Best eSIM for UK Travel 2026: Real-World Tested in Wales, Scotland & the Outer Hebrides

I travel extensively and take long road trips that require an internet connection. I have driven through many European borders, sometimes on the same day, and losing an internet connection while driving is literally the door that leads to chaos. 

But during the summer of 2026, I took it to a new level and tested eSIMs across Europe in very difficult situations. I drove all the way from Bucharest, Romania, to Wales (UK), where I explored all the coastal paths and then spent 2 months in the most remote places in Scotland. 

I went on hikes, travelled in the Highlands for weeks, and visited the most remote islands in northern Europe (all inhabited islands of the Outer Hebrides). 

I did it all: went full steam ahead into the off-the-beaten-path trails and roads, always followed dog-friendly places (because I have my dog with me), and let myself experience the blessing of slow travelling, crossing borders and losing signal while driving in the UK. 

By the way, check out my dedicated guide for travelling with a dog in Europe if you’re planning a similar trip with your dog.

As a full disclosure, I was approached by Holafly to test their eSIM, and upon agreeing, I had to write a post specifically about it. But after some real-life testing, I decided not to, because that wouldn’t have followed the principles of my travel blog: honest reviews and guides based on my personal lived experience. 

This isn’t a post I intended to write, but I think my experience will help others decide which eSIM is best for an upcoming European adventure. 

But let’s start with the basics. 

What is an eSIM?

Modern smartphones can support eSIMs, which stand for “embedded SIM”. This means that instead of inserting a physical SIM card into your mobile, you can use an app to install an eSIM. 

If you’re not sure if your mobile supports eSIM, I recommend Googling it: “Does <<your smartphone model>> support eSIM?”

eSIM has been a growing industry since the technology was invented, and it allows users to instantly connect to the internet when they arrive in a new location. 

When I started travelling, internet roaming was expensive, and the best way to stay connected when travelling in foreign countries was to find a mobile SIM vendor and get a physical SIM inserted into the mobile device. 

But that takes time and energy, and it’s not very efficient when travelling to multiple countries in a short time span. 

And this is the issue that the eSIM solution provides: fast connectivity at your destination, no time wasted. 

If this is something you struggle with, keep on reading to discover my findings. 

I tested 3 popular eSIMs over 3 months

I don’t want to stay connected just to update my social media; I need it for live navigation and rerouting directions while driving on rural roads in Wales or Scotland. 

It happened to me in the past that I lost connectivity while crossing the border between 2 countries in Europe, and I then spiralled into chaos, took more wrong turns than I can remember, while I was on a schedule to catch a ferry, which I inevitably missed. This happened on my 4-month road trip in Northern Europe, which also involved a lot of logistics planning.

I’m not saying it was all because of the lost eSIM connection, but that was definitely a contributing factor. And now I know better, and I can advise others not to make the same mistakes I made. 

The 3 eSIM apps I tried and tested all over Europe are:

• Holafly – used the Unlimited plan for worldwide usage, monthly payment, local UK number included. This was gifted.
• Revolut eSIM – Used the prepaid GB packages with usage in the UK; no number included. Paid for it myself. Revolut app is mainly a digital card used for international payments, which is very popular in Europe. It also offers other services, including eSIM packages. 
• Airalo – used the prepaid packages for the UK, number included. Paid for it myself. 

This was my first time using Holafly; I was familiar with the other two I used on my previous trips around the world. 

Why did I test 3 services instead of sticking to 1 eSIM?

Because none provided the level of connectivity I required.  

I then decided to pay and try other services and see how they compare. Since this is partly a gifted and partly a paid service, I decided to do everyone a favour and write what nobody else on the internet is doing – a comparison for these popular eSIMs. 

Real-world test conditions

To give you a better understanding of what I did, how I tested it and where I tested the connectivity, I must share a bit about this very long trip in Europe. This is NOT a test in a closed, controlled environment. 

This is real-life testing while on the road, in all sorts of locations. If anything, I’d call this extreme, since most people won’t visit this many locations on the same trip. 

Where I tested the eSIMs?

• Romania to Wales drive: 7 countries, 9 days, rural, urban and multi-country roaming/border-crossing
• Rural Wales / Pembrokeshire (1 month): coastal, countryside and towns
• Scottish Highlands (Cairngorms, NC500 route, Glencoe, Isle of Skye) – 1 month
• Outer Hebrides (Lewis, Harris, Uists, Barra) – 1 month

So here’s how they compare. 

Holafly vs Revolut eSIM vs Airalo comparison

Speed & coverage

Generally, the speeds of all 3 eSIM services (Holafly, Revolut eSIM, and Airalo) are acceptable, though they tend to be slower than the internet connection I get at home from my mobile internet provider. 

But that is to be expected and not a dealbreaker.

I found that, in general, any type of eSIM tends to have this issue. Also, and this is very important to know, data connectivity on mobile is tied to the available infrastructure in the area. 

Connectivity will differ greatly from one region to another. 

For instance, Holafly Unlimited Global Coverage offers me a 53 Mbps download speed in the Outer Hebrides, one of the most remote areas in Europe. But Revolut and Airalo also do that. And the Wi-Fi at the house I’m staying in only offers 46 Mbps for downloads. 

And in general, connectivity has been great around the remote Scottish island, both for eSIMs and for home WiFis. 

However, in the Cairngorms National Park (1h drive to Inverness), the Wi-Fi would stop working daily, and the eSIMs would too, leaving me with no connectivity at midday. 

In some cases, even driving 500 meters would make a difference in my mobile connectivity. I wouldn’t necessarily blame it only on the eSIM provider but on the region’s overall infrastructure. 

While most of Europe has great connectivity, I still found plenty of places with no signal, and unfortunately those are also the areas most tourists visit. 

I find that Holafly performs well in more populated areas but often struggles to connect in remote places with poor internet infrastructure (e.g., coastal areas, which are known for low connectivity). 

In those coastal or remote areas, my experience was much better with Airalo, which almost always had a connection and was able to give me driving directions (which for me is very important). 

Revolut eSIM is also reliable in more remote areas, and I find it similar to the Airalo app. 

In general, all eSIMs perform well in urban areas. But most will lose connection around country borders. 

Holafly tends to re-establish a connection more quickly once you cross into a new country. 

Revolut eSIM and Airalo take longer, and in some cases, you will need to go to settings and manually select the network provider to connect to. 

But I find that this is more dependent on the mobile model than the eSIM service. We (my boyfriend and I) have different iPhone models and use the same services, and while his phone connected, mine took longer and required a restart and a manual network selection. 

Note that they all allow hotspot functionality, as they basically function like any other eSIM. As long as you are connected to the internet, your device can become a hotspot for other devices. This is important if you are working remotely and need an internet connection when there is no WiFi.  

Price

The price comparison is difficult to make as each user might have different needs. 

In general, you can choose between: 

• Unlimited GB with monthly payment
• Set amount of GB for a limited duration
• Local mobile number included or not
• Country, continent, or worldwide coverage. 

Not all these options are available on all apps. If you want the cheapest eSIM option, you will need to choose country-specific eSIMs (most eSIM apps offer that), which provide a prepaid number of GB for a limited time. 

However, if you are planning to cross borders within a short time frame, choosing a regional eSIM might be better. For instance, you can get an eSIM for Europe, and within that package you can see which countries are included. 

All these packages have limited time and GB unless you choose an unlimited package, which is usually the most expensive offering on these services. 

It’s really difficult to make an honest comparison here since there are so many variables, but I will give you 2 price simulations: one for an unlimited package and one for a limited package. 

For the Limited package, I will use Europe (regional eSIM, 10 GB of data, and a 30-day time limit). The unlimited package is worldwide, valid for 1 month, with no GB limit. 

As you can see, the options and packages vary greatly from service to service. 

It’s not possible to create a truly apples-to-apples comparison table for Holafly, Revolut eSIM, and Airalo, as they all differ in their offerings and thus their prices differ as well. 

My conclusion is that you need to carefully assess your trip (set destinations, number of days, estimate internet usage) and decide based on that. 

If budget is a concern, you should check the different offerings on the apps available to you before you decide. 

Deals for each eSIM service I use

The links below are affiliate links. I earn a small commission if you sign up through them, at no extra cost to you. I only share these because you can get a small discount if you use any of them, so you can save some money. 

• Get Holafly and use code “JULIASOMETHING” to get 5% OFF
• Get Airalo and use “NEWTOAIRALO15” to get 15% off (new users only), and use code “AIRALOESIM10” to get 10% off (all users) 
• Sign up for Revolut to access eSIM services (and also use it for safe international payments when travelling; physical and digital cards available, Apple Pay compatible; I’ve used it for years). 

Ease of setup and activation

All eSIMs need to be installed and activated before reaching your destination. You need an internet connection to install a new eSIM (ironic but also logical). 

Please set up your eSIM before you leave for your trip so that when you arrive or cross the border, you can automatically connect to local networks. 

All these services are very easy to set up (if the internet connection is strong and stable). You just need to follow the steps within the app; it’s very intuitive. 

Customer support

While I have never needed to talk to customer support on any of these apps, it is available as a chat option on all of them.

The prepaid options will alert you when the GB is finished or the package days are up. 

However, with Holafly’s monthly unlimited package, you might forget to cancel the subscription and be charged for the next month. If that happens, you should talk to customer support and explain how you forgot to cancel, and they will reimburse you. 

At least that’s what I was told by their team when they offered me the gift package. 

How to choose an eSIM for your needs (which is best for what)

Here are a few different scenarios to give you an idea of how I would choose my eSIM service (based on previous experience). 

For instance, if you are travelling across continents and multiple countries and you don’t know whether you can rely on hotel Wi-Fi, Holafly’s monthly Global Coverage is the best option.

The price decreases if you purchase a quarterly or annual subscription. You also get a mobile number to use for SMS. 

If you are travelling to a specific country and also need a local mobile number, the best option is Airalo. 

And if you are travelling within a region (multiple countries on a single continent) and only use GB, no need for SMS or a local number, then Revolut eSIM is the best. 

If any service (this one included) claims perfect connectivity everywhere, take it with a grain of salt. Coverage depends on local infrastructure that’s completely outside any provider’s control, and nothing promises signal in a Highland glen or a Hebridean village.

Practical tips

I think by now you understand how important it is for me to be online and stay connected when I travel. 

Obviously, I have run into some hiccups over the years, and I now have the experience to handle any unpredictable situation. 

Here are my tips for you on data connectivity and eSIMs. 

Set up and activate before you land/arrive

I recommend having a stable internet connection when installing a new eSIM. 

A wobbly Wi-Fi or spotty data connection can cause an eSIM installation to fail, meaning the eSIM is done (it breaks and no longer works, even if you later find a good Wi-Fi connection to install it). This happened to me with an Airalo local eSIM in Costa Rica. 

I basically wasted about 20 USD and had to purchase another package. 

Running two eSIMs as backup

If I’m going someplace remote with no WiFi and want to increase my chances of staying connected (you never know what the situation will be at your destination until you arrive), I recommend getting 2 eSIMs. 

I think most smartphones let you have 2 eSIMs active at the same time (this is the case with my device), but you can install multiple eSIMs. 

In this case, I had the Holafly Unlimited subscription for 3 months, which was more of a question of “Will this work in that specific spot?” and, as a backup, I had Airalo and then Revolut eSIM for a specific number of days and limited GB. 

In most cases, in the locations where Holafly struggles (mountains, coastal paths, woodlands), the others worked better. This made me feel better about having a service that lets me access Google Maps when driving in remote areas. 

Save maps offline

I urge you to save your Google Maps offline before you start driving anywhere. That’s very easy to do and will help you navigate even with low to no data connectivity. 

This seems to be the general consensus across the UK’s remote regions, and many tourist attractions in these areas recommend it to visitors. 

If an area is too big to be saved, you can download multiple maps on Google Maps. Go to your Google Maps app on your phone, tap on your profile (top right) and see the options in “Offline maps”.

Region-specific tips for UK visitors

I’ve mostly visited within the UK this summer (Wales and Scotland), and this is where I have done most of my testing with these eSIMs. 

Wales

Expect bad connectivity in rural and coastal areas. This is a known issue even by locals, so the local network experiences the same issues as these eSIMs for foreigners. 

Saving maps in Wales saved me, as I had to navigate a lot offline. 

I stayed for 1 month in the south of Wales, exploring Pembrokeshire, especially places like Barafundle Bay and the Green Bridge of Wales, which are just two of the most popular spots on the coastal path of Pembrokeshire.

Holafly worked better in towns but almost none at all in other remote places. Airalo did a lot better in remote car parks where there were warnings about bad connectivity. 

Scotland

Generally, Scotland has better connectivity than Wales, but it differs from region to region. Some very remote mountain trails might not get connectivity at all, while other mountain peaks had a data connection across all eSIMs. 

I stayed in a cottage in a somewhat remote spot between towns, and it felt like a black hole for the internet, as if someone were switching it off and on at set hours. I am sure it was something to do with local infrastructure. 

Again, offline maps saved me, and I was able to navigate smoothly. 

On long ferry rides between the mainland and islands, there is no data connectivity, but usually ferries have Wifi. 

I found that the Outer Hebrides islands have much better data connectivity than mainland Scotland. 

Verdict (personal recommendation)

I don’t believe in the “Best service for every scenario” because that’s not realistic. 

Those claims are unfounded and don’t mean anything. As an eSIM customer, you have to assess your trip and decide which service suits your needs. 

And it might not be the same service each time. In fact, I use all these services (sometimes at the same time) to meet my specific needs. 

I tried to explain this with this guide and help you understand how these services work and how to adjust them to serve you. 

I’ve seen many eSIM services offering extra coverage in recent months, promoted by blogs and social media creators. And after testing these services in real-life conditions, for my type of travel- slow travel, nature spots, hiking, long road trips- I can honestly say that there is no “Best eSIM” out there. 

I had a hard time turning down Holafly’s offer to create the blog and social media content I had previously promised them when they gifted my partner and me 3 months each of their Unlimited package. But that was my mistake: accepting a project without testing it in real life. 

Luckily, I was able to back down, and they understood my position and my blog’s values, which is why I always share only tips and guides based on personal experience. 

And what’s even funnier is that while I was drafting this post, I got another email from one of these eSIM services asking me if I would do a video about them. This was the universe making fun of me. 

So I’ll be declining. Three months of testing didn’t give me one definitive answer, and I’m not going to pretend it did just because someone’s paying for the video.