Is Orange Travel SIM the best choice for your Europe trip?

When journeying through Europe, one of the primary concerns for travelers is how to stay connected across multiple countries in the region. Whether it's for navigating unfamiliar streets, keeping in touch with loved ones, or simply sharing the excitement of your adventures on social media, having reliable and affordable mobile data is essential. Among the myriad of options available, the Orange Travel SIM (or eSIM) has gained attention as a convenient solution for travelers seeking connectivity across Europe. But is it truly a good option? Let's find out.

What is the Orange Travel SIM?

The Orange Travel SIM is a prepaid SIM card offered by Orange, one of Europe's leading telecommunications providers. Designed specifically for tourists and travelers, this SIM card promises seamless connectivity across many European countries without the hassle of exorbitant roaming charges.

Orange Travel SIM has gained popularity amongst travelers to Europe primarily due to the telco's presence in Europe, the extensive coverage that they offer with their Travel SIM, and the additional features that they offer with their travel SIMs.

Plan Sizes for Orange Travel SIM

Orange Travel offers 4 main plans for Europe:

• 1GB Plan at 4.99EUR, only available in eSIM format. Data-only. Valid for 7 days.
• 12GB Plan at 19.99EUR, available as physical SIM or eSIM. Inclusive of calls and messages. Valid for 14 days.
• 30GB Plan at 39.99EUR, available as physical SIM or eSIM. Inclusive of calls and messages. Valid for 14 days.
• 50GB Plan at 49.99EUR, available as physical SIM or eSIM. Inclusive of calls and messages. Valid for 28 days.

The plans provide coverage across major destinations in Europe, including: Andorra, Azores, Aland islands, Austria, Balearic islands, Belgium, Canary islands, Cyprus, Corfu, Crete, the Cyclades, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faeroe islands, Finland, France mainland, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malta, Isle of Man, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Rhodes, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom, San Marino, Sardinia, Sicily, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden, and Vatican.

If you buy an eSIM, the eSIM will be delivered to your email after purchase; and in the case of a physical SIM, it will be mailed to you. Do note that additional charges may be incurred for mailing.

Is Orange Travel SIM the best choice for you?

The plans that Orange Travel SIM offers appear to be relatively attractive, but is it really the best for you? Let's take a look at the limitations:

• Relatively short validity: While Orange Travel SIM offers large data volume sizes, the validity of their plans are relatively short.
• KYC required for usage more than 30 days: You will be able to purchase top-ups to extend the validity of your SIM. However, do note that if you will be using your SIM card for more than 30 days, you will need to complete a KYC procedure to verify your identity, which could be troublesome for some.
• Customer service hours: Orange's customer service is available only from 10am to 8pm CET daily. That means that if you were to face issues with your SIM (or eSIM) outside the opening hours, you might not be able to get assistance immediately, which could be rather daunting if you are traveling in a foreign country.

A better alternative: Nomad's Travel eSIM for Europe

As a better alternative, consider getting a Nomad Travel eSIM for Europe.

Nomad's eSIMs for Europe provide extensive coverage over 35 destinations in Europe, including: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom.

While Nomad's eSIMs do not provide calls and text messages, the data plan sizes and combinations are more suitable for a typical trip to Europe.

Nomad provides more options for plan sizes, including 1GB, 3GB, 5GB, 10GB, and 20GB options. Aside from the 1GB option which has a validity of 7 days, the remaining plans all have a validity of 30 days, which makes it a more practical option for longer trips in Europe.

In case you need more data or need to extend the validity of your eSIM, you can simply purchase an add-on from the Nomad mobile app or web store. And, no, there is no restriction to how many add-ons you can purchase, and no need for you to go through any KYC verification.

Furthermore, Nomad has a 24/7 customer service, so in case you need assistance with your eSIM during your trip, there will be someone who is ready to help!