PSA: Avoid Using Airalo for Travel – Europe

If you’re thinking about using Airalo for your upcoming trip, let me save you the trouble: don’t do it. I used Airalo for data while traveling abroad, and it was a total disaster. I wish I’d seen more honest reviews before trying it, so I’m sharing my experience to help others avoid this mistake. Just for context, my experience was in major cities for multiple European countries.

I decided to try Airalo after seeing several travel YouTubers promote it, and I regret my decision. While it sounded convenient, the reality was far different. The connection was completely unreliable, crapping out multiple times and leaving me in serious situations:

On the train, I couldn’t show my valid ticket because my data stopped working. This resulted in a fine, even though I’d purchased the ticket. While exploring a foreign city, my data cut out again, leaving me stranded and struggling to navigate back to my hotel. The service also caused me to miss important meetings because I couldn’t access maps or transportation apps. Talking with Airolo support, it turns out the issue was not with my set-up but it was all network issues on their end with no guarantee of when the issues would be resolved. A search pulled up posts from other people showed that this happens often with Airolo. I ended up having to buy a physical SIM card anyway, which made using Airalo a waste of time and money. In hindsight, I should’ve just stuck with a physical SIM card from the start, since I've never had this issue with physical SIM cards.

I understand why travel YouTubers promote Airalo. It sounds great in theory, but in practice, it’s too unreliable for real-world use. If you’re considering Airalo, just don’t. Go with a physical SIM card instead.

Not having working data in a foreign country isn’t just inconvenient. It can completely ruin your trip. For anyone researching Airalo eSIMs, international data for travel, or reliable connectivity abroad, take this as your warning: Airalo is not worth the risk. Save yourself the headache, stick to what works, and avoid eSIMs.