eSIMS are the hottest new thing in travel right now and I'm honestly angry that I didn't start using them sooner. Put simply, eSIMs allow you to access phone plans wherever you are in the world without needing to change the physical SIM cards in your phone, which if you've done it before, you know involves sticking a tiny pin into the side of your phone, taking the SIM card out of that little tray and then stressing for the rest of your trip that you don't somehow lose it. Hi, I'm Christina from HappyToWander.com and I honestly avoided using eSIMs for the longest time because I assumed that were scammy, unreliable or just really complicated to set up. Well if you're in the same boat, in today's video I'm going to tell you everything you need to know about eSIMs and also show you step- by-step just how annoyingly simple it is to set one up. It's embarrassing to admit but for years I actually carried around different physical SIM cards for different countries and I didn't try out eSIMs until really recently and that's just because that's the number one question you guys ask me and I still didn't understand how they worked. When I asked friends for recommendations, one of the names that kept popping up was Airalo and so when they reached out and asked to sponsor a video on this channel, it honestly felt like fate. So it was an easy yes to demo the service for you and also show you step-by-step how it works. So on that note, this week's video is sponsored by Airalo. Airalo is the world's first global eSIM store, with options for over 200 countries and regions. With them you can set up your plan in minutes and have internet and data ready as soon as you land. The process is honestly so simple and is a great hack for having easy internet access whenever you're abroad, which is super important these days especially considering you need internet for everything, from scanning QR code menus at restaurants to ordering Ubers when you're out and about. So in this video, I'll be explaining exactly how eSIMs work and showing you step-by-step how to set one up with Airalo, while along the way sharing a bit about my experience using Airalo on my recent trip to New York City. If you're here just for the setup process be sure to jump to that section using the chapters below. Now before we get into all this, you should first make sure that your device is actually compatible with eSIMs. Most phones manufactured since 2018 should be but to avoid disappointment just be sure to consult the full list of compatible devices on Airalo's website. Now let's cover the most basic question, which is what exactly are eSIMs? Put simply, eSIM is short for embedded SIM, which means it's pre-installed on your device and works 100% digitally to connect you with your telecom provider's network. So while in the past, you actually had to take physical SIM cards and use those to access telecom networks both at home and abroad, these days with eSIMs it's all built into your phone, so there's no need for the physical cards to switch in and out. The benefits of this are fairly obvious: first, in most cases it's actually cheaper than a roaming package. So granted, I live in Canada where data is honestly ridiculously expensive but the cost of a package with Airalo was actually a fraction of the cost of a roaming package with my telecom provider. For this trip, my boyfriend actually purchased a roaming package for 3 GB of data that cost him $35 Canadian. That amount could have gotten him 10 gigs with Airalo. Our trip was only three nights though, so I just ended up getting a 2 gig package which only cost me 8 US dollars. Second: it's way more convenient, trust me, as someone who used to switch physical SIM cards in and out for different countries, for years, in hindsight it was so unnecessary and so cumbersome and I'm really mad that I didn't just switch to eSIM sooner because it's way easier. Third: with an eSIM you can actually continue to receive texts and calls on your regular phone number even when you're abroad, so that's really handy if you have two-factor authentication enabled for a lot of different things, like I do, that way you can continue to receive those texts and you don't have to keep switching your SIM card in and out which, again, I'm so embarrassed to admit I used to do all the time. Lastly, unlike physical SIMs you can actually set up your eSIMs in advance of your trip and be sure that you have data connection as soon as you land. Now this can be really helpful because a lot of the time when you arrive in a new country passport control will ask to see things like your hotel confirmations or proof of return tickets, things like that, so it's really helpful to know that you have reliable data as soon as you land. During my trip when I was taking the train into the city, for instance, it would have saved me so much time to just buy my train tickets online in advance rather than through the ticket machine once I got there but because I was dumb and didn't set up my Airalo before my trip, I didn't get to do that. So don't be silly like me, learn from my mistakes and just set it up in advance, it's really not as complicated as you think. So on that note, let's talk about how to buy and activate your first eSIM. Honestly, the process is so simple, I can't believe how intimidated I was to try it for the first time. From start to finish it legitimately takes less than 12 minutes and I know this because I filmed the entire thing and it only took me that long because I forgot to take my phone off airplane mode, so it should take less than that. So first, you're going to want to download the Airalo app, you can do this on your app store of choice and it's free to download. Next, once the app is downloaded it's time to go through and choose the right eSIM. Now you can either search for your country through the bar or swipe through the different tabs here if you want to look at other options. The three tabs are Local, which is ideal if you're traveling to one country like I was; Regional, which is ideal if you're going to multiple countries in a region, like a continent, for instance; and Global, which covers 130 countries and is ideal if you're planning a trip across multiple countries scattered around the world, in which case, please, take me with you. Now to choose the right plan, pay attention firstly to the amount of data, as in, how many gigabytes you'll get and also the period of validity. To figure out how much you need I would start by looking at your data consumption when you're at home and making sure you have well more than that just because when you travel, you use up a lot more data. It also depends on the way that you use your phone when you travel. If for instance, you're just using your phone to look up maps or maybe message people from home, you're going to need a lot less data than if you're watching videos on YouTube or on TikTok, so I really recommend looking at your standard data consumption and then making sure you have well more than that for your trip. For me, I had a super short trip, so it was only 4 days 3 nights and so that's why I ended up getting the 2 GB over 15 days. I ended up using about 1.8 GB during that time but I was honestly using my phone a lot to look things up while I was traveling, even occasionally watching little movie clips because I was in New York and I wanted to look at iconic film scenes in the places I was visiting, so that's definitely quite a generous allowance. Now I wouldn't stress too much about this part because there's always the option to top up as needed, so if you click the plan that you're interested in you can see available top-up packages to get an idea of the top-ups that you could get for your plan. Now elsewhere in the plan details, they'll also tell you things like supported countries, so if you're getting a Regional or Global SIM, you want to make sure that the country you're visiting is covered, you can click that and there's other information at the bottom as well like the networks they'll be connecting to, whether your plan includes texts or calls or just data, as well as the activation policy and other details. Now, after you choose your plan you can sign up for an account, it's super quick, just the standard stuff like your name, your email and password but at this point, if you're new to Airalo definitely be sure to tap this part that asks if you have a referral or voucher code. First-time users can easily save $3 off their plan by using my code which I'll put in the description and also on the screen here, it's free money, so don't waste it. Then go to your email for the verification code and you're all set. Then you pay, this part's super easy because they accept all sorts of payment methods including credit and debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay and more. I like Apple Pay because it literally takes two clicks and just my face. Now again, if you haven't already there is another opportunity here to add a discount or voucher code, so be sure to do that if you are a new user and you haven't done that already. Now once that's gone through scroll to the bottom and click "Go to eSIM details" and then tap view instructions to get started with the activation process or if you'd prefer to do this later, you can always just exit the app and then find your eSIM later by clicking the middle "My eSIMs" tab here. For what it's worth, I do think the app actually does a great job of talking you through the process step-by-step but I personally find it's helpful to always see someone else do it as well, so I'm going to walk you through it just so you have a helpful visual. Also because the list of instructions can look quite intimidating when you see the whole block of text. I do promise it's simpler than it looks though. Now you'll see there's three ways that you can install your eSIM: direct, QR code and manual. I opt for direct just because it's the simplest, so that's what I'm going to show you today. Now a few important notes before we get started. First off, this is what the process looks like on an iPhone, so if you are an Android user I would refer to the tutorial videos on Airao's website because your process is probably going to look a little different and you should also make sure you have a stable internet connection before you start this process just because the process isn't meant to be interrupted, so you definitely want to make sure that internet connection of yours is stable. Finally, patience is key with this process, sometimes the loading screens can take a few minutes to complete and you might worry that it's frozen or something, I certainly did but don't worry, it sometimes takes a few minutes but so long as you're patient and let it run its course, it'll get there eventually. Alright, now for the fun part, let's install the eSIM. Tap "install SIM" and then they'll run you through the process, just so you don't get confused. At this point, they're just running through the whole process and summarizing it, so you can click next until you get to this "activate eSIM" screen, this will say "activate eSIM, Airalo would like to activate an eSIM on this iPhone," press "continue," it'll say it's activating and pretty soon after that's done it'll say "activate eSIM, an eSIM from Webbing is ready to be activated on this iPhone," so click continue again and for me, this activation process took a little bit longer, so just be patient. Now when that's done, then it's going to ask you to set a default line. Now this is basically just asking you which SIM card do you want messages and calls to default to, your primary line, which is the regular SIM card that you're normally using in your phone or your secondary line, AKA your new eSIM. This might be named differently if you named it something else but honestly, I would probably keep this at primary unless you've already arrived in your destination and you want it to default to your new eSIM right away. But don't worry, you can always change this later, so no stress. Next, it's going to ask you which line you want for iMessage and FaceTime, so very similar question, this is just asking which SIM card you want to use when you're using iMessage and FaceTime. So again, I would stick with primary unless you're already in the destination, which I was. Now finally, it's going to ask you for your default line for cellular data, now this is basically asking which SIM card do you want to default to for your data connection. I would again, choose primary unless you're already in your destination, which I was when I installed mine, so I chose secondary for that and make sure that the toggle for "allow cellular data switching" is turned off. This basically will prevent your phone from defaulting to your other SIM card, if for some reason, you don't get a good connection on your eSIM, so make sure it's toggled off because otherwise if it connects then you're going to get charged roaming and then it defeats the purpose of having that eSIM in the first place. And then you're done, you'll get a nice green message saying your eSIM has been successfully installed. One thing to pay attention to is the validity period of your plan. For most, what it'll say is "the validity period of your plan doesn't start until your phone connects to a network in your destination," so that means that the time period you paid for, whether that's a week or two weeks or a month, doesn't actually start until you arrive in the destination and use your connection for the first time. So in theory, you could actually set up this eSIM way in advance and then not have to worry about your time counter starting until you arrive in the destination and use your connection for the first time. Now when you're ready to access your data once you've arrived in the destination, you go to settings, cellular data and then choose your eSIM, which is named secondary by default or whatever you've decided to name it and at this point, you're basically just telling your phone, "Hey, I want to use my eSIM now for data." If yours still says activating, make sure that your phone isn't still on airplane mode because that's what happened to me, I had it on airplane mode cuz I was scared that it was going to automatically connect and I didn't realize, obviously, it can't be on airplane mode if it's going to connect to a network, so just make sure it's not on there. Now after you've chosen your secondary eSIM as your go-to cellular data, then what you do is you go back to the cellular data page and click "secondary" under SIMs and here you need to make sure first, that the "turn on this line" is toggled on and also that "data roaming" is toggled on. And just like that, you're done. Now the last thing I'll note is it's actually very easy for you to check how much of your data allowance is left, all you have to do is click the middle "My eSIMs" tab and click your eSIM and look at this box here that says "usage." Now this can help inform whether or not you're going to get a top-up or also, maybe help you tailor your consumption accordingly, if you've been watching too many TikToks on the train maybe dial that back. It also tells you exactly when your plan expires at the bottom, which I think is very helpful to know. In my experience, Airalo does also send you notifications when you reach certain milestones with your data consumption so, for instance, it told me when I had 25% of my allowance left. So again, no need to stress about this too much. I honestly couldn't believe how easy it was to set up an Airalo eSIM for the first time and I hope, after watching that video, you'll feel the same way. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions, be sure to like and subscribe for more practical travel videos just like this one and I'll see you guys next week. Thanks for watching, bye!