How Much Data Do You Need When Travelling Abroad?

One of the questions travellers stumble on most: will a small plan be enough, or should I buy the bigger one? Here's a practical guide to help you choose right.

Approximate daily usage

Activity	Approximate consumption
Google Maps (1 hour)	30–50 MB
WhatsApp (texts & photos)	5–20 MB/hour
Instagram & Snapchat browsing	150–300 MB/hour
WhatsApp voice calls	15–25 MB/hour
WhatsApp video calls	100–200 MB/hour
YouTube videos (high quality)	500 MB–1 GB/hour
Netflix streaming	1–3 GB/hour

Which type of user are you?

• Light: maps + messages + photos. 1–2 GB per week is enough.
• Moderate: social media + calls + browsing. You need 3–5 GB for a week.
• Heavy: YouTube + streaming + remote work. Think 10 GB or more.

Tips to save data

• Download offline maps before arriving (Google Maps supports this).
• Use hotel Wi-Fi to download YouTube content and rely on eSIM just for browsing.
• Set social media apps to lower quality to reduce consumption.
• Turn off automatic background app updates while travelling.

FAQ

What if my plan runs out mid-trip? Buy a top-up plan in the Airalo app. Should I buy more than I need? A little extra is smarter than running out — unused data doesn't refund. Do unused data carry over? No — they expire when the plan period ends.

👉 Airalo eSIM · WhatsApp

Written by the Tether.sa team