Blog
Tips, country travel guides and news about eSIM and staying connected while traveling. Browse by country in our Travel Guides directory.
Africa's top 14 destinations: safaris, gorillas, islands and deserts
From the Sahara to the Seychelles: 14 African destinations that show the continent's variety, with when to go, entry tips, responsible wildlife travel and staying connected.
Ski season 2026/27: the world's best ski resorts, from the Alps to Japan
From the Alps to Hokkaido: the world's major ski and snowboard destinations for 2026/27, who each one suits, when to go, where to fly and how to stay connected on the mountain.
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka · Travel Guide
Sri Lanka: a first-timer's guide to two monsoons and one small island
The same fortnight can bring flat calm to one coast and heavy surf to the other, which is why timing matters here more than almost anywhere. Here is what a first-time visitor to Sri Lanka needs to know.
🇪🇸 Spain · Travel Guide
Spain: a first-timer's guide to Europe's most joyful country
From Madrid's art museums and Barcelona's Gaudi landmarks to Andalusia's Moorish palaces and the islands beyond, Spain rewards slow travel and big appetites. Here is everything a first-time visitor needs to plan the trip.
🇹🇭 Thailand · Travel Guide
Thailand: a first-timer's guide to temples, street food and island time
Monks collecting alms at dawn, charcoal smoke over Yaowarat at midnight, and a limestone island only a few hours south. Here is what a first-time visitor to Thailand needs to know.
🇦🇺 Australia · Travel Guide
Australia: a first-timer's guide to the great southern land
Glittering harbour cities, the world's largest reef system, sacred red desert and a cool green island escape - Australia rewards travellers who plan for its scale and its upside-down seasons. Here is everything a first-time visitor needs.
🇲🇻 Maldives · Travel Guide
The Maldives: a first-timer's guide to islands, reefs and atoll hopping
The Maldives is not only overwater villas: local islands have guesthouses with a reef at the end of the road. Here is what a first-time visitor to the Maldives needs to know.
Winter sun 2026/27: Egypt, the Maldives and Australia
Three ways to swap a grey UK winter for sunshine: temples and reefs in Egypt, calm seas in the Maldives and Christmas on the beach in Australia, with weather, entry rules and eSIM tips.
Umrah eSIM: staying connected in Makkah and Madinah this winter
Which eSIM plan fits a 7, 10 or 14-night Umrah, how to set it up before you fly from the UK, keeping your UK number for WhatsApp, Nusuk permits and the network near the Haram.
Umrah checklist for UK pilgrims: visas, Nusuk, apps and what to pack
Visa routes and Nusuk permits checked against official sources, plus documents, apps to download, offline maps, eSIM setup, landing at Jeddah or Madinah and the winter weather.
Umrah in Ramadan 2027: timing, crowds and staying connected
Ramadan 2027 is expected around 8 February to 8 March. Timing your Umrah, crowds and the mobile network in the last ten nights, plans for a longer stay, and topping up.
On location: ten famous film destinations you can actually visit
A practical guide to ten of the world's most famous film locations, from Hobbiton to Petra - what was filmed there, what to see, and what to know before you go.
🇮🇩 Indonesia · Travel Guide
Bali: a first-timer's guide to temples, terraces and choosing your coast
Offerings on the pavement at dawn, cliff temples at sunset and rice terraces an hour inland. Here is what a first-time visitor to Bali needs to know.
🇮🇩 Indonesia · Travel Guide
Indonesia: a first-timer's guide to seventeen thousand islands
Sunrise over the Bromo caldera, rendang in a Padang kitchen and orangutans in the Sumatran forest. Here is what a first-time visitor to Indonesia needs to know.
🇯🇪 Jersey · Travel Guide
The Channel Islands: a first-timer's guide to Britain's sunniest secret
Norman French place names, some of the largest tides on earth, an island with no cars at all and a wartime history unlike anywhere else under the Crown. Here is what a first-time visitor to the Channel Islands needs to know.
🇿🇦 South Africa · Travel Guide
South Africa: a first-timer's guide to a whole world in one country
Leopards at dawn, a mountain rising out of a city of four million, world-class wine and a history worth engaging with. Here is what a first-time visitor to South Africa needs to know.
🇷🇸 Serbia · Travel Guide
Serbia: a first-timer's guide to fortresses, feasts and riverside nights
Roman ruins, river gorges, twelfth-century monasteries and a capital that treats midnight as the middle of the evening. Here is what a first-time visitor to Serbia needs to know.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Travel Guide
Egypt: a first-timer's guide to the land of the pharaohs
The Pyramids at Cairo's edge, temple-lined banks of the Nile, Red Sea reefs and otherworldly desert oases - Egypt rewards first-time visitors like nowhere else. Here is everything you need to plan the trip.
🇧🇷 Brazil · Travel Guide
Brazil: a first-timer's guide to the giant of South America
Brazil rewards travellers who think big: Rio's beaches, Sao Paulo's food scene, the thunder of Iguacu Falls, Amazon river lodges and the Afro-Brazilian soul of Salvador. Here is how a first-time visitor can take it all in.
🇲🇦 Morocco · Travel Guide
Morocco: a first-timer's guide from medina to desert
A short hop from Europe yet a world apart, Morocco serves up labyrinthine medinas, High Atlas villages, Saharan dunes, and legendary hospitality. Here is everything a first-time visitor needs to plan the trip.
🇩🇰 Denmark · Travel Guide
Denmark: a first-timer's guide to castles, coastlines and hygge
Compact, easy-going and endlessly charming, Denmark packs castles, Viking history, world-class food and the cosy art of hygge into one small country. Here is everything a first-time visitor needs to plan the trip.
🇻🇳 Vietnam · Travel Guide
Vietnam: a first-timer's guide from Hanoi to the Mekong
From Hanoi's Old Quarter to Ha Long Bay, Hoi An's lanterns and the Mekong Delta, Vietnam packs astonishing variety into one trip. Here is everything a first-time visitor needs to plan it well.
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia · Travel Guide
Saudi Arabia: a first-timer's guide to the Kingdom
Saudi Arabia has swung its doors open to travellers: Nabataean tombs at AlUla, Red Sea reefs, misty mountain villages and fast-changing cities. Here is everything a first-time visitor needs to plan the trip.
🇦🇱 Albania · Travel Guide
Why Albania is the hot new destination this summer
Albania has been quietly moving from “where exactly?” to “everyone seems to be going there” for a while now. This summer, it feels like the secret is properly out.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Travel Guide
10 reasons to visit Turkey this summer
From Istanbul ferry rides and Aegean beach towns to Cappadocia sunrises and ancient ruins, here are ten practical reasons Turkey makes such a strong summer trip.
🇦🇱 Albania · Travel Guide
Europe summer 2026: seven destinations worth packing for
A practical guide to the seven European destinations actually trending this summer — what to see, what's on, what to know before you book.
🇺🇸 United States · Travel Guide
Heading to the 2026 football tournament? An eSIM guide for fans travelling to USA, Mexico and Canada
Three countries, sixteen cities, the global game's biggest summer. Practical advice on staying connected as you travel between matches in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Hajj and Umrah: a connectivity guide for pilgrims to Makkah and Madinah
What you need to know about staying connected during Hajj and Umrah - from the apps you'll rely on to network conditions during the peak days at Mina and Arafah.
What is an eSIM? Everything You Need to Know
Learn what an eSIM is, how it works, and why it's the future of mobile connectivity for travelers.
7 Tips to Save Mobile Data While Travelling
Seven practical habits — three big, four small — that make your eSIM data plan last twice as long. Plus the one thing most people only think of after they've run out.
eSIM vs Physical SIM: Which is Better for Travel?
The honest comparison — when an eSIM is the obvious choice, when the airport-kiosk option still wins, and how to decide before you fly.