Before we review a hotel we need data from the moment we land, and a doctor if something goes wrong. These are the eSIMs and the insurance we’ve bought with our own money, and what each one did on the trip.
Only 2 worth paying for: Saily for speed, Roam2Go to spend less.
See the testMeasured on our own phones, on our own trips.
Each guide has the screenshots, the prices we paid and the codes.
I bought 6 and tested them in resorts around Punta Cana, in Ubers and at Santo Domingo airport. Saily Ultra was the fastest, and Roam2Go is the one to pick if you’d rather spend less. Holafly was inconsistent there, Klook was very slow and GigSky never got me online.
Both run on VinaPhone, so the coverage is identical. I carried them side by side for a week in Da Nang, and I’d go with Holafly: it held on better when the tower got crowded.
The Holafly review has every speed test, the worst case at the Dragon Bridge and the phone setting that makes uploads faster.
A dislocated shoulder in Lombok ended in a bill of around $3,000, and since then we don’t travel without cover. My partner used SafetyWing Essential for 4 weeks this summer, and now we’ve both bought it for more than 3 months in Asia.
We haven’t had to make a claim, so we can’t tell you yet how they pay out. The review covers what it costs, what it covers and what it doesn’t, straight from the policy.
Javier Sobrino founded Discovering Stays and spends months every year between Asia and the Caribbean, working from wherever he’s staying. We paid for everything on this page ourselves. Some links earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. How we work.
