I lost time and money on my last Europe trip, all because I stupidly didn’t figure out how to use my phone on vacation, and wound up in a total SIM card swap nightmare.
I’m sharing my story so this doesn’t happen to you. 🙈
It was supposed to be the perfect girls’ trip to Europe …
A couple of years ago, four gals decided to hit Europe for an “Eat, Pray, Love” moment. My mother, her married girlfriends, and myself were ready for our European adventure!
The plan was to visit three major cities in the span of seven days: Dublin, Paris, and London. It would be a whirlwind, but we were excited and up for it.
My last international trip before this one was back in 2019 before the pandemic. I was sunbathing on a beach resort in Cuba before the world delved into chaos.
Since I hadn’t been on a trip in awhile, I totally forgot to figure out how to use my phone on vacation and get mobile data.
We arrived in Europe totally unprepared …
Once the plane landed in Ireland, it was clear none of us had access to the internet. We were forced to keep our phones on Airplane Mode, and we were totally dependent on finding free Wi-Fi. It was such a jarring feeling when you’re used to being able to Google anything at any point of the day.
The first order of business was getting to our hotel room to settle into our new environment. Once we dropped off our bags and freshened up, I was determined to find a mobile carrier so we could figure out how to connect to a local network in Ireland and FINALLY have internet again.
Now this was a mission! We walked all around downtown Dublin, from store to store looking for access to international SIM cards. We tried multiple mobile providers and convenience stores, but no one was able to help us.
Trying a physical SIM card swap
Finally, we found a Boots drugstore (the overseas equivalent of Shoppers Drug Mart or Walgreens) and sprinted to the display of physical SIM cards. Sweet relief! (I hadn’t realized the depth of my internet addiction until it was within reach.)
We purchased our physical Europe SIM cards from Lyca Mobile, scurried back to the hotel, and made the SIM card swap on our phones. But we were only halfway there!
We had the physical SIM card, but we had to make a phone call to actually purchase a plan for it. It was super confusing, but after a few tries, my phone showed I was connected to a local Dublin carrier.
The internet access was fairly reliable. I’d paid for a ‘talk-and-text’ plan, but the phone number never actually worked, which was annoying. Still, at least I was able to have Europe travel data for the rest of the trip.
Things seemed fine, until it was time to go home …
SIM card swap disaster struck
After a fun seven days in Europe (and a very long seven hour flight) we were almost ready to land back in Canada.
I knew I’d want to use my Canadian phone number as soon as I landed in Toronto, so I decided I should take a minute and do my SIM card swap. Hands shaking, I popped out the SIM card tray and set it down on my tabletray. Then I yanked out my Europe SIM card and tucked it into my bag.
Squished beside my neighbour in our economy airplane seats, I fumbled with the small pieces and my SIM card tray went flying!
I was horrified!
I searched frantically on the floor of the airplane. Nothing. I couldn’t see the SIM card tray at all. I was devastated. After we landed, I crawled around on the floor for ages, searching for my SIM card tray.
Nothing. It was gone.
What was supposed to be an easy SIM card swap became a total headache that was going to cost me time and money.
What was I going to do now?!
After my exhausting seven-hour flight, I couldn’t even use my phone for data, calls, or texts. My poor Canadian SIM card was still tucked into my purse, useless without a SIM card tray.
I left Pearson Airport and zoomed straight to the Eaton Centre, cursing at myself for being so silly. After explaining what happened to the Apple Store associate, they helped me purchase a new SIM card tray so I could re-insert my Canadian SIM card.
They also had some (too late) advice. 🙄
They told me if I had used an eSIM from a provider like aloSIM, I would have been able to …
- Get everything set up before my trip
- Connect to networks all over Europe as soon as I arrived
- Spent less than $5 a week.
Trying an eSIM instead
When I got back home, I looked into it and realized they were right.
An eSIM is basically a digital SIM card that provides the same reliable phone data that you’re used to from your home carrier. With a free eSIM app like aloSIM, you can purchase data plans for over 200 countries, while never having to touch any of your phone’s hardware (including that blasted SIM card tray).
Lesson learned.
Now, whenever I travel outside of Canada, I NEVER mess with a SIM card swap.
I always get prepaid data from aloSIM, and they even give me a free international phone number from their other app, Hushed.
If you’re travelling to another country, save yourself the headache of a SIM card swap. Plan ahead with eSIMs. They’re an amazing way to access affordable and reliable data worldwide, without fumbling with physical SIM card swaps or dealing with expensive carrier plans.
Bonus? You never have to crawl around on the dirty floor of an airplane.
