Best cell phone option for international travel?

[BeanCounter]

My son is headed to Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg this summer. What is the best option for service including data on a 14 day trip? He’s currently on Ting and they don’t really have international options that would be affordable.

[FIRE 20/20]

I was in Austria, Poland, and Czechia last fall, and I purchased an eSIM from SimOptions, and again when I visited Portugal in March.  They have a variety of options, both eSIM and physical SIM cards at very reasonable prices.  I had 2 issues when using eSIMs in Europe.  One issue was totally my mistake - I didn't notice that the eSIM I purchased for my first trip didn't include calls and SMS.  Apparently in Europe that's common as almost everyone there uses WhatsApp (or so I'm told), so they just need data.  The other issue I had was that you need a stable wifi connection to get the eSIM to initialize when you land, and I didn't click all the way through to accept the conditions for the airport's wifi connection.  As a result I struggled to get the eSIM to connect.  Once I realized I wasn't actually on wifi it installed and worked. 

https://www.simoptions.com/simcards/

[crocheted_stache]

PTF. I asked when I got my new phone (lower-end Moto on US Mobile) if the E-sim could be signed up for their à la carte international plan the next time I go on a trip, and they claimed it could, but I haven't tried yet.

[2Birds1Stone]

Ubigi for eSims is pretty good.

https://cellulardata.ubigi.com/rates-and-coverage/europe-data-plans/europe-10gb-30-days/

$16 for 30 days and 10 gigs of high speed data. You can set it up before you leave and it activates when your phone comes off airplane mode on the tarmac.

[aloevera1]

+1 on eSims if his phone supports those. Used Airalo in the past with no issues. 

Just when selecting a plan, he needs to pick one that includes all the countries he is visiting.

[Gizm0]

I always use esimdb to find the cheapest esim for my needs.

[jrhampt]

I don't bother with sim cards or anything when I travel - just use wifi where it is available. 

[Kwill]

As far as the main question goes, I'm mostly posting to follow. I'd be glad to find out what the best cell phone option for international travel is.

When I've travelled internationally in the past couple years, I've generally purchased a temporary SIM card for the country and then used email, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Skype to deal with people back in the US or UK. When I travelled around 2017 to 2019, I didn't usually bother with the international SIM card and just used the apps via WIFI at my hotel or at coffee shops or train stations. Regardless of what option you go with for the phone service itself, I think it would be a good idea for the OP and son to both be on the same app to communicate via WIFI or data, just in case cell phone service doesn't work out as anticipated.

WhatsApp works well, and as FIRE 20/20 said, many people in Europe use it already. Your son might want it to keep up with people met on the trip. Facebook Messenger is another free option. Both of those will let you share messages and photos or make voice or video calls. WhatsApp feels a little easier because you can reach people from your existing phone contacts, and group chats work a little more smoothly. I came back to the US from the UK almost two years ago, and I still feel surprised when people want to make group chats via actual cell text messages instead of WhatsApp. It feels a bit clunky now that I'm used to group chats on WhatsApp, but I guess cell phone text messages still work reasonably well in North America because most people you meet all have US or Canada phone numbers. Young people seem to like Instagram for keeping in touch, but the messaging feels like an afterthought rather than the main function.

[travel2020]

I have used both Airalo and roamless, eSIM based solutions for international travel.

Both worked well for Europe as well as other destinations. I find roamless a bit better as a plan as their plan doesn’t expire and I can purchase a fixed $ amount for use across multiple locations and top it via the app when needed.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

We really like Google Fi, & the plans are reasonable for a family of four. We have unlimited data, hotspots & free international coverage for $160/month for all of us. Fi works on most phones, including iPhones.

[CowboyAndIndian]

We have used Airalo in India and in the Netherlands.
Worked well.

ETA: I have Google Fi. I use that when I travel. I use WhatsApp to make calls in India. My data cost the same as in the US, and almost everywhere has wifi. My wife has Mint Mobile and she uses Airalo.

[reeshau]

We have used Airalo in India and in the Netherlands.
Worked well.

ETA: I have Google Fi. I use that when I travel. I use WhatsApp to make calls in India. My data cost the same as in the US, and almost everywhere has wifi. My wife has Mint Mobile and she uses Airalo.

I've had FI since 2020.  Really excellent for frequent travelers / multiple places.  And the convenience of your "real number."  Not the cheapest, but great for a certain niche.  Fit to purpose.