Being a "somewhat youthful 80" I've still managed not to keep up with the latest technology. I have two questions:
Should I buy a separate eSIM plan for our cell phone data usage, or, T-Mobile's International Pass?
And, do I need a virtual private network to protect phone us from scammers?
If you have a suitable phone, an eSIM will likely save you money compared to your regular provider - for example: https://www.getnomad.app/united-kingdom-eSIM
A VPN won't protect you from scammers, but it will increase your privacy. The safest thing is not to use untrusted public Wifi or click on unsolicited links or texts.
I have an international plan on my phone, through Google Fi, but when I travel, I use a lot of data, so I get an eSIM for data only, set my phone so that calls and texts use my Google Fi SIM, and data uses the eSIM.
This way, I still have my usual phone number active for calls and texts, but save on data costs.
Not sure how T-Mobiles plans are structured, but you likely could do something similar.
A VPN is only valuable when using Wi-Fi, preventing others from seeing your data transferred, otherwise your phone is encrypted for internet use. A VPN also does not prevent you from clicking suspect links or make shady sites safe. Though many VPN providers do include some virus and safe search protection as part of the package.
I've still managed not to keep up with the latest technology.
I really respect that! Regarding Tmobile, it depends on what plan you have and what countries you plan to visit. The least expensive plans will not have international coverage, unless you buy an International Pass. If you have a more expensive plan, it will include unlimited texting and very cheap calling in 216 countries. It may give you high speed data in 11 countries, so you'd need to know if the countries you visit are in those 11. If not, then I believe the 30 day international pass is $50. That's more than most any esim plan. You can get data-only esims for $10 to $40 depending on the amount of data and what countries. But the convenience of just giving Tmobile $50 may be worth the money.
As mentioned, a cheap esim for data, and using your normal Tmobile plan for texting and calling (using Wifi calling), is a very popular strategy. You really do want your home number to stay active in case you need to make/receive calls to/from financial institutions, medical people, family emergency, etc...
Also note that you can't use an esim unless your phones are unlocked. If you got them from Tmobile, they may very well be locked to Tmo. Your local Tmobile shop could tell you, and possibly unlock them.
So first, I'd suggest looking at all the details of the Tmobile account you have.
Double check your T-Mobile plan. You may have international text and data included. I have a senior plan that does. Texts are free and I keep in contact with family/friends and hotels via text. Lots of data is included also. Even using my phone for map navigation while driving on most of a two month long trip I never had to pay extra for data. The only other things i used data for were parking/train/bus apps, museum guides, and sometimes google queries. I stopped automatic updates for any apps I wouldn't be using on the trip. I don't watch movies/tv or look at social media on my phone at any time. Phone calls are 25 cents a minute. I made one call during my trip to pay for a toll bridge crossing in a rental car. I waited for a good wifi connection to upload my photos. I think the eSim thing is driven mostly by Instagram/TikTok publishers and users. You will probably be better off sticking with T-Mobil. The simplicity of it is worth it even if there is a cost difference.
If you want zero fuss, T‑Mobile’s pass is the easy button. eSIMs save money but need a quick setup (do it at home before you fly). VPN isn’t a must just stick to data or trusted Wi‑Fi.
Also beware that many (most?) eSIMS seem to be data only, which is kinda not helpful unless you're only using WhatsApp.
For phone and data, you might consider a package like the Orange cards have. Then you have a "local" number so businesses etc. can call or text you while you're there. I think the best plan is to keep one person's phone on their "home" number and change another over to a UK number.
Regarding esims with phone numbers:
Airalo, Airhub, aloSIM, all have an option to include a phone number (not a US number, but somewhere in Europe). This is less convenient, as your friends home might worry about how to call your new French phone number, and what would it cost them.
Roamless esim does not include a number, but their app allows you to make cheap phone calls from their app (but not receive calls).
As mentioned, the best thing is to keep your "normal" number active, by either paying an add-on, or getting free international calls/texts with your plan (more common with some Tmobile or Ultramobile plans), or using Wifi Calling.
Wifi Calling:
1. Connect to wifi at hotel or restaurant
2. Enable "wifi calling" on your phone
3. Call or text like normal.
Two caveats with wifi calling:
1. Some lower cost cellophone providers do not support the wifi calling service.
2. Some low end phones do not support wifi calling.
Fortunately, it's easy to setup wifi calling at home to see if it works for your equipment.
And what usually gets mentioned in these threads is that it's pretty easy to make VOIP phone calls using an app like Google Voice, Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, TextNow, or many others. All you need is data for that, either cell data or wifi. That's something that can also be tried at home.
@travelerguy - I recently retired my old phone which was too old to accept an eSIM. So now I'm starting to look into my options for eSIMs (my new iPhone only works with eSIMs, getting a physical SIM when traveling overseas is no longer an option for me).
I've got my eye on Roamless, which appears to be an intriguing option (the idea of just getting one eSIM that I can turn on or off, repeatedly, and use it in pretty much any country as I need it, is very appealing to me). I'm still in the early phase of exploration. I will note that they say (or imply) that voice calls are "coming soon." Of course, "soon" is subject to interpretation, but there's this bit from their website:
Get ready for RoamlessNumbers
With RoamlessNumbers, you’ll soon be able to manage multiple phone
numbers, send and receive SMS, and make calls—all with your caller ID.
We'll see about that - and any devils in details - but the goal sounds laudable. I'll be watching and may take the plunge before my next trip (a bit over 100 days from now).
On both of my recent trips to Europe I got a text on arrival "Welcome to Germany/Austria/France/Italy" from my T-mobile account. T-Mobile is owned by Deutsche Telecom now. And they tell you how much high-speed data you have free before they throttle you back to lower speeds. A VPN is always useful to have but I've never felt I needed it UNLESS I was trying to access a US account remotely when them thinking you are in the US makes things easier. For example, I can't access my local newspaper online if they think I am in the EU because of privacy laws there, but its fine if they think I am in the uS.
