eSIM for remote work abroad

Remote work abroad looks different from a holiday: fewer photos, more video calls and file syncing, and zero tolerance for an internet connection that vanishes in the middle of a meeting. Here an eSIM is a backup and a bridge: a backup when the Wi-Fi in the coworking space or the flat lets you down, and a bridge for the first days, before you find a permanent connection.

How much data work takes

For a month of working over the hotspot a few hours a day, count on 20 GB or more; a 30-day plan is the natural choice. If you work mainly on Wi-Fi and the eSIM is your backup, 5–10 GB is enough.

eSIM or a local SIM

For a stay of more than a month in one country, a local SIM can be cheaper per gigabyte, but it needs registering with your passport, sometimes with your phone’s IMEI registered too, and it takes the slot of your Polish SIM, which receives the texts from your bank and the codes for work systems. Many remote workers keep both: the Polish SIM for texts, a local SIM or an eSIM for data. An eSIM wins when you don’t want to swap cards and want data from the moment you land.

Where Poles work remotely

Bali, Thailand, Georgia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates. In Portugal, Spain and Cyprus your Polish SIM works as it does at home and you don’t need an eSIM.

What to watch out for

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  Install the eSIM at home over Wi-Fi before you fly: the guide for your phone.
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  Check the usage in your account every few days; work eats data unevenly.
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  Before an important call, switch to the eSIM if the café Wi-Fi is having a bad evening.
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  In the Emirates, WhatsApp and FaceTime calls are blocked; Zoom, Teams and Google Meet work.