On every itinerary we publish there’s a section called “Travel Services”. It's where we share the things we personally use when we travel, not things we've been paid to push, but things we've actually put to the test and wouldn't leave home without. Saily is the first one we're writing up, because it's probably the most used thing on our list.
A quick word on eSIMs
If you've never used one, an eSIM is a digital SIM card. No physical card to swap out, no scrambling around with a pin to eject your SIM tray at the airport, no risk of losing your home SIM down the side of a seat on a bus. You buy data online, it loads to your phone digitally, and you switch to it when you land. We’ve most definitely found that it's the only way forward… and hopefully this Saily eSIM review will help you see why too!
What I was less certain about, before we found Saily, was whether any given eSIM provider was actually reliable. Our first experience with one on a trip through Singapore was not great. We blindly used something an airline was affiliated with, and it was a nightmare to set up, didn’t work consistently, and gave me zero confidence. So I went looking for something better, landing on Saily’s eSIM.
Australia and SE Asia, six weeks, three countries
Our first proper Saily trip was a big one. Six weeks from the UK (our home), via Singapore, around Australia, then back through Bali and Flores, and home again via Singapore. It turned out to be a pretty robust test of what a Saily eSIM could do…
Singapore (1 GB, $3.99 USD)
We started by trying to get by on WiFi in Singapore, which lasted about two minutes! It became obvious that wasn't going to work. Moving around on buses and the MRT, trying to figure out routes on the fly without data, etc, it just was too much stress in a new place. Standing in hot weather at a stop, not sure if it’s the right one or when the bus will come… if I ever thought I’d love taking part in Race Across the World I think I got a reality check, lol.
So we got Saily. 1 GB for $3.99 for two nights, which in isolation felt like a lot, but in context was absolutely fine. We found our way around, looked up places to eat while walking, didn't miss a single connection. That’s better :)
Australia (10 GB, $17.99 USD)
This was the big one. A mammoth road trip covering thousands of kilometres across Australia. We burned through large chunks of it just navigating. And yet with a bit of care, 10 GB was enough.
A few things that helped, and that I'd genuinely recommend to anyone trying to stretch their data:
- Download music and podcasts on hotel WiFi before you leave each morning. Zero data used while you're moving.
- Open Google Maps and plan your route before you set off. It caches enough of the map that even without data, you can still see the blue dot moving. You lose the live traffic layer, but you don't lose your place.
- Stop for coffee, connect to the café WiFi, and use that window to do whatever you've been holding off on. On one drive between Alice Springs and Uluru I remembered I'd been meaning to download Midnight Oil's Diesel and Dust, which felt like the only possible soundtrack for the red centre. We pulled into a petrol station in the middle of nowhere, they had open WiFi, I downloaded it. My wife was less enthusiastic by the fifteenth loop of Beds Are Burning!
- Avoid video on mobile data if you can help it. It's the fastest way to eat through a plan.
Indonesia (1 GB, $4.79 USD)
We spent roughly five days on a Saily plan in Indonesia, most of it based in Flores. It's a beautiful island but road infrastructure isn't its strong point, so we weren't moving around constantly. The data came into its own on the boat trip into Komodo National Park, where we swam with manta rays and saw the dragons. At one point we were out on the water looking at nearby islands and spotted Angel Island Eco Resort, which looked stunning from the boat. It's on the list for a future trip. Link: Angel Island Eco Resort
(I'll link to our full Australia trip itinerary here, and when the article on this part of the journey is written I'll add that too.)
New Zealand, two islands and a lot of road
The second proper Saily trip was New Zealand, which was a simpler one to explain. We flew in and out via LA, no SE Asia stops, just the North & South Islands and a single hire car: a giant 6,727km roadtrip!
New Zealand (5 GB + 5 GB, $15.99 USD each)
I made a mistake on this trip trying to stretch 5 GB across the whole journey because I figured we'd be careful. Twenty days in, we ran out. So we bought another 5 GB for the same price. If I'd just bought 10 GB to begin with, it would have cost $23.99. Instead, buying twice cost $31.98. Considering the trip was thousands, it seems a daft psychology to try and save $10!!
The lesson, which seems obvious in hindsight: if you're doing a three to four week trip through two islands, doing a lot of road driving where you're not always in a town or near WiFi, buy more than you think you need. The price difference is usually small and you don’t risk losing connectivity when you’re in the middle of nowhere.
Side story here: NZ has lots of “middle of nowhere” spots! And in one case, no amount of GB on a data plan will save you: Doubtful Sound. We went on the Fiordland Navigator with RealNZ. And it was a total and complete unplug. The only need for phones? The endless photo opps…
Aside from places where no eSIM in the world will work, same experience as Australia with Saily itself, not a single problem.
LA stopover (1 GB, $3.99 USD)
We picked up a 1 GB plan for our 3-night LA stopover on the way back. In fact it was a Palm Springs stay, the eSIM came in very handy on a Joshua Tree hike (which was lovely, but we were already missing NZ!).
Our Total Saily eSIM Cost
Across six weeks in Australia, Singapore, Bali and Flores: $27 USD total.
Across a New Zealand trip plus LA: $35.97 USD total.
Against the cost of the actual trips, these amounts are pure rounding errors! And unlike a lot of travel costs, this one genuinely reduces stress rather than adding to it.
Would I switch away from a Saily eSIM?
Nope. The eSIM market is competitive and most providers have similar global coverage at similar prices. What Saily has that I can't easily put a number on is that it's never failed me. The setup was easy, the app really straightforward and the plans are easy to understand. That reliability when you're moving between countries and you just need your phone to work is one less thing to think about.
If you want to try Saily, you can get started here. (Affiliate link, this earns TripJuggler a small commission at no extra cost to you.)
Have a question about eSIMs or want to share your own experience? Drop us a message at info@tripjuggler.com.