Internet Abroad: VPN, SIM Cards and Backup Options for Digital Nomads

If there’s one thing that can make or break a workation, it’s your internet connection. You can deal with a mediocre desk, a noisy street, or a tiny kitchen. But if you can’t get online reliably, you can’t work. Period.

Over the years, I’ve dealt with every connectivity nightmare: hotel WiFi that died every 20 minutes, SIM cards that stopped working after crossing a border, and VPN connections that turned a fast line into molasses. Here’s everything I’ve learned about staying connected abroad.

Start with Your Accommodation’s WiFi

Your accommodation’s WiFi will be your primary connection most of the time. Before you book, look for:

• Specific speed claims. “Fast WiFi” means nothing. Look for listings that mention actual speeds (50+ Mbps is good, 100+ is great).
• Recent reviews mentioning WiFi. If three recent guests complain about internet, believe them.
• Ethernet availability. A wired connection is always more stable. Some apartments have ethernet ports even if they don’t advertise it. Worth asking.

First thing to do when you arrive: Run a speed test from the room where you’ll work, at the time you’ll typically be working. WiFi speeds can vary dramatically between rooms and times of day.

Local SIM Cards: Your Best Backup

A local SIM card with a solid data plan is the most reliable backup you can have. In most countries, getting one is cheap and easy.

How to get one:

• Airport kiosks usually sell tourist SIMs (convenient but sometimes overpriced).
• Phone shops in the city offer better deals (look for official carrier stores).
• In the EU, your home SIM might work fine thanks to roaming regulations, but check your data cap.

What to look for:

• At least 20 GB of data (more if you’ll use it as a primary backup).
• 4G/5G coverage in your area (check coverage maps before buying).
• Tethering/hotspot allowed (some plans restrict this).
• Valid for the duration of your stay (many tourist SIMs expire after 30 days).

Pro tip: Buy your SIM on day one, not when your WiFi fails. You don’t want to be hunting for a phone shop during a work emergency.

eSIM alternative: If your phone supports eSIMs, services like Airalo or Holafly let you buy a data plan before you even land. No physical SIM swap needed. This has become my preferred approach for shorter trips.

VPN: When and Why You Need One

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is essential for workations, but not always for the reasons people think.

You need a VPN for:

• Security on public WiFi. Cafe and coworking WiFi is shared. A VPN encrypts your traffic so nobody on the same network can snoop.
• Accessing geo-restricted work tools. Some company tools, banking apps, or streaming services are blocked in certain countries.
• Consistent IP location. If your company’s security flags logins from unexpected countries, a VPN to your home country prevents account lockouts.

You might not need a VPN for:

• Working from your private accommodation WiFi (it’s already relatively secure).
• General browsing on trusted HTTPS sites.

Choosing a VPN:

• Pick one with servers in your home country and your workation country.
• Speed matters. Some VPNs cut your bandwidth in half. Test before you rely on it.
• A kill switch is important: it cuts your internet if the VPN drops, preventing unencrypted data leaks.
• Avoid free VPNs. They often sell your data or have severe speed limitations.

Pro tip: Set up and test your VPN before you leave home. Troubleshooting VPN issues from a foreign network with limited connectivity is not fun.

Portable Hotspot Devices

If you travel frequently or visit areas with unreliable infrastructure, a dedicated hotspot device might be worth the investment.

Advantages over phone tethering:

• Longer battery life (dedicated device vs. draining your phone).
• Often better antennas and signal reception.
• Your phone stays free for calls.
• Some devices support multiple SIM cards or eSIMs.

Downsides:

• Another device to carry and charge.
• Cost (decent devices start around 80-150 EUR).
• You still need a local SIM or data plan for it.

Verdict: Worth it if you do more than 4-5 workations per year or regularly work from places with questionable WiFi. For occasional workations, phone tethering is fine.

The Three-Layer Backup Strategy

After getting burned enough times, I now always have three layers of internet on any workation:

1. Primary: Accommodation WiFi (tested on arrival).
2. Secondary: Local SIM card with hotspot capability (bought on day one).
3. Emergency: Knowledge of the nearest coworking space or cafe with reliable WiFi.

This sounds like overkill until the day your primary goes down 10 minutes before a presentation. Then it feels like basic common sense.

Country-Specific Tips

European Union: Your home EU SIM works across all EU countries with roaming. Check your “fair use” data limit though, as it’s usually lower than your domestic allowance.

Southeast Asia: SIM cards are incredibly cheap (often under 10 EUR for 30 GB). Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia all have excellent 4G coverage in urban areas. Buy at the airport.

Americas: Data plans tend to be pricier. In Mexico and Colombia, look for Telcel and Claro respectively. eSIMs are often the better deal here.

Important: Some countries require passport registration for SIM cards. Always bring your passport when buying one.

Speed Requirements for Remote Work

Not all internet is created equal. Here’s what you actually need:

Activity	Download	Upload
Email and chat	5 Mbps	1 Mbps
Video calls (1:1)	10 Mbps	5 Mbps
Video calls (group)	25 Mbps	10 Mbps
Screen sharing	15 Mbps	10 Mbps
Large file transfers	50+ Mbps	20+ Mbps

Test your connection before important calls. Use fast.com or speedtest.net. Test both download and upload, as upload is usually the bottleneck.

When Things Go Wrong

Despite all your preparation, you’ll eventually face a connectivity crisis. Here’s the emergency playbook:

1. Switch to your backup immediately. Don’t waste time troubleshooting your primary during a work emergency.
2. Communicate early. Message your team that you’re having connectivity issues before you drop off a call, not after.
3. Have offline capability. Keep critical documents synced locally. Use tools that work offline (many project management apps have offline modes).
4. Know your nearest reliable WiFi location. A coworking space, a hotel lobby, or even a fast-food chain with free WiFi can save the day.

The key to internet abroad isn’t having a perfect connection. It’s having a plan for when your connection isn’t perfect. With the right preparation, connectivity issues become minor inconveniences instead of workation-ending disasters.