90-day stays in the EU: eSIM strategies for long-term travellers

Planning to spend a month or three wandering around Europe is very different from a one-week city break. On short trips you can survive on hotel WiFi, and a pricey roaming add-on from your home carrier. Once you are in the 30 to 90-day zone, that old setup starts to crack. You are:

• Crossing borders more often
• Working remotely or running a business
• Handling banking apps, bookings, and 2FA codes
• Using maps and translations every single day

In other words, you need long-term, low-drama internet.

This guide walks through a simple framework:

1. Understand the 90-day rule in the Schengen Area and how it affects your itinerary
2. Pick your connectivity profile, so you do not overbuy data
3. Choose an eSIM strategy that fits your style, then top up with aloSIM as you go

Think of it as your Europe eSIM 90-day game plan.

Firstly, what is the Schengen Area in Europe?

The Schengen Area is a group of European countries that have agreed to:

• Remove internal border controls
  Once you enter Schengen, you can move between member countries without passport checks, similar to travelling between states in the U.S.
• Share a common short-stay rule
  Visitors from most non-EU countries may stay up to 90 days within any rolling 180-day period across all Schengen countries combined.
• Operate as one immigration zone
  Time spent in one Schengen country counts toward your total Schengen allowance, even if you visit several countries.

Examples of Schengen countries include France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, and most of Central and Western Europe.

Choose your connectivity profile

Before you buy a long stay eSIM Europe plan, it helps to put yourself in one of a few buckets. This keeps you from overbuying or constantly running out:

Light user

You’re mostly on Wi-Fi at your hotel or apartment, just dipping into mobile data when you are outside.

Typical habits:

• Messaging, maps, quick searches
• Checking email and a bit of social scrolling
• Hardly any video when you are not on WiFi

Rough data needs:

• Around 5 to 8 GB for 30 days
• Around 10 to 16 GB for 60 days
• Around 15 to 24 GB for 90 days

A small Europe plan with the option to top up later usually works well here.

Standard traveller

You are out and about a lot, using your phone for pretty much everything, but not working full-time from it.

Typical habits:

• Regular social media browsing
• Some music and video streaming on the move
• Cloud photo backups are mostly saved for WiFi
• Occasional video calls with friends or family

Rough data needs:

• Around 10 to 20 GB for 30 days
• Around 20 to 40 GB for 60 days
• Around 30 to 60 GB for 90 days

A medium regional eSIM plan is usually enough, with a top up if you have a particularly busy month.

Remote worker

You are treating Europe as your office while you travel. Calls, messages, and shared docs all day.

Typical habits:

• Daily video meetings
• Slack or similar, always on
• File sharing and cloud-based tools
• Some hotspot use when WiFi is not reliable

Rough data needs:

• Around 25 to 40 GB for 30 days
• Around 50 to 80 GB for 60 days
• Around 75 to 120 GB for 90 days

Here, it helps to start with a larger plan and then add extra data during heavier weeks rather than scraping by on tiny bundles.

Creator or heavy user

Your phone is basically a production studio and a router.

Typical habits:

• Uploading videos and high-resolution photos
• Frequent Stories, Reels, or livestreams
• Using your phone as a hotspot for your laptop for hours
• Streaming in HD while you travel

Rough data needs:

• Around 40 to 60 GB for 30 days
• Around 80 to 120 GB for 60 days
• 120 GB or more for 90 days

For this group, bigger regional plans or repeated large top ups are worth it. Running out of data in the middle of an upload or a sponsored call is usually more expensive than paying for a generous allowance upfront.

Keep your home SIM for calls and use eSIM for data

For most people, the cleanest setup in Europe looks like this:

• Home SIM stays in the device for calls, SMS, and two factor codes
• Schengen eSIM handles all the data

This way:

• Banks, airlines, and friends can still reach your regular number
• You avoid scary roaming bills by turning data roaming off on your home SIM
• Your aloSIM plan takes care of maps, apps, and streaming at local rates

It is an easy way to separate “identity” from “internet”.

90 Day Data Consumption Table

Use this as a starting point for planning your extended stay internet Europe strategy.

These are estimates, not hard rules, but they help you decide if a 10 GB aloSIM plan for a month is realistic or if you should aim closer to 30 GB.

Four eSIM strategies that work for 30 to 90 plus days

Once you know your profile, pick a strategy instead of guessing each time you cross a border.

1. Start small and top up as you learn

This is ideal if your route is loose and your schedule is flexible.

• Start with a smaller regional plan, such as 10 GB for 30 days. In the screenshot above, that is around 36 dollars for a Europe plan.
• Turn on your data tracking in phone settings.
• After a week, check how much you used, then adjust.

With aloSIM, topping up is quick. aloSIM will notify you when your data is getting low, so you can simply top up your existing eSIM directly in the app. If you end up on more Wi-Fi than expected, you will not have paid for unused gigabytes.

2. Regional Europe plan for frequent border crossings

If your route looks like Paris to Amsterdam to Berlin to Prague to Vienna, a regional Europe eSIM 90 days strategy is a great option.

Benefits of a regional plan:

• One eSIM profile covers many countries
• No need to swap SIMs at each border
• You keep the same data setup for your whole Schengen period

With aloSIM, you can pick a Europe eSIM that works across 35 plus countries, including popular spots in the Schengen Area. Install it once, then just keep extending your data as you go.

3. Mix and match: Baseline plus “heavy week” add ons

Some trips have clear heavy data pockets. Maybe you have a remote work sprint, a festival, or a long rail pass where you know you will be using hotspot all day.

In that case, try this:

• Keep a medium regional plan running as your baseline
• During a high usage week, add another data bundle so you do not have to ration

This mix lets you avoid paying for huge allowances every month while still having enough for the intense stretches. aloSIM makes this easy because you can layer new data packages onto the same eSIM.

4. Heavy data approach: When paying more is worth it

If you know you are:

• On daily video calls
• Uploading content constantly
• Hotspotting a laptop for hours each day

In this case, look at:

• Larger regional packages, such as 50 GB or 100 GB options
• Extra bundles are tacked on top when you hit 70 to 80 percent usage

You still get the flexibility of prepaid control, but you are not living in constant fear of running out mid-meeting.

Budgeting without surprises

You can save a lot of money in Europe if you treat data as part of your trip budget rather than an afterthought.

Cost per GB vs the time cost

On paper, a tiny local SIM might look cheaper than a regional eSIM for digital nomads Europe-wide. But factor in:

• The time you spend finding a store and queueing
• Language barriers and ID requirements
• Having to repeat this every time you cross a border

If you value your time, a slightly higher cost per GB on a regional aloSIM can still be the better deal. You buy it once, install it in a minute, and you are done.

Silent data killers to watch for

Long-term travel data in Europe can disappear fast if you forget about background tasks. Keep an eye on:

• Automatic photo and video backups when not on WiFi
• App updates and system updates
• Video autoplay in social feeds
• Cloud sync on laptops using your hotspot

Set most of these to WiFi only, and your data will stretch much further.

Work setup: hotspot, meetings, and staying reliable

If you are working while you travel, you are not just browsing. Your connection is part of your paycheck.

Hotspot best practices

Using your aloSIM plan to hotspot your laptop is fine, but set a few boundaries:

• Add a strong password and keep it private
• Limit how many devices connect at once
• Keep an eye on battery temperature and avoid leaving your phone in the sun
• Turn hotspot off between sessions so your data is not quietly leaking away

Data saving rules for remote work

A few simple habits can cut your usage a lot:

• Keep your camera off in group calls when it is not essential
• Download big files and offline docs while on WiFi
• Use audio only calls when you are on trains or buses
• Close cloud backup apps during hotspot sessions

You still get reliable extended stay internet Europe wide, but you will not burn through your allowance on background noise.

Why aloSIM fits long EU stays

There are lots of eSIM options out there. For 30 to 90 plus days in Europe, aloSIM lines up nicely with what long stay travellers need:

• Prepaid control so there are no surprise bills waiting at home
• Fast install using a QR code or in app setup, often in a few minutes
• Easy top ups whenever you are running low, no store visits required
• Regional Europe coverage for multi country routes, ideal for a Schengen eSIM approach
• Hotspot friendly plans so you can share data with your laptop or tablet when needed

You can also keep your regular number active for calls and verification, then let aloSIM handle the data side of things. For calls inside Europe, many travellers combine aloSIM data with WiFi calling apps or a low cost travel number, which is handy for bookings and restaurant confirmations.

Here’s a complete breakdown of eSIM pricing for Europe:

FAQs

How much data do I need for 30, 60, and 90 days in Europe?

For a light user, plan around 5 to 8 GB for 30 days, 10 to 16 GB for 60 days, and 15 to 24 GB for 90 days. Standard travellers often land between 10 and 20 GB per month. Remote workers and creators can easily need 25 to 60 GB per month or more, especially if they use hotspots and video calls every day.

Is a regional eSIM better than buying local SIMs?

If you stay in one country for two or three months, a local SIM might be slightly cheaper. If you are moving around several countries or do not want the hassle of visiting phone shops, a regional Europe eSIM is usually easier. You install it once, then top up as needed from your phone.

Will my eSIM work when I cross borders?

With a regional aloSIM Europe plan, your data service keeps working as you move between supported countries. You might see the carrier name change on your screen as your phone connects to a local partner network, but your eSIM profile stays the same.