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How much data do I need for travel in Europe?

Europe is a very interesting place with numerous travel destinations which make it very easy for anyone who dreams of traveling therein. Therefore, approximately 585 million tourists came to Europe in one year. Like every other journey, it requires careful planning for a smooth ride. However, one crucial aspect of holiday planning that has gained much significance in recent times is accessing adequate data for constant communication with one’s loved ones back home.

Currently, many people depend on their phones as a means of using social media and navigating while traveling, so it is important that they be able to access the internet. However, it may be difficult for one to understand where and how much data he/she will need for various iPhone applications. This article will tell you everything about how much data one can require while roaming in Europe and some useful advice on staying connected at a reasonable cost.

Secondly, we shall also break down on most common question, "how much data do I need?" For popular mobile apps that people commonly used for traveling and more. And lastly, this is what you require on total basis because this is for your travelling purpose.

What are Megabytes (MBs) and Gigabytes (GBs)?

To know the amount of data you need for your trip, you first need to understand these two terms: Megabytes and Gigabytes. Megabytes, as well as Gigabytes, represent common measures taken when determining the size of a file or the amount of data during mobile device application use or internet surfing. There are one thousand megabytes in a single gigabyte. When referring to these two terms (GB and MB) for the rest of this article, you need to have an understanding of what they mean as well as the difference between them. If your data subscription plan is more like GBS or MB, then it’s most likely measured as GBs.

How to monitor data usage on the phone while traveling abroad?

Keeping an eye out for the volume of data your phone consumes will enable you identify the apps that are gobbling up your data. Therefore, with this knowledge, you can shut off unnecessary web connections that seem to consume far more data compared to what it should. Secondly, the app makes it easier to tell what information would be needed over the next days of your trip.

Luckily, both iOS and Android come with integrated data tracking capabilities, which enable you to see how much each app consumes within one day (or any other timeframe). 

Checking data usage on iPhone

This is how you can check your data usage if you have an iPhone and the latest version of iOS.

  1. Click on your phone and then go to settings.
  2. Tap on [Cellular Data]
  3. Under this tab, scroll down to the cellular data usage (the total data) section – this is where to indicate that amount.

Go further for a detailed view of all your data usage by app in its entirety. Each application has a number which is its amount of data used.

Reset states as early in your trip as possible; once you do so, you can more easily determine how many megabytes you have used over the course of your trip. Further, to reset your data usage statistics to zero, simply scroll to the bottom of your phone screen, then tap on Reset.

Checking data usage on Android

This is how you will tell if you are out of your data limit while using a Samsung, Google pixel, or another Android device.

  1. Go into your phone’s [Settings].
  2. For both devices, tap on either Network & Internet or Connections.
  3. Click on “data usage” or “mobile data usage”.

While using data, you will be able to view a data bar that shows how much data has been used thus far in this billing period. 

· Scroll down to either the App usage or Mobile data usage section to view a breakdown of data use per app. As you can see, you will see all the applications that have consumed mobile data and how much data was utilised by each application.

Tapping on ‘data warning’ or ‘data limit’ lets one set up a data usage warning or limit message or limit for one to be alerted as soon as he or she reaches a specific level of data consumption that is beyond predetermined limits.

If at any point you want to measure all over again, you can also reset the data usage statistics at zero. Just go to your telephone’s page with a three-dots menu option at the upper right end and choose either “Reset data usage ” or “Reset statistics”.

Data usage for popular activities with mobile phone:

You have to be clear with how much information you require and then get to understand the information that some of the most common activities used. This section includes our estimated data usage for some must have apps that you might need to use at any time when traveling in Europe.

How much data do I need to send emails, browse the web, or search for places on google maps?

  • Emails: The sending as well as receiving of emails that are without any attachments takes between 10KB – 50KB per e-mail depending on the number of words in each mail. The data required will be bigger depending on how big is the attachment that you will attach.
  • Browsing the web: One hour worth’s of browsing the web is approximately 4 MB – 8 MB per megabyte with multimedia-heavy pages taking up roughly 1-10 MB. In the example described, one is checking on plain Web text whereby there is less need of data compared to one who browses Web pages full of pictures and videos.
  • Searching on Google Maps: To search for information on Google maps may require between 5MB and 25MB of data. However, if you activate street view or 3D view, your requested data could be more than 150MB.

 How much data do I need for streaming music / video?

  • Audio: Standard quality streaming of audio music on apple music and Spotify is approximately 50MB per hour.
  • Video: To stream SD video on You Tube takes about 250 MB/hour, while HD video consumes almost 1.5 GB/hour of one’s data traffic allowance.

How much data do I need for social media and uploading photos?

On average, it takes about 30-150 MB per hour to use social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc., depending on whether there are multimedia contents available in the app or not. This implies that for each of the pictures you upload, you will use approximately 1-2 MB.

What is the amount of data needed in video calling?

Generally, you will pay something like 500 MBs an hour for SD video-calling (which is the norm with most such apps), while more than 1.5 GB an hour will be required for HD video-calling.

What amount of information is needed for mobile internet connection?

Data requirements for the tethering will be determined by the things that you do with the tethered computer or smartphone. Below is a breakdown of the amount of data to be used if you tether on your laptop.

  • Basic web browsing: 20-50MB per hour
  • Email and messaging: 5-10MB per hour
  • Video conferencing (standard quality): 150-300MB per hour
  • Video streaming (SD quality): 250-500MB per hour
  • Video streaming (HD quality): 1-2GB per hour
  • Online gaming: 50-100MB per hour

Summary chart of major apps’ data usage

installing eSIM europe on iphone

App 1 hour 1 week
(1h of usage per day)
1 month
(1h of usage per day)
Email 100KB (with no attachments) 700KB 3 MB
Social media 30MB to 150MB 210MB to 1.05GB 900MB to 4.5GB
YouTube 250MB to 1.5GB 1.75GB to 10.5GB 7.5GB to 45GB
FaceTime 500MB to 1.5GB 3.5GB to 10.5GB 15GB to 45GB
Apple Music / Spotify 50MB to 100MB 350MB to 700MB 1.5GB to 3GB
Google Maps 15MB to 25MB 105MB to 175MB 450MB to 750MB
Web browsing 20MB to 100MB 140MB to 700MB 600MB to 3GB

 

 

How much is a certain data amount?

Having known now the number of data required for various apps, here is what one can accomplish with the varied data combinations.

How much is 1GB of data?

With 1GB per month, you will be able to stream YouTube for thirty minutes, Facetime for thirty minutes, using Google maps for an hour, browsing your browser or website for one hour, play one hour of audio music, leaving something extra to use in the remaining times. Light users should get a package that offers about one gigabyte, enough for the vital undertakings.

If you fall under the category of lighter users, the following eSIM Europe plan will be good enough for you.

·   eSIM Europe 1GB for 3 Days
Offers 1GB/day LTE speed This costs $7.50 for 3 days.

How much is 3GB of data?

Using 3GB data, you can find 7,500 routes using google maps, listen to 6,000 songs using spotify, and watch 3.6hr videos using Youtube. An above-average user needs a bit more data on daily basis than light users and 3GB data plan is ideal for such persons.

If you belong to this class of users, here are a good eSIM Europe plan for you to consider.

·   eSIM Europe 3GB for 5 Days
Offers 3GB/5day LTE speed This costs $11.99 for 5 days.

How much is 5GB of data?

Using 5GB data, you can find 9,500 routes using google maps, listen to 8,000 songs using spotify, and watch 4.6hr videos using Youtube. An above-average user needs a bit more data on daily basis than light users and 3GB data plan is ideal for such persons.

If you belong to this class of users, here are a good eSIM Europe plan for you to consider.

·   eSIM Europe 5GB for 15 Days
Offers 3GB/5day LTE speed This costs $15.16 for 5 days.

How much is 10GB of data?

With 10GB of data, you can find 25,000 routes, listen to 2,000 songs, and watch 12hrs videos on YouTube. Or you can stream YouTube for 5 hours, FaceTime for 5 hours, use Google Maps for 10 hours, browse the web for 10 hours, stream audio music for 10 hours, and still have some data left. 

For those who want to use a lot of data during your trip, here is a recommended eSIM Europe plan.

·     eSIM Europe 10GB for 15 Days
A 10GB per day plan is ideal for heavy users who intend to use their phones for several hours each day. For light users, 10GB can be enough for the whole month. If you fall under this category, consider checking out the Fixed 10GB plan that eSIM Europe offers. You will get 10GB, valid for 15 Days, at $24.45.

How much is 20GB of data?

With 20GB, you can find 70,000 routes with Google Maps, listen to 5,000 songs on Spotify, and watch 60hrs videos on YouTube. Or you can stream YouTube for 25 hours, FaceTime for 25 hours, use Google Maps for 20 hours, browse the web for 20 hours, stream audio music for 20 hours, and still have some data left.

If you need a heavy amount of data while business travel, this eSIM Europe plan might suit you.

 eSIM Europe 20GB for 30 Days

20GB of data per month is enough for most heavy users. If you are a heavy user, consider checking out the Fixed 20GB plan that eSIM Europe offers. With this plan, you will get 50GB, valid for a month, at $40,29 .

The average amount of data travelers use

Depending on the activities that a traveler undertakes as well as the duration of his or her trip, the amount of data required changes. The number which would be necessary for many travellers is 500MB to a 1GB per day, to get most of vital things. While the mobile data travellers only need it for basic purposes, such as checking emails or making small online purchases. On the other hand, the mobile data home users might demand doing all that’s available on the internet, which can take a long period.

However, ensure that before you select which plan to subscribe to, understand the apps you want to use. Therefore, you will have to refer to the given table in order to establish that the core applications in question normally get adequate internet whenever they are required for use.

In Summary

I hope this guide helps you determine how much data you require and the best plan to sign up for. As noted above, there are diverse demands for data from different users. Hence, start by assessing what data you require or look for the data plan that is most appropriate for you.
In case of doubt, contact eSIM Fox, and we will give you a more accurate list of suitable offers.

 

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