Guides · 5 min read · 8 July 2026
How much data do you really need for a Europe trip?
3 GB or unlimited? A realistic breakdown of what maps, socials, streaming and video calls actually consume per day of travel.
The most common question we get. Here's real-world consumption, measured in holiday mode rather than lab mode.
What a travel day actually uses
- Google Maps navigation: ~5 MB per hour walking, ~15 MB driving.
- Instagram/TikTok scrolling: 150–300 MB per casual half-hour.
- WhatsApp voice call: ~1 MB per minute; video ~5 MB per minute.
- Spotify streaming: ~50 MB per hour (download playlists instead!).
- YouTube/Netflix in HD: 1–3 GB per hour — the budget killer.
Three traveler profiles
The light traveler (maps, messages, a few photos to the family chat) uses 100–200 MB/day — a 3 GB plan covers two weeks. The normal traveler (adds daily social scrolling and photo backups) lands around 500 MB–1 GB/day — take 10 GB for a two-week trip. The heavy user (hotel-room streaming, hotspotting a laptop) should just take an unlimited plan and stop counting.
The math trick: cost per gigabyte
Bigger plans are dramatically cheaper per GB — a 20 GB plan usually costs 3–4× a 3 GB plan, not 7×. If you're unsure between two sizes, take the bigger one; the delta is typically the price of one airport coffee.
And remember: with ArbSIM, validity only starts when you land, so buying ahead costs you nothing in plan-days.