When I travel, staying connected isn’t optional anymore, it’s essential. Between navigating new cities, keeping in touch with family (and work, ugh), and uploading all the photos, having reliable data can make the difference between a smooth trip and a frustrating one. For my recent trip to Okinawa, I decided to try out Airalo, a service that sells international eSIM data plans. Here’s how it went.
What is Airalo?
Airalo is basically an online store for eSIMs. Instead of buying a physical SIM card at an airport or relying on expensive roaming from your carrier, you can purchase a digital SIM directly from the Airalo app. They offer country-specific and regional plans, and once it’s installed on your phone, you can switch over to local data with just a couple of taps.
For Okinawa, I picked a Japan-specific plan. I considered renting a pocket Wi-Fi or trying to buy a SIM once I landed, but the appeal of having it set up before my flight was too strong to ignore. Also, there are no lines to wait in with online purchases 🙂
Setup Experience
The setup was super easy. I downloaded the Airalo app, bought the plan I wanted, and followed the installation steps. As soon as you purchase an Airalo eSIM, you receive an email with detailed step-by-step instructions explaining how to get it installed and working. They even include links to YouTube videos that walk you through the setup process. That extra guidance makes the whole thing much less intimidating if you’re new to eSIMs.
One important thing to know – your phone must be unlocked by your carrier in order to accept an eSIM from another provider. With my carrier, Verizon, phones are automatically unlocked six months into the contract. If you’re not sure about your phone, Airalo provides clear instructions on their website explaining how to check. If it isn’t unlocked, you’ll need to contact your carrier before you’ll be able to use Airalo.
You also need Wi-Fi to install the eSIM, so I set everything up at home before I left. Once I landed in Japan, I switched my data line over to the Airalo eSIM, and within a minute I was online. No fumbling with SIM cards, no waiting in line at the airport kiosk, no guessing which data plan I just signed up for from my money hungry cellular carrier.
The only catch is that not every phone supports eSIMs, so you’ll want to double-check compatibility before you buy. My Samsung Galaxy S23 handled it without a hiccup.
Performance in Okinawa
This was the big question: would it actually work once I was there? The answer was yes!
- In Naha and other urban areas, coverage was strong. Google Maps, messaging apps, and even video calls worked without issue.
- At more remote spots, like beaches and the drive north toward the aquarium and the more rural areas, I expected the signal would be weaker. In my travels, I never lost service completely as far as I noticed but I didn’t stray far from the south of the island. The one beach I visited, coverage was no issue.
One thing one may want to consider: at home, my Verizon plan is unlimited, so I leave my phone set to automatically sync things like Google Photos and other cloud services over cellular data. I didn’t change that setting while in Okinawa, and even with that background syncing running the whole week, my 5 GB plan lasted until the morning of our departure, literally while I was riding the monorail to Naha Airport. From there, I just switched to airport Wi-Fi for the rest of the trip, and it was no issue. I did get warnings in the Airalo app that I was running low so the expiration of the data plan wasn’t a surprise.
If you want to stretch your data further, you can always set cloud syncing apps to only run on Wi-Fi. And if I had needed more, topping up in the Airalo app would have been quick and simple.
Cost and Value
Here’s where Airalo really made sense for me. My carrier, Verizon, offers an international TravelPass for $12 per day that includes unlimited talk, text, and data. It’s convenient, but over the course of a week-long trip, that adds up quickly.
By contrast, I purchased Airalo’s Moshi Moshi Japan plan: 5 GB of data valid for 30 days, at a total cost of $10.35. That’s less than one single day of Verizon’s TravelPass. Since I use Google Voice for my primary number, I didn’t need a plan that included calling, Google Voice works perfectly over data. That made Airalo’s data-only option an easy choice.
For me, 5 GB was just enough, even without adjusting my cloud sync habits. If I had been more careful, I could have stretched it further. And if I had needed more, adding data in the app would have been seamless.
Compared to renting a pocket Wi-Fi, Airalo was cheaper and more convenient. A local SIM might have been slightly less expensive, but it would have required extra time at the airport and dealing with setup in Japanese. For me, the convenience alone was worth it.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Super easy to set up before leaving home
- Detailed instructions and YouTube videos sent immediately after purchase
- Works as long as your phone is carrier-unlocked
- No physical SIM swap
- Extremely affordable (5 GB / 30 days for $10.35)
- Flexible options by country or region
- Works great with Google Voice if you only need data
- Easy to top up directly in the app
Cons:
- Must have an eSIM-compatible phone
- Needs Wi-Fi for initial setup
- Coverage in rural areas probably not as strong as in the city
- If something goes wrong, support isn’t as immediate as walking into a store
Tips for Travelers
If you decide to try Airalo, here are a few things I’d suggest:
- Make sure your phone is carrier-unlocked before you buy.
- Install the eSIM before you leave, while you have Wi-Fi.
- If you use Google Voice, you don’t need a calling plan, data alone is enough.
- Adjust cloud syncing apps (like Google Photos) to Wi-Fi only if you want to conserve data.
- Download offline maps and translation app languages as a backup, just in case coverage gets spotty.
- Track your data usage in the Airalo app and top up if needed.
Final Verdict
Before I conclude, I want to point out that there’s noting in it for me by recommending Airalo…or any other eSIM vendor. I have no relationship with any of these businesses, I am just a customer that did his research ahead of time, tried out a new (to me) thing, and was pleasantly surprised.
For my trip to Okinawa, Airalo did exactly what I needed; it kept me connected without breaking the bank or wasting time in an airport line. It was reliable enough for maps, messaging, video calls home, and everything else I needed day to day.
Would I use it again? Absolutely. For just $10.35, I had 5 GB of data that lasted the entire trip right up until I was leaving for the airport. Verizon’s TravelPass would have cost nearly $100 for the same timeframe, and I didn’t miss unlimited talk and text thanks to Google Voice. For short international trips where I just need solid data, Airalo has become my go-to.
👉 What’s your best (or worst!) story about trying to get online in another country? Let’s hear about it in the comments!