Hello readers! James here. If you know me, you know I'm a proud Londoner — but I've always nursed a burning desire for a proper, old-school American road trip. This year, I finally made it happen. I booked the flights, packed my bags, and decided to tackle the icons: New York, the Grand Canyon, and San Francisco.
But let's be real — the biggest headache of international travel isn't the packing; it's the connectivity. The thought of hunting for local SIM cards at airport kiosks, or worse, coming home to a mobile bill that costs more than my flight, was stressing me out.
Then I found YeSIM, and honestly, it changed everything. I grabbed a prepaid USA eSIM data plan before I even left the UK. No faffing about at airport kiosks. I installed the profile on my iPhone in seconds — and the moment we touched down in New York? Boom. Instant 4G. It was brilliant.
Covers the USA, Canada and Mexico with flexible daily data passes. Install the profile at home before you fly — data activates the moment you land, no kiosks, no queues, no bill shock.
Get the YeSIM North America eSIM →Affiliate link — we earn a small commission at no cost to you. James used this eSIM throughout his trip and recommends it based on his own experience.
You can't visit the States without saying hello to Lady Liberty. I hopped on the ferry from Battery Park, the wind in my hair and the iconic Manhattan skyline receding behind me. Seeing the Statue of Liberty in person is humbling — she is colossal. A gift from France in 1886 to celebrate the American centennial, and she still stops you in your tracks nearly 140 years later.
Keeping the connection
People told me the signal on Liberty Island is rubbish, and they were right — everyone around me was struggling to load anything. But my YeSIM connection held strong. I was able to post a story instantly and even video-call my sister back in London. Standing there as the sun began to dip, casting the whole harbour in deep gold, was one of those moments you want to share in real time — and I could.
That golden-hour lighting at Liberty Island — captured and posted live thanks to a YeSIM connection that held when everyone else's didn't.
YeSIM connects to AT&T in New York. Solid 4G LTE throughout Manhattan and Battery Park. Liberty Island had weak native coverage for most carriers — YeSIM held data well enough for photo uploads and a video call, which was more than most visitors managed.
Next, I headed west. Nothing prepares you for the Grand Canyon. It is staggering — 277 miles long, and when you stand on the rim, it's like looking at two billion years of the Earth's history exposed in layers of red and orange rock. The Colorado River carves through the bottom of it, 1.6 kilometres below your feet, looking like a thin silver thread.
Mastering the offline adventure
I hiked the South Rim, soaking in the views. Now, this is a place where you want to disconnect and just absorb the silence. But navigating the trails is another story entirely. Trail markers can be sparse, distances are deceptive, and the canyon is famously unforgiving to anyone who underestimates it.
This is where planning ahead with my YeSIM saved me. I used my data earlier that morning — while I still had strong signal at the visitor centre — to pre-download highly detailed trail maps. Once I was miles from the rim with zero active cell service, I always knew exactly where I was. Others around me were lost, trying to find trail markers in the scrub. I just checked my phone.
"The Canyon doesn't care about your roaming plan. But it does care whether you've downloaded your maps. YeSIM gave me the data to do that before I needed it — which is the whole point."
— James, South Rim, Grand Canyon
You can just make me out on the edge, arms wide. The scale is genuinely impossible to describe — every photo lies about how big it is.
AT&T 4G at the South Rim visitor centre and main viewpoints — strong enough to download offline maps and trail data before you set off. No signal inside the canyon itself or on more remote trail sections, which is entirely expected. The move is to prep your maps before you hike in, not to rely on live data mid-trail.
My final stop: San Francisco, home of the impossibly orange Golden Gate Bridge. I knew exactly how I wanted to experience this art deco masterpiece — I rented a bicycle and decided to pedal the entire 1.7-mile span.
It was absolutely exhilarating. The wind was whipping across the bay, 220 feet above the water. Seeing the massive 746-foot towers up close — knowing they support 80,000 miles of wire cable — is just wild. The kind of engineering that makes you feel small in the best possible way.
A high-speed connection at high altitude
Halfway across, I paused (and held onto my phone very tightly!) to admire the view of Alcatraz and the city skyline. And once again, YeSIM came through. I used the fast 4G LTE connection to video-call my mates back home in London — showing them the view in real time from the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge. That was one of the highlights of the whole trip. Seeing their faces when they realised where I was standing made every mile of the journey worth it.
Pure joy — cycling the Golden Gate on a perfect afternoon. Video-calling London from the middle of the bridge via YeSIM 4G was a highlight of the whole trip.
AT&T 5G across most of the city, strong 4G LTE throughout. The Golden Gate Bridge itself had solid 4G mid-span — enough for a live video call with no buffering, which is all the proof of coverage you need.
Final thoughts: don't travel to the USA without it
This trip was a dream come true, from sea to shining sea. The Statue of Liberty at golden hour. The Grand Canyon at sunrise. The Golden Gate from the seat of a bicycle. Three icons, one country, memories I'll carry for the rest of my life.
Looking back, the peace of mind that my YeSIM eSIM provided was genuinely essential to the experience. I never had to stress about data limits, hunt for public Wi-Fi, or worry about hidden fees appearing on my bill when I got home. It was dead reliable and completely hassle-free — which meant I could focus entirely on the adventure rather than the logistics.
The setup couldn't have been easier. I bought the plan before leaving the UK, scanned the QR code, and forgot about it entirely until I landed in New York and my phone just worked. That's the whole point of an eSIM done right.
If your phone is unlocked and you're planning a trip to the States, I cannot recommend YeSIM enough. Grab their North America plan and stay connected wherever your itinerary takes you — whether that's a 5G signal in Midtown, a video call from a suspension bridge, or a pre-downloaded trail map in the middle of the desert.
Cheerio, and happy travels!
— James, London, June 2026
Flexible daily data across the USA, Canada and Mexico. Install before you fly — no airport kiosks, no roaming bills, no drama. Also available as a global plan if your adventure goes further.
Get YeSIM North America →Affiliate link — eSIMs.asia earns a small commission. James used this eSIM throughout his trip independently of eSIMs.asia — this is his own recommendation.
