How much data do I need for a week abroad?

About 2.5 GB for light use with maps and messaging, 8 GB for normal use with some video and calls, and 20 GB if you stream video every day.

Is 5 GB enough for a week abroad?

Yes, for light use. A traveller who watches video or makes video calls every day needs 10 GB or more.

Is 10 GB enough for 2 weeks?

Yes, for most travellers who use maps, social media and some music. Daily video streaming needs 20 GB or an unlimited plan.

What uses the most data when travelling?

Video. An hour of YouTube at 1080p uses about 2.5 GB, more than a full week of maps and messaging.

Can I top up an eSIM after it runs out?

Yes. Saily, Airalo, Nomad and Ubigi sell top-ups in their apps. Holafly plans are unlimited and need none.

Does the calculator count my home SIM?

No. It counts the data you use on the travel eSIM. Turn off data roaming on your home SIM to avoid roaming charges.

Travel data calculator

Set your trip length and daily use. The calculator shows the data you need and the plan size to buy.

Traveller checking her phone at an airport gate beside a suitcase, watercolour

Contents7 sections

Trip length7 daysMaps and navigation2 h a daySocial media1 h a dayMusic1 h a dayVideo0.5 h a dayVideo calls0.5 h a dayBrowsing and email1 h a day

You need about 8.2 GB for the trip. Get a 10 GB plan.

Includes 10% extra for app updates and background use.

Data a day by type of traveller

How many days 10 GB lasts

How the travel data calculator works

Each slider is hours a day for one kind of use. The calculator multiplies those hours by the data that use takes in an hour, adds up the day and multiplies it by your trip length. It then adds 10% for app updates, photo backups and other background use.

The hourly figures are the default settings most phones use on mobile data: Google Maps with live traffic at 8 MB an hour, Instagram feed and Stories at 500 MB, Spotify on Normal at 43 MB, YouTube at 480p at 500 MB, a WhatsApp video call at 300 MB and web browsing at 100 MB.

Data use per day: light, normal and heavy travellers

A light traveller uses maps for an hour, scrolls Instagram for half an hour and browses for half an hour. That comes to about 308 MB a day, or 2.4 GB for a week with the 10% extra.

The calculator starts on a normal traveller: 2 hours of maps, an hour each of social media, music and browsing, and half an hour each of video and video calls. That is about 1.1 GB a day and 8.2 GB a week. A heavy traveller who watches 2 hours of video and makes an hour of video calls every day uses about 2.5 GB a day, close to 20 GB a week.

Couple checking a phone map in a European old town street, facing the viewer, the phone screen turned away so only the back of the phone shows, watercolour

How many days 1, 5, 10 and 20 GB last

For the light traveller, 1 GB lasts about 3 days, 5 GB lasts 16 days and 10 GB lasts a month. The normal traveller gets about 5 days from 5 GB, 9 days from 10 GB and 19 days from 20 GB.

The heavy traveller burns 10 GB in 4 days and 20 GB in 8. For that kind of trip an unlimited plan costs less than buying 50 GB or more, as long as you check its daily full-speed limit.

How to use less data abroad

Video is where the data goes. Dropping YouTube from 720p to 360p cuts an hour from 1.2 GB to 300 MB, and TikTok's Data Saver cuts an hour from 840 MB to 360 MB. A WhatsApp voice call uses 24 MB an hour against 300 MB for video.

Download offline maps, playlists and shows on hotel Wi-Fi before you head out. Turn off automatic photo backup to iCloud or Google Photos until you are back on Wi-Fi.

What happens when an eSIM runs out of data

Mobile data stops when the plan runs out, and maps, messages and ride apps stop loading until you add more. Calls and texts on your home SIM keep working.

Most travel eSIMs let you top up in their app in a minute. Saily has an auto top-up that adds data before you hit zero. Buy the top-up while you still have some data left or are on Wi-Fi.

FAQ

How much data do I need for a week abroad?: About 2.5 GB for light use with maps and messaging, 8 GB for normal use with some video and calls, and 20 GB if you stream video every day.
Is 5 GB enough for a week abroad?: Yes, for light use. A traveller who watches video or makes video calls every day needs 10 GB or more.
Is 10 GB enough for 2 weeks?: Yes, for most travellers who use maps, social media and some music. Daily video streaming needs 20 GB or an unlimited plan.
What uses the most data when travelling?: Video. An hour of YouTube at 1080p uses about 2.5 GB, more than a full week of maps and messaging.
Can I top up an eSIM after it runs out?: Yes. Saily, Airalo, Nomad and Ubigi sell top-ups in their apps. Holafly plans are unlimited and need none.
Does the calculator count my home SIM?: No. It counts the data you use on the travel eSIM. Turn off data roaming on your home SIM to avoid roaming charges.