How much data volume do I really need for my trip?
1. Overview
Your data usage depends heavily on how you use your smartphone. Here are some typical activities and their average data usage:
- Emails and simple text messages : Each email without attachments or short messages only uses about 0.02 MB.
- Social Media : Scrolling on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook or Twitter uses around 1-2 MB per minute. If videos are played, consumption increases sharply to around 3-5 MB per minute.
- Music streaming : Streaming music via apps like Spotify or Apple Music uses about 1 MB per minute at normal quality. One hour of music therefore means around 60 MB.
- Navigation and maps : Google Maps consumes an average of 5-10 MB per hour during normal use, but it may consume more during long drives or frequent reloads.
- Video streaming : Streaming videos on platforms such as YouTube or Netflix is the most data-intensive, consuming around 250 MB per hour in SD quality and 1 GB or more per hour in HD quality.
2. Typical data usage for different travel types
Depending on what type of trip you are planning, you can roughly estimate your data usage:
- City trip (3-4 days) : If you mainly use city maps, public transport and some social media apps, a 1-2 GB plan might be sufficient.
- Hiking or nature holiday (1 week) : If you have limited access to WiFi, e.g. in remote areas, you may need more data for GPS and occasional updates. 3-5 GB might be safer here.
- Long-term stay (more than 2 weeks) : For longer stays with regular social media, music streaming and use of map apps, around 10-15 GB is ideal. If you also plan to watch videos or work with mobile data for longer periods, it should be even more.
3. Tips for saving data
To get the most out of your data volume, we have put together some tips:
- Use offline maps : Download maps before your trip to navigate on the go without mobile data.
- Disable automatic updates : Prevent apps from consuming unnecessary data in the background.
- Stream videos in low quality : If you absolutely must watch a video, lower the quality to save data.
- Control data usage : Most smartphones have a function for monitoring data usage. This allows you to react quickly if you notice that your package is about to run out.
4. Conclusion: Choose the right data volume
It is important to adapt the data volume to your actual needs. With an eSIM you have the advantage of being able to compare different packages and choose flexibly - ideal for anyone who wants to ensure that they always have enough data without paying too much. At Voisim you will find eSIMs for different types of users, adapted to your travel habits and needs. This way you can stay online and flexible on the go without falling into expensive roaming traps.
Ready to stay connected on the go? Check out our eSIM packages for Germany and Europe and choose the package that suits you best.