Internet on holiday: Hotspot, hotel Wi-Fi or a local eSIM?

Anyone who's ever traveled with family knows the scene: you arrive at the holiday home on the Adriatic coast, and the kids ask for the Wi-Fi password before the suitcases even make it into the hallway. The note from the landlord promises "Free WiFi", the network is called "TP-LINK_4F2A" – and loads a single Netflix episode about as fast as the espresso at the bar takes to brew. So does everything have to run through your phone after all? It depends. Internet on holiday is actually a solved problem in 2026 – but only if you invest five minutes before you leave.

There are three options to choose from: your German plan via roaming and hotspot, the local Wi-Fi, or a local or travel eSIM. Let's go through them one by one.

Option 1: Your own plan – usually the best choice within the EU

Within the EU, "Roam like at home" has applied for years: your data allowance, your unlimited calls, everything works in Spain, Italy or Croatia just like at home, at no extra cost. With very cheap plans, the provider is allowed to limit the roaming allowance somewhat using a fair-use formula, but it's practically always enough for two or three weeks of holiday.

In concrete terms: switch on your phone as a hotspot, connect the kids' laptop or tablet, done. If you've worked out beforehand how much data your plan includes – streaming eats up just as much data on the beach as at home – you're fully covered. If you're unsure how far your data allowance will stretch: a week ago we worked out, how much data allowance you actually need. The same math applies to vacations, just without home WiFi as a buffer. So calculate generously – two weeks without WiFi can easily double your monthly usage.

A word on network quality: abroad, your phone connects to a partner network, and that's not equally good everywhere. On the Spanish coast it usually runs flawlessly, but in the Croatian hinterland or on Greek ferries it can get sluggish – regardless of how expensive your German plan is. Even the best preparation won't change that, but it helps to know it before you call the hotline from the pool.

A detail that's often overlooked: EU roaming also covers Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. But not Switzerland. Anyone driving to Italy via the Gotthard while happily streaming music can get a nasty surprise on their bill. The details of this trap – and how to defuse it with a setting on your phone – can be found in our article on EU roaming and the Switzerland cost trap. Short version: set a data roaming limit before you leave.

Option 2: Hotel and holiday home Wi-Fi – fine for the basics, not for anything sensitive

Hotel Wi-Fi has gotten better, no question. In city hotels and larger resorts it often works decently. In holiday apartments, campsites and beach bars, it remains a matter of luck – shared with thirty other guests who all want to upload their holiday videos at the same time.

Well, and then there's the security question. Open networks without a password are no place for online banking or logging into your work email. In practical terms, that means:

• Uncritical stuff is fine on Wi-Fi: streaming, weather app, travel guide, video call with grandma.
• Banking, bookings with a credit card, work logins: better over the mobile connection – or on Wi-Fi only with a VPN.
• Enable automatic cloud backups (photos!) for Wi-Fi and disable them for the mobile network. Otherwise your phone will upload 4 GB of beach videos over roaming overnight.

Our assessment: hotel Wi-Fi is a supplement, not a plan. If you rely on it alone during your holiday, you'll be annoyed by the second rainy day at the latest.

One trick that saves a lot of frustration: download the heavy stuff before you leave. Offline maps for your holiday area, playlists, two seasons of the kids' favorite show – all of that downloads in an hour on your home Wi-Fi, while on the road it costs you data or nerves. Admittedly, the most boring advice in this article. But the one with the best success rate.

Option 3: Travel eSIM – the wildcard outside the EU

The eSIM really gets interesting once you leave the EU. Turkey, the US, Thailand, Egypt: there, roaming with your German contract can quickly cost several euros per megabyte, or runs through expensive day passes. A local or international travel eSIM, on the other hand, is available for many countries for the price of two cappuccinos – 10 or 20 GB, valid for 30 days, bought and installed in ten minutes from your sofa.

The beauty of it: your German number stays active. Modern phones run two profiles in parallel – calls and texts (such as TANs from your bank) still arrive on your German number, while data runs via the cheap travel eSIM. How to set it up and what pitfalls to watch out for, we explained step by step in the eSIM guide in spring.

There are two catches, though. First: older or very cheap phones don't support eSIM – check beforehand. Second: prices among travel eSIM providers vary enormously, and some offers throttle heavily after a few GB. The fine print is really worth reading here.

And what about the mobile Wi-Fi router?

A quick aside, since the question comes up often: a separate hotspot cube is really only worth it for special cases these days – long workations with multiple devices, motorhome trips, sailboats. For a normal family holiday, the phone hotspot does the job just as well, with no extra device, no extra charging cable, no extra contract. The only real advantage of the cube: it doesn't drain your phone's battery. A power bank is the cheaper solution.

What does that mean for your summer?

The decision boils down to three cases:

1. Holiday in the EU (plus Norway/Iceland): Don't buy anything. Your plan is enough, turn on the hotspot, done. Only with mini plans offering 3–5 GB should you think about your data allowance beforehand – or switch to a plan with more data in good time. In the plan comparison you'll see that 25 GB now costs less than two scoops of ice cream on the beach.
2. Switzerland on the route or as a destination: Set a roaming limit, use Wi-Fi, buy a local eSIM for longer stays.
3. Long-haul travel: Install the travel eSIM before departure, disable German data roaming, keep your German number active for calls and TANs.

And the hotel Wi-Fi? Use it if it's good. We wouldn't rely on it, though – the note saying "Free WiFi" has ruined too many holiday evenings already.