Two people can spend seven days in exactly the same destination and use completely different amounts of mobile data.

One traveller may only use Google Maps, WhatsApp, email and restaurant searches. Another may spend hours watching TikTok and YouTube, upload videos, make video calls and share the connection with a laptop.

The destination may be the same — but their mobile data requirements are completely different.

Instead of looking only at the total number of gigabytes, calculate how much data you are likely to use each day.

A simple formula is:

Estimated daily data × number of travel days + safety margin

If you expect to use around 1 GB per day during a 10-day trip, that equals 10 GB. Choosing 15–20 GB instead can give you extra flexibility for unexpected navigation, video calls or uploads.

1 GB is a small travel allowance. It can work for a short trip if your phone is mainly a practical travel tool rather than an entertainment device.

It is best suited to messaging, email, occasional navigation, airline apps, hotel information, taxi apps and light browsing.

5 GB can be a practical choice for a short holiday or a traveller who mainly uses essential online services.

It gives much more freedom than 1 GB for maps, messaging, browsing, photo sharing and moderate social media, but frequent video viewing can still use it quickly.

10 GB is a useful starting point for many ordinary travellers. It provides comfortable access to maps, messaging, browsing, social media and occasional video without moving immediately into a very large package.

For a seven-day holiday, 10 GB gives an average of approximately 1.4 GB per day.

20 GB gives significantly more freedom for travellers who regularly use social media, video calls and occasional streaming.

It can be a good choice for people who want to stay connected throughout the day without constantly searching for Wi-Fi.

50 GB is aimed at much heavier users. It gives significantly more freedom for video, social media, video calls, content uploads and occasional hotspot use.

It can also be useful on longer trips where mobile data becomes your main internet connection.

100 GB becomes relevant when mobile internet is no longer just a travel convenience. It may be your main connection for work, entertainment, communication and everyday life.

Remote workers, long-term travellers, frequent video streamers and hotspot users are much more likely to benefit from this level of data.

Unlimited mobile data becomes attractive when your consumption is consistently high, difficult to predict or essential for work and everyday life.

It can also be convenient for people who do not want to continuously monitor how many gigabytes remain during a long journey.

Truck drivers can spend weeks travelling through multiple countries and may depend on mobile internet every day.

Navigation and traffic information may run throughout the working day. Messaging, company communication, weather information and route planning add further usage. During rest periods, the same connection may be used for video calls, social media, YouTube or streaming.

This creates a very different usage profile from a tourist spending seven days abroad.

Digital nomads can depend on mobile internet for their income. Email and web browsing may use relatively little data, but video meetings, cloud applications, large file transfers and hotspot use can quickly change the calculation.

When hotel, apartment or café Wi-Fi is unreliable, mobile data may also become an important backup connection.

Someone working abroad for several weeks or months usually has different needs from a tourist.

Mobile internet may be used every day for work communication, banking, navigation, messaging, video calls with family, entertainment and administration. Over a 30-day period, even moderate daily consumption can add up to a substantial amount of data.

Content creators can be among the heaviest travel data users. They do not only consume video — they also upload it.

High-resolution videos, Stories, Reels, TikTok uploads, cloud backups and LIVE broadcasts can create very large mobile data transfers. For an active creator, a small 5 GB or 10 GB travel package may be far too restrictive.

LIVE streaming continuously transfers video over your mobile connection. Usage depends on the platform, resolution, bitrate and length of the broadcast.

Someone who broadcasts LIVE regularly should not choose an eSIM based on the needs of an ordinary tourist. Heavy LIVE streaming can make even a large fixed data allowance disappear quickly.

Connecting a laptop or another device to your phone can significantly increase consumption. Computers may download software updates, synchronise cloud files, stream high-resolution video or transfer large work files in the background.

Always check whether your chosen eSIM allows hotspot or tethering and whether a separate hotspot allowance applies.

If several people share one mobile connection, data consumption can increase rapidly. One device may be navigating while another watches video and a third uses social media.

Where hotspot sharing is supported, calculate the likely usage of all connected devices rather than only the primary phone.

Maps and navigation are essential for many travellers, but they belong to a very different usage category from continuous video streaming.

Downloading offline maps before departure can reduce mobile data use further and provide useful backup navigation when coverage is weak.

Text-based WhatsApp, Messenger and similar messaging generally use relatively little data. Sending photos and voice messages uses more, while long video calls can substantially increase consumption.

This distinction is important for travellers who say they mainly use messaging apps but actually make frequent video calls.

Modern social media feeds contain large amounts of video. Spending hours scrolling through TikTok, Instagram Reels or Stories can therefore use significantly more data than maps, messaging or ordinary web browsing.

Heavy social media users should generally choose a larger allowance than travellers who mainly use their phone for navigation and communication.

Video quality and viewing time have a major impact on data consumption. Watching occasional short videos is completely different from streaming several hours every evening.

Travellers who use YouTube, Netflix or other streaming platforms as their main entertainment should consider larger data packages.

Travellers often think only about watching videos, but uploading content also uses mobile data.

High-resolution travel videos, cloud photo backups and large work files can generate substantial data usage. This is especially important for influencers, photographers, creators and remote workers.

The word Unlimited does not automatically mean unlimited data at maximum possible speed under every condition.

Different eSIM packages can apply different network-management or usage conditions. Always check the specific package before purchasing.

FUP stands for Fair Usage Policy. Some unlimited mobile products apply fair-use conditions to unusually high consumption or network use.

The exact rules depend on the individual product. Never assume that every Unlimited eSIM has the same FUP, speed or hotspot conditions.

Not everyone needs an Unlimited eSIM. If you are travelling for five days and mainly use maps, messaging and email, a smaller package may be perfectly adequate.

Unlimited becomes more useful when your consumption is high, unpredictable or important for your work and everyday connectivity.

Download large files before departure whenever possible. Offline maps, music, films and playlists can all reduce your mobile data requirement.

Also review cloud backup, automatic application updates and cellular video quality before travelling with a limited package.

Data allowance is important, but it is not the only factor when choosing a travel eSIM.

Also consider destination coverage, validity, network availability, speed conditions, hotspot support, activation rules and any Fair Usage Policy.