eSIM North America

eSIM Travel Tips for North America

1. 01

   Sort your eSIM before leaving New Zealand

   Buy and install your HelloRoam North America eSIM at home in New Zealand before flying. You land at LAX, JFK, or Vancouver already connected. No airport SIM queue, no trying to find a carrier store in an unfamiliar city on day one.

2. 02

   US national parks have very limited coverage

   US national parks including Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Zion, Yosemite, and Glacier have minimal or no mobile coverage inside park boundaries. Download offline maps and park guides for Google Maps or Maps.me before you enter. GPS works without signal on downloaded maps, which is useful for hiking trails.

3. 03

   Hawaii has excellent coverage across all main islands

   Hawaii's main islands (Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai) are well-covered by T-Mobile and AT&T with strong 4G in resort areas, main towns, and along coastal roads. Remote interior valleys and the summit areas of Haleakala and Mauna Kea have more limited signal.

4. 04

   Canada's wilderness areas have no signal

   Canada's national parks including Banff, Jasper, and Algonquin have coverage in main towns but limited signal in the backcountry. The Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut are almost entirely without coverage outside of settlements. Download all maps and emergency contacts before any remote Canadian adventure.

5. 05

   Mexico's Yucatan resorts are well-connected

   Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and the Riviera Maya are well-covered by Telcel 4G. Chichen Itza and Merida are also covered. Remote Yucatan jungle cenotes and inland areas away from main tourist routes have more limited signal.

6. 06

   US road trip note: highways vary widely

   Major US interstate highways near cities have excellent coverage. Remote stretches of Route 66, Highway 1 through Big Sur, and desert highways in Nevada and Utah can have long gaps between towers. Download offline navigation for any extended US road trip and do not rely on live Google Maps in remote areas.

7. 07

   Emergency numbers in North America

   911 is the universal emergency number across the USA, Canada, and Mexico. It connects you to police, fire, and ambulance in all three countries. Works from any active eSIM even with no data balance. Save 911 before your trip.