Are you travelling to the UAE for a holiday soon? Are you wondering which physical Sim Card or electronic Sim Card (eSIM) to get, so you can get connected as soon as you land?

Have a read on this piece, written by a guest writer on navigating logistics, and connectivity across the Emirates. Hope this gives a better insight on this eSIM service, and considering it should you plan to travel here for the holidays.

---

Going on a big family break to the United Arab Emirates will create some amazing memories with impressive architecture, clean beach resorts, and globally famous leisure opportunities. However, planning trips will involve lots of preparation. If you have small children and grandparents, arriving at the airport will involve lots of organisation with luggage, car seats, transfers to the hotels, and updating your trip plan.

By adding an eSIM for United Arab Emirates to your family members’ phones beforehand, you will have instant access to your telecoms as soon as you land. You can save time at the airport by having your parents’ phones set up with fast mobile data so they can avoid any long queue times at the airport. It means they can easily communicate with their private driver waiting outside, and will know exactly how to get everyone to the accommodation.

Family Trips in the Gulf

If you are travelling alone, you can be more spontaneous, and getting lost or waiting for the internet in a café is not a big deal. However, when you are travelling with your family around Dubai, Abu Dhabi or the Northern Emirates, you will have a strict schedule due to naps, meal times and booked-in times at different venues.

You may be going to an indoor attraction in the morning, then having a nap at your beachside resort in the afternoon and finally having dinner at the marina in the evening. Using mobile data will help you:

• Navigate through large areas whilst driving a hire car or telling your hired driver where to go on busy roads like the Sheikh Zayed Road. It includes complex motorway systems and hotel drop-off points.
• Communicate with your chauffeur. Many of the top shopping destinations, water parks, and desert hotels have set areas for people to be picked up from. By staying connected, you can easily communicate with your driver.
• Access digital tickets. Many venues now have digital ticket booths, queue times, and table bookings, meaning you will need instant access to your data.

Without basic communication, simple things can become very stressful. By having good data on your parents’ phones, everyone will be kept in the loop.

The Issues with Public Wi-Fi

Many people assume that as the area is technologically advanced, there will be great public Wi-Fi available throughout the area. Whilst there is internet in the malls, transport hubs and hotels that can cause issues.

Public Wi-Fi is static, so as soon as you leave your air-conditioned mall, walk on the beach, or get on a boat, you will lose your signal. If your older child gets ahead of the group to go into an exhibition hall or your parents get distracted looking at different areas of the shops, you won’t have constant mobile data to quickly regroup.

During peak holiday times and in the winter months, the public Wi-Fi in the main entertainment areas will be extremely busy. Hundreds of people will be trying to access the same public point, which can cause slow loading times. It means you will struggle to quickly access high-quality maps of the city, airline vouchers, or make calls to organise with your family. By using mobile data, you will not have such a problem, as you will be using the commercial towers across the country.

SIM Cards in Previous Years

In previous years, you would have had to buy a plastic SIM card at the airport. It involved opening up your phone and taking out your main card from home. It can cause issues for your parents whilst travelling:

• Long queues at the airport with tired children after a long flight;
• tiny SIM cards can be easily lost in your travel wallet or passport;
• you will no longer be able to receive urgent calls or texts from doctors, banks or work colleagues.

With modern technology, you can add digital profiles. Your parents can add the telecoms profile for the area they are travelling to along with their permanent number. Whilst in the Emirates, they will use fast mobile data to help them with their travel. They will still have their number from home in the background so they can receive important calls in an emergency.

Two Parent Organisation

One of the best benefits of having separate profiles on each of your family members’ phones is that you can easily organise different schedules. Rarely will everyone in your family have the same amount of energy or want to do the same things.

For example, one parent may be taking the teens on high-adrenaline rides whilst the other parent is taking the younger children back to the resort for a nap. As both parents will have separate mobile data, they can:

• Agree flexible times and places to meet;
• receive instant updates on queue times, weather, or any sudden changes to your children’s meal times;
• both parents will have direct contact with local transport and tour guides.

It means you won’t lose time due to simple issues and everyone can enjoy their activities.

Trips Between Emirates and Careful Planning

Often you will visit many areas of the country. Many families will plan day trips to different areas of the city. It can include travelling south to Abu Dhabi to visit the culture centres and theme parks, east to Sharjah to visit the desert conservation areas, or north to Ras Al Khaimah to see the mountains.

Sometimes standard travel between areas in the region can cause issues. By having your telecoms profile set up properly, you will connect easily to the best mobile data across the country. It means you will have seamless handovers whilst driving through the desert and mountains. Your parents can check mountain road conditions or opening times for an oasis heritage village with constant access to the internet.

A family holiday should be a fun, exciting and relaxing time. You don’t want to be stressed trying to find passwords. By organising a good telecoms plan before you leave, you can ensure your parents can put their energy into keeping your children safe, happy and enjoying their surroundings. By adding mobile data to your pre-trip checklist, you can be assured that your family will have an easy time travelling around the Emirates.

Note : This article was written by a Guest Writer.