How to stay online on an overseas holiday without blowing the budget

Overseas roaming costs are prompting more Kiwis to consider new ways of staying connected during the peak summer travel period.

For many New Zealanders, summer marks the busiest time of year for international travel, whether it’s chasing the sun in the Pacific Islands or heading to the Northern Hemisphere for a dose of winter snow.

Flights and accommodation usually dominate the pre-departure checklist, but one detail continues to catch travellers off-guard: staying connected overseas without returning home to a hefty bill.

As more Kiwis rely on digital tools for everything from navigation to boarding passes, finding an affordable and reliable way to access mobile data has become part of standard holiday planning.

Roaming plans from major New Zealand providers can cost around $8 to $10 per day. On a two-week trip, that can mean more than $100 per person simply to stay online and keep in touch.

Buying a local SIM card is cheaper, but not always easy. Popular island destinations often have limited kiosk hours or queues at airport counters. Language barriers and unfamiliar plans can add another layer of hassle, especially after a long-haul flight.

An alternative gaining traction is eSIM technology.

An eSIM is a chip built directly into your smartphone that replaces the physical SIM card. Instead of swapping plastic cards, you download a mobile plan digitally through an app.

Providers such as Yesim, a Switzerland-based service that works with more than 800 mobile operators worldwide, deliver technology that’s changing the way travellers stay connected.

eSIM services are attracting interest from Kiwi holidaymakers for a range of practical reasons. Pay-as-you-go models, such as Yesim’s ‘Pay & Fly’ option, allow the user to pay only for the data actually used.

Yesim’s coverage spans to more than 200 destinations, including many popular vacation hotspots for Kiwis, among them Fiji, Bali, Thailand, Japan and much of Europe.

Setup can be done at home before departure, with the eSIM activating once travellers land overseas.

For those trying the technology for the first time, a trial package costing less than a dollar offers a low-risk way to test the process.

You can then sign up to a package that gives you the data you need. For example, 30 days in France with 10GB of data will cost US$21.60 ($37.40), while in Fiji the same plan would cost US$19.20 ($33.20).

Families and groups can also manage several eSIMs from a single account, which can simplify planning for larger holidays.

And for travellers cautious about unfamiliar networks, providers like Yesim use GSMA-standard security protocols, including TLS encryption, to help protect user data.

For reassurance, eSIMs don’t require travellers to remove their existing SIM card and switching back to a home network after the trip is as simple as toggling settings.

A compatibility checker on Yesim's website helps users confirm whether their device supports the feature before signing up.

There are also deals available to first-time Yesim users.

Practical holiday planning

Connectivity is just one part of the bigger picture when preparing for a summer break. Travel advisors point to several small steps that can help avoid stress during the busiest season of the year:

So if you’re preparing to head overseas this summer, adding your mobile connection to the pre-flight checklist can save stress later, and ensure the only surprises on holiday are the ones that come with the destination, not the mobile bill waiting at home.

This story is sponsored by Yesim.