then France for spring, you’re covered the entire time on one device, one monthly plan.

Monthly Billing You Can Pause or Cancel

No contracts. Activate the subscription for the months you’re traveling. Pause it (or cancel it) when you’re settled somewhere with fixed broadband or spending a month back home.

There’s a £25 fee if you cancel a mobile router subscription within the first three months (it covers the shipping and return logistics), but after that? Cancel anytime. That flexibility matters when you don’t know if your “three-month test” in Lisbon will turn into six months or two.

Real Scenarios: How This Plays Out for Movers

We ship devices to digital nomads in situations like these every week:

The Europe van lifer: You’re driving a campervan from the UK through France, Spain, and Portugal for the summer. You need reliable WiFi at campsites that may or may not have it, and you cross borders every few weeks. A portable WiFi subscription with unlimited Group 0 coverage means you work from the van, stream in the evenings, and never think about data again. No SIM juggling, no hunting for WiFi passwords in rural Galicia.

The serial nomad: Three months in Mexico City, two months in Berlin, then Thailand for winter. You’re moving too often for local SIMs to make sense, and you need your laptop, phone, and Kindle online simultaneously. The hotspot connects all three. In Mexico and Berlin (Group 0 countries), you get unlimited data. In Thailand (Group 1), you get 4G unlimited with potential slowdown after 5GB/day, which is still plenty for work and evening browsing.

The “testing a move” remote worker: You’re spending a month in Melbourne to see if you want to relocate long-term. You’ve booked an Airbnb, but the WiFi is untested and you have client calls from day one. The portable WiFi device arrives at your UK address before you leave, works the moment you land in Australia (Group 0 — unlimited), and gives you a reliable backup even if the Airbnb connection is terrible.

What About Just Using eSIM Everywhere?

Fair question. eSIMs have gotten very good for single-device, phone-centric travelers. If you mostly work from your phone or only need occasional laptop tethering, an eSIM plan (including ConnectPls’s own eSIM option) might be enough.

But if you’re actually moving (setting up a temporary base, working full days on a laptop, maybe with a partner who also needs connectivity), the multi-device hotspot wins. You’re not draining your phone battery with constant tethering. You’re not buying separate eSIM data for your laptop and phone. Everyone in your household (or your van) shares one data pool.

Adding Connectivity to Your Pre-Move Checklist

Here’s what the internet portion of your moving checklist should actually look like, two weeks before departure:

• Order portable WiFi subscription (or eSIM if single-device works for you) so it ships before you leave
• Confirm coverage in your destination countries — check if they’re Group 0 (unlimited), Group 1 (4G unlimited, possible slowdown after 5GB/day), or Group 2 (500MB/day then slower speeds)
• Test the device at home before you fly — make sure you know how to connect, check battery life
• Screenshot or save support contact info offline (ConnectPls has 24/7 support, but you want the details before you’re in an airport with no WiFi)
• Decide if you need a local SIM in addition for voice calls, or if WhatsApp/data-based calling is enough

The goal is to land, turn on your device, and work. Not to spend your first three days abroad solving connectivity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does portable WiFi actually work in campervans or rural areas?

Yes, as long as there’s mobile network coverage. Portable WiFi uses the same cell towers your phone does. If your phone gets signal, the hotspot will too. Cloud SIM technology (like ConnectPls uses) helps because it automatically switches between operators to find the strongest signal. In rural France or northern Spain, that operator-switching has saved plenty of van lifers when one network drops out.

What happens if I move to a country that’s not covered?

ConnectPls covers 160+ countries, but not everywhere. If you’re heading somewhere unusual, check the country list first. If it’s not covered, you can pause the subscription (no monthly charge) and pick up a local SIM for that period, then reactivate when you move somewhere covered again. You’re not locked in.

Is a monthly subscription actually cheaper than daily pocket WiFi rentals?

For moves longer than a week or two, absolutely. Daily pocket WiFi rentals in Japan run £8-12/day, which works out to £240-360/month. In Australia, daily rentals are similar. A monthly subscription eliminates that daily-rate math and the hassle of coordinating pickups and returns every time you change countries. If you’re only traveling for five days, rent daily. If you’re moving abroad for a month or more, monthly wins.