Travel eSIM guide: Saily vs Nomad, and when you need neither

A travel eSIM is a data plan you install on your phone before you fly and switch on when you land. No shop, no queue, no plastic card. For a short trip across several countries it is the least annoying way to get online, and for a long stay in one country it is usually the wrong choice.

This guide covers what actually matters when picking one, where Saily and Nomad each make sense, and the trips where you should skip both.

What an eSIM is, and what it is not

An eSIM is a SIM card built into your phone that can be programmed over the internet. A travel eSIM provider sells you a data plan on a network in your destination, and you install their profile alongside your normal SIM.

Two consequences follow, and almost every complaint about travel eSIMs traces back to one of them.

They are data-only. You get internet. You do not get a phone number that can receive calls or SMS. Messaging apps work fine because they run over data. Your bank's login code does not, because that arrives by SMS to your home number, which is switched off or roaming.

They resell somebody else's network. The provider has an agreement with a local operator. Coverage is that operator's coverage, so a plan that works perfectly in a capital city can be poor in a valley two hours away, and no provider will tell you which specific network you land on until you are there.

Neither is a defect. They are the shape of the product, and knowing them tells you when it fits.

What to check before you buy

Which countries are actually covered. Regional plans have gaps. A "Europe" plan may exclude the Balkans, Turkey, or the country you have a two-night stopover in. Read the list against your actual route rather than assuming a continent is a continent.

How much data you need. Maps, messaging and a bit of browsing runs light. Video calls, uploading photos, or tethering a laptop runs heavy, and heavy is roughly an order of magnitude more. Buy more than your estimate, because topping up abroad on a weak connection is exactly when you do not want to be entering card details.

Whether tethering is allowed. If you plan to work off your laptop, check this per plan rather than per provider. It is the single most common thing people assume and then discover on a Monday morning.

What "unlimited" means. Unlimited plans commonly slow down after a daily threshold. That is fine for maps and messaging and not fine for a video call, so read the fair-use line rather than the headline.

Where Saily fits

Saily is a travel eSIM brand from Nord Security, the company behind NordVPN, and the security angle is genuinely its distinguishing feature rather than marketing dressing. It covers 150+ countries on the 1Global network and sells regional and country data plans through a simple app.

It suits you if:

• You want one plan covering several countries and you would rather not optimise per gigabyte.
• You use public Wi-Fi a lot and like that the provider's whole business is built around privacy tooling.
• You want to tether a laptop. Saily does not cap hotspot use on any plan, so a capped plan simply depletes faster when you share it rather than cutting you off at a daily ceiling.
• You want the setup to be boring. The app walks you through it, and boring is the correct ambition for something you do at an airport.

Two limitations worth knowing. It is data-only like the rest, so a local SIM will normally cost less for a month in one country. And Saily has been blocked in Turkey since July 2025, so if Istanbul is on your route this is the wrong provider for that leg.

Where Nomad fits

Nomad covers 200+ countries, including a number of less-travelled destinations where other providers have gaps, and its pitch is price per gigabyte rather than polish. Pay-as-you-go rates start around $1.10 per GB, with the cheapest bundled rates lower again.

It suits you if:

• You are a heavy data user and want the most gigabytes for the money.
• Your route includes somewhere off the main tourist track, where the wider country list is the deciding factor.
• You want to tether. Hotspot is included on all plans with no extra charge and no restriction, so one plan can serve a laptop, tablet and phone at once.
• You want a second provider installed as a backup. Two eSIM profiles on one phone is a genuinely good idea for a trip that matters, and Nomad is a sensible partner to Saily rather than a straight replacement.

Both providers rate well with users: Nomad holds roughly 4.7 out of 5 across more than 31,000 Trustpilot reviews at the time of writing.

When to skip both

A month or more in one country. If you are settling somewhere to work, the remote work connectivity guide covers this case in detail. Buy a local SIM when you arrive. It will be cheaper, the coverage will be better outside the cities, and you get a local number, which matters more than people expect for deliveries, taxis and anything that verifies you by SMS.

A short trip where your own plan already covers it. Some carriers include roaming in nearby countries at no extra cost. If yours does and you are going somewhere it covers, adding an eSIM is a solution to a problem you do not have. Check before you buy, not after.

Anywhere you need a local number. No travel eSIM gives you one. If a local number is a requirement, that is a physical SIM, and the eSIM can sit alongside it for data.

A practical setup that works

The arrangement most experienced travellers converge on:

1. Install the eSIM profile at home, on Wi-Fi, a day or two before you fly. Installing is not activating.
2. Label the line clearly in your phone settings, so you can tell it apart from your home SIM at a glance.
3. Keep your home SIM active for calls and SMS, with its data switched off. This is what stops a surprise roaming bill.
4. Set the eSIM as your data line when you land.
5. On a long trip, buy a local SIM once you settle somewhere for more than a couple of weeks.

Common questions

Will Saily or Nomad work in the country I am going to?

Nomad covers 200+ countries and Saily 150+, so both cover most popular destinations, but the lists differ and change. Two specifics worth knowing: Saily is blocked in Turkey and does not cover Alaska. Check the provider's own list for your exact countries before buying rather than assuming a regional plan covers everywhere in the region.

Can I use my phone as a hotspot?

With both Saily and Nomad, yes, on every plan and at no extra cost. Neither caps or throttles tethering specifically, so a capped plan just runs down faster when you are sharing it. This is not universal across the category, so it is still worth checking if you buy from someone else.

What happens if the eSIM does not activate when I land?

Restart the phone first, then check that the eSIM is selected as the data line and that data roaming is enabled for it. Most activation failures are one of those two settings. If it still fails, you need the provider's support, which is the argument for having a second option installed rather than relying on one.

Will I still get my bank's SMS codes?

Not on the eSIM, because it has no number. Keep your home SIM active to receive them, or switch to an authenticator app before you travel. This catches people out more than any other part of using a travel eSIM.

Should I install more than one eSIM?

For a trip where being offline would be a real problem, yes. Installing a second profile costs nothing until you buy a plan, and it turns a failed activation from a crisis into an inconvenience.

Planning the trip around it

If you are still deciding where to go, the trip ideas pages have ready-made routes you can open and adapt.

Data use is not evenly spread across a trip. A day of museums and cafés uses almost nothing; a travel day with maps open and a hotspot running gets through a lot. If you are planning with ChatYourTrip, it is worth looking at where the heavy days fall so you buy the right size plan rather than the one that sounded about right.

For setting the thing up and fixing it when it misbehaves, see the eSIM setup and troubleshooting guide. If you are working while you travel, the remote work connectivity guide covers backup plans and data budgeting in more detail.