How much mobile data do travellers use? SimAbove data study 2026
10/23/2026
How much mobile data do travellers really use abroad? Instead of guessing, we looked at real, anonymised usage of SimAbove travel eSIMs whose plans had already ended by October 2026. We only looked at the data volume per eSIM, never at what people did online.
Key findings
- 5.4 GB per trip on average. The average eSIM used 5.4 GB during its whole validity, including any top-ups.
- About 1 GB per day with unlimited data. Travellers on unlimited plans – who had no reason to save data – used on average 1.06 GB per day.
- Most people buy more than they use. On fixed data plans, travellers used on average 60% of their data package.
- Trip length matters most. 7-day plans used about 1.0 GB on average, 15-day plans 1.9 GB and 30-day plans 5.1 GB.
Data use by destination
Average data use in popular destinations. "Per trip" includes all plan types and top-ups; "per day" is measured only on unlimited plans.
| Destination | Average per trip | Per day on unlimited |
|---|---|---|
| Albania | 5.8 GB | 1.12 GB |
| Egypt | 5.8 GB | 1.30 GB |
| Georgia | 3.7 GB | 0.80 GB |
| Montenegro | 4.6 GB | 1.14 GB |
| Switzerland | 3.8 GB | 0.70 GB |
| Turkey | 5.9 GB | 1.04 GB |
| United Kingdom | 3.3 GB | 0.82 GB |
| United States | 7.8 GB | 0.93 GB |
Beach destinations top the daily ranking: in Egypt unlimited users averaged 1.3 GB per day, in Montenegro, Albania and Turkey about 1.1 GB. Hotel Wi-Fi is often slow at resorts, so people use mobile data more. City and business trips (United Kingdom, Switzerland, Georgia) are lower at 0.7–0.8 GB per day. Trips to the United States are longer on average, which is why the total per trip is the highest.
How much data should you buy?
- Weekend or city break (2–4 days): 1–3 GB is enough for maps, messaging and photos.
- One week: 3–5 GB for most travellers; 7 GB or unlimited if you share photos and videos every day or use your phone as a hotspot.
- Two weeks: 5–10 GB, or an unlimited plan for a beach holiday.
- A month or longer: 10–20 GB; heavy users and remote workers should choose unlimited.
A simple rule from our data: plan about 1 GB per day if you use your phone freely, and about half of that if you mainly use maps and messaging. Not sure? Choose a smaller plan – you can top up the same eSIM at any time.
Methodology
The study is based on SimAbove travel eSIMs whose plan validity had ended by 22 October 2026. We used the total data volume per eSIM over its whole life, including top-ups, and report only averages. Daily use was calculated only for unlimited plans, as total data divided by plan days. Operator eSIMs and eSIMs still in use were excluded. No personal data was used.
You are welcome to use these figures in articles and reports – please cite "SimAbove" and link to this page.