My husband and I are headed to Spain and Morocco in late April/early May, for about two weeks. We are looking to get him an eSIM card for his iPhone 14. I have T-mobile, so I am able to connect internationally. He has Verizon. He only needs to be able to use his GPS while out and about, and hopefully, be able to text. He does not need to make calls.

Do you have any ideas on a company to use for eSIM cards? It does not necessarily have to be the same company in Spain and Morocco. I have heard mixed reviews about Airalo, so alternative suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks so much.

I used Nomad for Morocco, and for texts, WhatsApp. The last time I was in Spain, I didn't have a smart phone, so no need for an esim.

I use esims from airalo dot com for places all around the world at least a dozen times now and have never had an issue. Easy to install & activate, cheap, and easy to top off if data runs low. Installing the app on the phone makes it simpler. We tend to get regional sims - not sure if you can get Spain and Morrocco in the same package.

BTW, one does not need a data plan (sim or esim) to use GPS.... You can download offline google maps for a region or entire country. As long as your phone has a view of the sky your phone will work just fine for location and directions even if it's off the grid. It wont show real time traffic but other than that it's basically like the early TomTom or Garmin GPS units....

I also use Airalo.

I had some problems with Airalo in Cambodia.

kja - Thank you, as always, for your help. I looked at the Nomad website, and it does indeed offer plans in Morocco as well as Spain. My questions to you:
1. Do you pay for the plan in advance, and once you get to your destination, do you press some sort of "start" button?
2. How do you use the plan? If you can't text, and you can't make calls, do you use it for the web only?
Thanks again.

J62 and goingthere2 - Thanks you for your suggestions about Airolo. It seems to be the most popular choice, but I have read some negative reviews online. I will research further.

We got Nomad for Spain a few years back. Airalo has extensive coverage in Europe and I have used it very successfully over the past several years, last in France in November 2024.

Have no idea about coverage in Morocco, the provider website should give details.

IIRC (no guarantees!), I purchased the Nomad eSim and loaded it very shortly before leaving the US and activated it by designating it as primary once I reached Morocco. The instructions were very clear and easy to follow. I used it only for data, which I think means the web. (Sorry, I'm not at all proficient about what all these terms mean!)

For calls and texts abroad, I rely on WhatsApp. Do you know that that app? It's free and provides unlimited free texts and calls to anyone who also has the app -- and outside the U.S., it is widely used. And it uses your own cell phone number -- no new one to remember. Certainly, it was "the way to go" in Morocco. Hope that helps!

geetika - Thank you! I'm glad Nomad worked for you. As I said previously, some people have had trouble with Airolo, so we'll stick with Nomad for both countries.

kja - Thanks again. Sounds like a"plan" with Nomad. I have used Whatapp extensively when we travel, mostly because drivers seem to like to use it. However, we have a chatty group family regular text group, and my husband is left out of the group when we travel. Last trip, we all switched to Whatsapp temporarily just for him, and it worked out well. So Nomad it is! Thank you, you're always there for me!

You are welcome! Spain and Morocco are each wonderful, IMO -- I trust you'll have a memorable trip.

Thank you, kja. Third trip to Spain, first to Morocco. I added Spain because Bilbao was on the top of my list, for obvious reasons. I just designed a walking tour (yes, I read that you liked the bridge), and it's great that the city is so walkable. Thanks again.

The Puente Colgante (Biscaya Bridge) in Getxo? I did like that bridge! And Bilbao in general -- some really interesting stuff there. If you have time, a side trip to the Oma Forest is well worth considering, IMO.