I have been travelling abroad since 1999! The first time I was staying with family friends, so my folks back home were not so worried about me. But I do remember when I went to Amsterdam in 2002 for a post-doctoral interview. My father’s standing instruction used to be to call back home immediately after landing. Those were the days of pay phones, the coin operating ones. Being the good daughter that I am, I would immediately look for a pay phone at the airport and call my worrying father. I would report that I was there safe and sound, and that I have not been kidnapped! Duty done, I would then start looking at things like arriving at my hotel, finding vegetarian food etc.
I still marvel at how I managed without cell phone data and maps because I could get lost even in a telephone booth if it had two exits. And paper maps have always been a mystery to me! I stumbled along somehow and always managed to come back home safely. I even enjoyed my trips! It was the work related trips that fueled my hunger for seeing the world a bit!
As I kept traveling, there was the era of calling cards. I wasn’t a big fan, I don’t know why! I used them a few times but reluctantly. One time, the card I bought, it simply didn’t work. I stopped using them altogether after this incident. I would use the payphone instead!
I was happier when the physical sim cards came into being. I used to buy them in every country, sometimes at the airport and sometimes later in shops! It was an easier way of staying connected once you got hold of that new Sim. In fact, it used to be one of my first purchases in any country I visited. Once I had mobile data, I was confident about finding my way through digital maps! Even this felt like luxury back then. By 2014 I was traveling with my young daughter to many destinations, and she also felt confident when she saw my phone with maps. Otherwise, she was worried that I would get her lost!
I remember buying Sims at various destinations and I used to keep them. When I didn’t have a pin to open the SIM slot in my phone, I used to take out my earring and open the SIM slot. I would hang on to my original sim with my dear life so that I do not become disconnected when I land in my own country! I would change the sim in the plane when coming home, praying that I don’t drop it between the seats! I never did though!
And here we are now in the blessed era of eSims and what fun they are. On my recent trip to Luang Prabang in Laos I was fully prepared before even leaving my house! I had the eSim app on my phone. I compared the travel eSim plans on offer at leisure. I chose one according to my need, made the payment and I was all set. If I ran out of data, I could easily top it up from my phone! My plan offered me coverage across many countries in Asia!
The day of boarding arrived. My first stop was Bangkok where I was changing flights! As soon as the plane landed and the cabin crew gave the go ahead to use the mobile phone, I switched on mine and started using the data like a local! I still write first to my father that I arrived safely. Maybe because he knows that I am reachable he doesn’t worry so much! Maybe it is also because he is 85 now and I am 54!
Then I boarded the Luang Prabang flight and when I landed, it is the same routine! I can text my father easily when I have arrived! It also means I can take that app-based taxi which is cheaper because my phone is functional! I don’t need to hunt for a physical sim card at all and wait because they are the most expensive at the airport!
I had good coverage at the destination too! What surprised me most was when I saw my phone had signal when I was in middle of the Mekong River on a cruise! Not that I needed my phone then for anything else than photography, but it was reassuring to see that I was connected!
I am a big fan of eSims now, that is all what I use. I have by now utilized them in a few countries and they have made my journeys so much more seamless. But I love them the most because I can happily call or message my father from my own phone as soon as I land because he still demands the same.
