This is the question almost everyone asks right before buying an eSIM, and the honest answer is: it depends less on how many days you’re traveling and more on what you actually do with your phone once you land. Here’s a practical way to figure out your number, rather than just guessing and overpaying — or worse, running out mid-trip.
What actually uses data
- Maps and navigation — light. Turn-by-turn directions and searching nearby places use surprisingly little data.
- Messaging (WhatsApp, texts) — very light. Text and voice notes barely register.
- Social media scrolling — moderate. Photos add up faster than text, and autoplaying video in your feed adds up faster still.
- Music streaming — moderate to heavy, unless you download playlists for offline listening beforehand, which cuts this to nearly zero.
- Video calls — heavy. A single hour-long video call can use as much data as a full day of maps and messaging combined.
- Video streaming (YouTube, Netflix) — the heaviest by far. Worth saving for WiFi where possible.
A practical guide by traveler type
Light user — maps, messaging, occasional photo
If your phone use is mostly navigation and staying in touch, 1–3GB comfortably covers a week-long trip. This fits most short city breaks and business trips where you’re not relying on your phone for entertainment.
Average user — social media, browsing, some streaming
Most travelers land here. If you’re posting photos, browsing regularly, and streaming music without pre-downloading, plan on 5–10GB for a week — more if your trip runs longer.
Heavy user — video calls, streaming, hotspotting a laptop
Digital nomads, remote workers on video calls, or anyone hotspotting a laptop should plan for 15–20GB a week at minimum. If you genuinely don’t want to think about a limit at all, an Unlimited plan removes the guesswork entirely.
One easy way to cut your number down
Before you fly, download offline maps for your destination and save any playlists or podcasts you’ll want, all over WiFi at home. This alone can shrink a “heavy user” trip down closer to “average” — you still get to browse and message freely, without your biggest data costs (maps and music) counting against your plan at all.
When in doubt, size up a little
Running out of data mid-trip is more disruptive than having a little extra — and most GetSimfinity plans are priced closely enough between tiers that the next size up is rarely a big jump. If you do run low, topping up just means buying another plan in a couple of taps, no need to plan perfectly upfront.
Browse data plans sized for every kind of trip on the GetSimfinity catalog, covering 200+ destinations.