Our Travel Kit: Hotels, Car Hire & eSIMs We Actually Use

This isn’t a sponsored list, and it’s certainly not another “Top 10” assembled for the sake of it. It’s the practical side of how we travel as a couple – the hotels we stay in, the hire cars we drive and the connectivity we rely on – built up journey by journey, from Morocco and China to Croatia and beyond.

As we keep exploring, we’ll add to this page whenever something genuinely earns a place on it. For now, it covers the three things that shape every trip we take: where we stay, how we get around, and how we stay in touch — with each other, and with everyone back home.

Jump to: Hotels & Stays · Car Hire · eSIMs & Connectivity

Hotels & Stays

We’re neither luxury travellers nor budget backpackers – somewhere in the middle, and our choice of accommodation reflects that. Across Morocco, China, Croatia, Tanzania and beyond, we’ve stayed in boutique hotels, traditional riads, private villas, self-catering apartments, guesthouses and campsites. What the ones we’ve loved most have in common isn’t price or star rating – it’s that they make it easy to slow down together.

Location matters as much as the room itself. Sometimes that’s the centre of a busy city, sometimes it’s beside a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and sometimes it’s somewhere we won’t see another person for hours. We try to build at least one of those into every trip.

We book most of this through Booking.com, occasionally through other platforms or directly with the property.

What we actually look for

• Character over chain. A riad in Marrakesh, a guesthouse above the Tuo River in Fenghuang, a family-run villa on the Dalmatian coast – any of these beats a generic hotel room.
• Self-catering when it makes sense. Partly for the flexibility, partly because shopping at a local market and cooking with what we find is part of how we get to know a place, not just where we sleep.
• Central, or genuinely quiet – never in between. Either walking distance from the heart of a destination, or somewhere we can’t hear anyone else at all.
• Walkability. In historic towns and medinas especially, being able to walk back after dinner matters more to us than a view from the window.
• Value for money. Once everything else checks out, this decides it. We read recent reviews closely, and we’ll pay more if we’re confident we’ll get what we’re expecting.

Morocco

Odyssee Park Hotel, Agadir, Morocco 📍 Avenue Mohammed V, Agadir 80000

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▱▱ 3/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
❤️ Couple Factor	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
📍 Location	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
🛏 Comfort	▰▰▰▱▱	Good
🤝 Hospitality	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good

A well-placed but no-frills hotel for the first or last night of a southern Morocco road trip – Agadir Beach, the promenade and the town centre are all a short walk away. The reception looked much like any modern European hotel.

• Friendly, welcoming staff
• Genuinely central – no taxi needed for beach, restaurants or cafés
• A solid launchpad rather than a destination in itself

Worth knowing: it’s practical rather than polished, and better suited to a night or two than a week-long stay. We’d book it again for exactly that – a comfortable stopover, not a holiday in itself.

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Kenzi Club Agdal Medina, Marrakesh, Morocco 📍 Bd Mohamed VI, Marrakech 40000

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▱ 4/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
❤️ Couple Factor	▰▰▰▱▱	Good
📍 Location	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
🛏 Comfort	▰▰▰▱▱	Good
🤝 Hospitality	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good

An all-inclusive resort on Marrakesh’s edge for couples who want buffet meals and an evening show on tap without giving up easy access to the medina. After a while food became a bit heavy.

• Food available more or less all day
• A decent drinks list
• Evening entertainment included
• Staff attentive without being intrusive

Worth knowing: this is the edge of Marrakesh, not the medina – expect a taxi or resort shuttle rather than a stroll into the old city. It suits couples who want the ease of a resort with the option of sightseeing, not those chasing an intimate boutique stay.

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Riad Jomana, Marrakesh, Morocco 📍 62 Arset Aouzal, Bab Doukkala, Medina, Marrakech 40000

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▱ 4/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
❤️ Couple Factor	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
📍 Location	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
🛏 Comfort	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
🤝 Hospitality	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent

Deep in the medina, this is the kind of riad where you can walk to most of Marrakesh’s best-known sights and still hear almost nothing of the city from your room. Very private family-like feeling in this riad.

• Genuinely central within the historic medina
• Staff who go out of their way, not just through the motions
• Traditional decoration without feeling like a museum piece
• Souks, restaurants and major sights all on foot

Worth knowing: the medina’s alleyways make it fiddly to find on a first attempt – save the pin, or arrange a pickup. Best suited to a short city stay rather than days spent by a pool, since there isn’t one.

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Dar Doukkala, Marrakesh, Morocco 📍 83 Rue Bab Doukkala – Dar el Bacha, Marrakech 40000

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▰ 5/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
❤️ Couple Factor	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
📍 Location	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
🛏 Comfort	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
🤝 Hospitality	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good

The most spacious riad on this list, and the one we’d pick for a longer Marrakesh stay rather than a two-night stopover. Simple Moroccan breakfast in the garden was a beautiful start of the day.

• Genuinely large rooms by riad standards
• Full of period character without feeling worn
• Quiet despite sitting well within the city

Worth knowing: it costs more than most riads nearby, though the extra space is the reason why. It’s roughly a 10–15 minute walk from Jemaa el-Fnaa – close enough to reach easily, far enough to sleep undisturbed. Our pick of the four Marrakesh riads here for anyone staying more than three nights.

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Maison de Vacances, Tafraoute, Morocco 📍 Route Imyane, Tafraoute 85450

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▰ 5/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
❤️ Couple Factor	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
📍 Location	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
🛏 Comfort	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
🤝 Hospitality	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent

Our host Jamal ran this one, and it’s the single best example on this list of hospitality doing more of the work than the building itself. Jamal was available on any occasion when we needed something.

• Bicycles included, useful for pottering round the local villages
• Genuinely exceptional value against everything else we found in the region
• A quiet base for the Tafraoute and Anti-Atlas area rather than a stopover

Worth knowing: you’ll still want a car for the wider Anti-Atlas – this is a base, not a hub you can walk everywhere from. It rewards a longer stay; book two or three nights rather than one if you can, so the surrounding villages and rock formations get their fair share of time.

China

Edinburgh Hostel, Zhangjiajie, China 📍 A23, Resettlement Area of Pengjiapu, Guanliping Community Residents’ Committee, Yongding

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▱ 4/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
❤️ Couple Factor	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
📍 Location	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
🛏 Comfort	▰▰▰▱▱	Good
🤝 Hospitality	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent

A budget base for Tianmen Mountain, and one where the welcome outstrips the facilities. Very friendly feeling in this place.

• Priced well below what the location and service would suggest
• Hosts who clearly enjoy having guests, not just processing them
• An easy walk or short ride to Tianmen Mountain

Worth knowing: it’s a hostel, not a hotel – expect simpler rooms and shared spaces. Fine for one or two nights built around the mountain; we wouldn’t plan a longer stay around it.

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Destination Youth Hostel, Zhangjiajie (Wulingyuan), China 📍 Wujiayukou, Jundi Road (near Zhangjiajie National Forest Park Wulingyuan Ticket Station), Wulingyuan 427000

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▱ 4/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
❤️ Couple Factor	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
📍 Location	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
🛏 Comfort	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
🤝 Hospitality	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent

Close enough to the Wulingyuan ticket station that we didn’t need transport on park mornings – worth booking here alone if you’re spending several days in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. The walk to the park entrance takes literary only 5 minutes. If not sure about direction – follow the crowd.

• About as close to the park entrance as you’ll find
• English-speaking staff who were genuinely helpful with routes and timing
• A sociable mix of international travellers passing through

Worth knowing: this is built around the national park, not city life – don’t expect much beyond that. If Zhangjiajie’s forest park is the reason for your visit, we’d book this again without hesitation.

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Dream in Fenghuang, Fenghuang Ancient Town, China 📍 No. 9, Lane 2, Huilongge, Gucheng Community, Fenghuang County, Xiangxi Prefecture 416200

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▰ 5/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
❤️ Couple Factor	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
📍 Location	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
🛏 Comfort	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
🤝 Hospitality	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent

The one place on this whole list we’d send someone without a single caveat attached. Staying inside the old town meant we were still walking its lanes after the day-trippers had gone, when the riverside lanterns are the only light on the water. Tea drinking with the host after his invitation was the moment I will never forget.

• Right inside Fenghuang Ancient Town, not a shuttle-ride away
• Private, comfortable rooms that didn’t feel like a compromise for the price
• Hosts who made the stay feel personal rather than transactional

Worth knowing: reaching it with luggage means a short walk through pedestrian lanes – there’s no pulling up outside. A minor trade for waking up inside the old town rather than commuting into it each morning.

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Aroma Tea House – Former Jing Guan Ming Lou Museum Hotel, Guilin, China 📍 No. 9 Ronghu Nan Road, Xiangshan, Guilin 541001

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▱▱ 3/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
❤️ Couple Factor	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
📍 Location	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
🛏 Comfort	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
🤝 Hospitality	▰▰▰▱▱	Good

A former museum building turned hotel, and the best European-style breakfast we had anywhere in China.

• Spacious rooms for the price
• A breakfast worth getting up for
• Handy for Guilin’s parks and lakes

Worth knowing: service here was fine, not memorable – competent rather than warm, which stood out precisely because so many other stays on this list weren’t. Good for a short Guilin stopover; we wouldn’t build a longer trip around it.

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Yangshuo Tea Cozy, Yangshuo, China 📍 No. 212 Xiatang Village, Baisha Town, Yangshuo

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▱ 4/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
❤️ Couple Factor	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
📍 Location	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
🛏 Comfort	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
🤝 Hospitality	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good

Set just outside Yangshuo town among the karst hills, this suited us better than staying centrally would have. Beautiful view from the room balcony.

• Quiet enough to actually notice the surrounding landscape
• Spacious rooms for the price point
• Well placed for exploring the countryside rather than the town itself

Worth knowing: you’ll want a bike, scooter or short taxi ride to reach the centre – it’s not walkable. Worth the trade if what you want from Yangshuo is the countryside rather than the town’s bar strip.

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SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund, Shanghai, China 📍 No. 839 Renmin Road, Huangpu, Shanghai

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▱ 4/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
❤️ Couple Factor	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
📍 Location	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
🛏 Comfort	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
🤝 Hospitality	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good

Central enough to reach The Bund and People’s Square on foot, with rooms that punched above the price. Spacious room especially given the location and very reasonable price.

• Genuinely central for a city this size
• Comfortable, well-finished rooms
• Strong value for a boutique stay in central Shanghai

Worth knowing: Shanghai is too big for any hotel location to cover everything – you’ll still be on the Metro or in taxis most days. A dependable base for a city break; we’d book it again on a return trip.

Croatia

Roko Apartments, Grebaštica (Šibenik), Croatia 📍 Donji Banovci 58, Grebaštica, Šibenik 22000

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▱ 4/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
❤️ Couple Factor	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
📍 Location	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
🛏 Comfort	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
🤝 Hospitality	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent

A family-run base in a small coastal village, with a rooftop pool that made up for the modest size of the rooms. The rooftop pool was of very good use while water in the sea was a bit cold.

• A quiet village setting, away from the busier Dalmatian resorts
• Hosts who felt genuinely pleased to have us there
• Rooftop pool with a proper sea view

Worth knowing: you’ll need a car to explore beyond Grebaštica itself – this is a base for day trips, not a destination you can walk everywhere from. Good value and a peaceful pace; the kind of place we’d return to for a slower stretch of a Croatia trip.

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Villa Masline, Sevid, Croatia 📍 43 Barbiščevica, Sevid 21222

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▰ 5/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
❤️ Couple Factor	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
📍 Location	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
🛏 Comfort	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
🤝 Hospitality	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent

A genuinely private villa in a village with almost nothing else going on – which was exactly the point. Beautiful view from the villa towards the bay at any time of the day and night.

• Space to properly spread out, rare for a villa at this price
• Hosts attentive without ever hovering
• A slower pace than anywhere else on this Croatia list

Worth knowing: Sevid has little in the way of nightlife or restaurants of its own – bring a car and expect to self-cater some evenings. If what you want is somewhere to properly switch off on the Dalmatian coast, this is our top pick from everywhere we’ve stayed there.

Tanzania

Hakuna Majiwe Beach Resort & Spa, Paje, Zanzibar, Tanzania 📍 Paje, South East Coast, Zanzibar

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▱ 4/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
❤️ Couple Factor	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
📍 Location	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
🛏 Comfort	▰▰▰▱▱	Good
🤝 Hospitality	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good

Right on Paje Beach, with kitesurfers visible from the sunbeds most mornings and the village a short walk away for anything the resort didn’t cover. We could walk to Paje either on the beach or road.

• A genuine beachfront position on one of Zanzibar’s best stretches
• Quiet compared with the busier resorts further north
• Paje village, with its own cafés and restaurants, within easy walking distance

Worth knowing: we ate in the village more often than at the resort’s own restaurant, which didn’t match the rest of the experience on value. Rooms were comfortable rather than a highlight – it’s the beach and setting doing the heavy lifting here, and they do it well.

United Kingdom (Scotland)

Apex City of Glasgow Hotel, Glasgow, Scotland 📍 110 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 2EN

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▱ 4/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
❤️ Couple Factor	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
📍 Location	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
🛏 Comfort	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
🤝 Hospitality	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good

A dependable city-centre base for a Glasgow weekend, or the first night of a Scottish road trip. A lively place.

• Genuinely central – shops, restaurants and sights all on foot
• Comfortable rooms for the price
• Paid parking a short walk away if you’re driving on

Worth knowing: there’s no on-site parking, and city-centre traffic noise comes with the territory. A reliable, unremarkable-in-a-good-way choice for a weekend break or a road trip’s starting point.

Car Hire

Road trips are at the heart of how we travel — slow, independent, off the main tourist routes – so the hire car matters more to us than it might to other travellers. We’ve collected cars everywhere from Agadir to the Croatian coast, and picked up a few hard-won lessons along the way.

Like our accommodation, most recent rentals have gone through DiscoverCars.com, with EconomyCarRentals.com our previous go-to before that. Occasionally we’ll book directly with a local operator, usually after a good experience or when there’s no better alternative.

What we’ve learned

• Read reviews of the local operator, not just the international brand. Standards vary between countries, and sometimes between branches of the same company — we’ve learned this the hard way more than once.
• Inspect and photograph the car before driving off. Every scratch and scuff matters. A short walk-around video before leaving the rental office now takes us a few minutes and has saved a longer argument later.
• Collect the car as early in the day as you can. Daylight makes a proper inspection possible. If collection happens after dark, make sure there’s enough light to document the car properly before signing anything.
• Match the car to the roads, not the badge. A small hatchback is fine on the Croatian coast; a bit of extra ground clearance earns its keep on the Anti-Atlas mountain roads. Neither situation calls for a brand-new SUV.

Morocco

Samicar, Agadir, Morocco

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▰ 5/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
🚗 Vehicle Condition	▰▰▰▱▱	Good
🤝 Customer Service	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
⚡ Collection & Return	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
📄 Transparency	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good

Delivered the car directly to our hotel in Agadir, with clear communication throughout. Return was also managed very well.

• Hotel delivery – no trek to a rental desk
• Responsive and professional before and during the rental
• Strong value against everything else we compared

Worth knowing: the car had clearly done some miles and showed it, though nothing that affected the drive. If anything, an older, less conspicuous car drew less attention at the roadside checks we passed through. One of the smoothest hire experiences we’ve had anywhere.

Croatia

Lastminute.com, Croatia

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▱▱ 3/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
🚗 Vehicle Condition	▰▰▰▱▱	Good
🤝 Customer Service	▰▰▰▱▱	Good
⚡ Collection & Return	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
📄 Transparency	▰▰▰▱▱	Average

Competitive pricing and an easy pickup, undone slightly by the return. Return was a bit too slow due to previous customer complaining about something.

• Good value for an Adriatic coast road trip
• Straightforward collection

Worth knowing: the return took longer than we expected, thanks to an unusually thorough damage inspection – build in extra time if you’re heading straight to a flight, and document the car more carefully than usual before you set off. We’d use them again, but with lower expectations of a quick handover at the end.

Bulgaria

CarRent, Sofia, Bulgaria

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▰ 5/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
🚗 Vehicle Condition	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
🤝 Customer Service	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
⚡ Collection & Return	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
📄 Transparency	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent

The only hire company on this list good enough that we booked directly with them the second time, skipping the comparison sites entirely. Always very friendly and professional staff.

• Free shuttle to and from the office at Sofia Airport
• Straightforward process for a cross-border trip into North Macedonia
• Clear, no-surprises pricing throughout

Worth knowing: crossing into North Macedonia meant buying a Green Card – €100 in our case, which felt like fair market rate. The car has to come back clean, but Sofia has plenty of self-service car washes; ours cost around €3 to leave spotless. Our benchmark for what a good regional hire company looks like.

eSIMs & Connectivity

Since we started travelling more independently, staying connected has become one of the first things we sort out after landing. Reliable data makes navigation, translation, payments and simply messaging a hotel or driver far easier, without hunting for Wi-Fi.

Whether we’re finding our way through Marrakesh, driving the Anti-Atlas or exploring back roads in rural China, dependable mobile data has become as essential as anything else on this list.

Our approach so far

• eSIM first, local SIM as backup, combined whenever it’s worth the extra step – reliable data plus a local number when we need one.
• A local number still matters in some places. WhatsApp covers most guesthouse and driver contact, but in China specifically, a local SIM can be the only way to reach certain services.
• Get connected early – ideally before collecting a hire car or meeting an airport transfer, not after. It removes a surprising amount of stress later on.
• Think about it as a couple, not two solo trips. Multi-device or shared-data plans are often better value than two separate packages – something most solo travel guides don’t mention.

Morocco

Local SIM card, Morocco

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▰ 5/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
📶 Coverage	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
⚡ Speed & Reliability	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
📲 Ease of Setup	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
✈️ Travel Convenience	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent

Bought and set up at the airport within minutes of landing. We used this after arrival in Marrakech airport.

• Widely available the moment you land
• Strong coverage across everywhere we drove
• Staff generally configure the phone for you on the spot

Worth knowing: bring your passport – it’s required to register. We haven’t yet tried an eSIM in Morocco instead, so can’t compare directly, but the local SIM route worked well enough that we’ve had no reason to look elsewhere.

China

We used both an eSIM and a local SIM in China, and the combination worked well: the eSIM kept us online the moment we landed, the local SIM unlocked services that needed a Chinese number.

Holafly eSIM, China

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▰ 5/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
📶 Coverage	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
⚡ Speed & Reliability	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
📲 Ease of Setup	▰▰▰▱▱	Good
✈️ Travel Convenience	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent

Live before we’d cleared the airport, with a built-in VPN that held up for the whole trip. This was the very first time we used eSIM in our travels after landing in Shanghai.

• Strong coverage right across the country
• The VPN worked consistently – not something to take for granted in China
• No need to track down a SIM card on arrival

Worth knowing: setup needs a bit of prep before you leave home, and we hit a snag extending our 15-day plan mid-trip – Holafly refunded it promptly once we were back, but it cost some time in the moment. Worth pairing with a local SIM if you need a Chinese phone number for anything.

Shanghai Telecom local SIM, China

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▰ 5/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
📶 Coverage	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
⚡ Speed & Reliability	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
📲 Ease of Setup	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
✈️ Travel Convenience	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent

Gave us a Chinese number alongside the eSIM’s data — useful for anything that wouldn’t work without one. Local number was needed, for example, to book a restaurant.

• Reliable data on top of a working local number
• Cheap top-ups when we needed more data
• Handy for local apps that expect a Chinese SIM

Worth knowing: the included data in our 15-day package was modest, so we topped up within the first few days – inexpensive and easy to do. Paired with the eSIM, this was the more complete of the two.

Croatia, Bulgaria & Other EU Countries

O2 EU Roaming

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▰▰ 5/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
📶 Coverage	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
⚡ Speed & Reliability	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
📲 Ease of Setup	▰▰▰▰▰	Outstanding
🌍 Travel Convenience	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent

Works the moment we cross a border, with zero setup – the low-effort option for multi-country trips. I would usually restart the phone upon arrival for roaming to work properly from the very beginning.

• No activation, no local SIM shopping
• Calls, texts and data all included in our monthly tariff
• Reliable across every EU country we’ve tested it in

Worth knowing: roaming allowances differ between providers and can change, so it’s worth checking before you travel, and heavy data use over a long trip can still hit the cap. Our default for years running, and still the benchmark against which we judge everything else here.

North Macedonia

Airalo eSIM, North Macedonia

🧭 T42 Vibe – Overall: ▰▰▰▱▱ 3/5

Category	Rating	Verdict
📶 Coverage	▰▰▰▱▱	Good
⚡ Speed & Reliability	▰▰▰▱▱	Good
💷 Value for Money	▰▰▰▰▱	Very Good
📲 Ease of Setup	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent
✈️ Travel Convenience	▰▰▰▰▰	Excellent

Quick to install and ready before we’d even landed, though the connection itself let us down more than once. It may have been because of local mobile network coverage issues rather than eSIM itself but still inconvenient.

• Genuinely easy setup, no shop visit required
• Fair pricing for what it offers

Worth knowing: we had several patches where the connection was unreliable – fine for light use, less so if you’re depending on it for navigation or video calls. For a future North Macedonia trip, we’d try a local SIM or a different eSIM provider instead of reaching for this one again.

A Note on How We Choose

Not every hotel, car hire company or connectivity provider we’ve used makes it onto this page. We only include the ones that genuinely impressed us – or, occasionally, the ones that stood out for the wrong reasons and are worth approaching with a little caution.

Where we can, we give a T42 Vibe score reflecting our own experience: subjective, out of five, and no apology for either of those things.

Accommodation scores weigh comfort, location, hospitality, value for money and how the stay felt as a couple. Car hire scores weigh vehicle condition, customer service, transparency, value for money and how straightforward collection and return actually were. Connectivity scores weigh coverage, reliability, ease of setup, travel convenience and value for money – because staying connected has become just as important as choosing the right hotel or hire car.

We’ll keep adding to this page as we go – only ever with places and services that have genuinely earned it.

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Travel for Two – from wild roads to romantic evenings

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About the Author & Travel Philosophy

The author, ainarsbl, is a Level 7 Google Local Guide, Master Reviewer and Expert Photographer with over 1,000 contributions, 200 reviews and 600 photos. His focus is on discovering scenic landscapes, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, cities and meaningful travel experiences for couples. Learn more about the Travel42.uk authors and our approach to exploring the planet together.