(Northern) Summer in our sights

The summer of 2026 in the Northern Hemisphere is just beginning . . . and a new survey predicts it is going to be a big one.

Holafly, which supplies eSIMs for phones, had the global survey of 3048 travellers across “multiple markets” conducted in May 2026.

And its 2026 Summer Travel and eSIM Report found that (for June to August):

+ 82 per cent of respondents plan to travel this northern summer, up from 73 per cent who actually did in 2025.

+ 46 per cent of those planned trips are international, compared to 37.6 per cent last summer.

TECH TURN-ONS

Of course, Holafly has a particular interest in how those travellers will use technology — and found that 28 per cent plan to use an eSIM this summer, up from the 19 per cent who actually did last year.

Maybe the “eSIM fog” is finally clearing and we’re working them out with more confidence. Most current phones have an eSIM built into them, so all you have to do is subscribe to a plan and activate it (rather than fiddling around taking that tiny micro SIM in and out with a paperclip).

The report finds: “eSIM is now the single most popular stated connectivity choice among travellers planning to go exclusively abroad at 38.9 per cent, outranking roaming at 32.6 per cent.

“Local SIM cards and wi-fi-only access are both expected to decline.

“The redistribution of the connectivity market is happening faster than last year’s actuals implied it would.”

PLACES CALLING

+ The top five cities in travellers’ sights are Paris, London, Tokyo, New York and Berlin, in that order.

+ But traveller focus on Asia is surging, with particular interest in Japan and South Korea.