77% of international travelers feel freer to explore thanks to a data connection.

Airalo, the world's largest travel eSIM platform, today released its 2026 Global Travel Safety Report, a study conducted by YouGov among 4,527 international travelers. Overwhelmingly, the findings show that a stable internet connection has quietly become modern international travelers' primary safety tool.

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Airalo Global Travel Safety Report Infographic

Airalo’s report found that 80% of international travelers believe mobile data is essential for staying safe while abroad, a figure that rose to 86% among women and 83% among LGBTQIA+ people. These findings were consistent with a general identity gap that showed up throughout the report. Additionally, international travelers who reported higher levels of travel anxiety, due to their gender, age, or personal identity, were also more likely to positively weight the impact a stable internet connection had on staying safe in those same situations.

Beyond creating a virtual safety net, a reliable data connection allows international travelers to explore freely. 77% of respondents said that a stable internet connection gave them a better sense of freedom to explore further off the tourist trail, while 57% would visit a riskier destination. These figures were even more stark for LGBTQIA+ people, 82% and 60% respectively.

“Gone are the days of wandering a foreign city hoping you'd find your way back before dark, or crossing your fingers and trusting a stranger's directions,” said Elyce Behrsin, spokesperson for Airalo. "Today, connectivity helps travelers get back to their hotels safely, catch a taxi or rideshare, and feel free to wander further. Data isn't just for staying in touch or finding the best restaurant anymore; it's an essential safety tool that gives travelers the confidence to take on the unfamiliar.”

"Across every market, one thing stood out: a sense of safety isn't experienced universally; it depends on who you are," said Manel Vera, spokesperson from YouGov. "Women told us that traveling alone, or simply being out at night, changes how safe they feel in ways men don't experience as strongly. We saw the same divide between younger and older travelers, for opposite reasons: inexperience versus a loss of independence, especially when it comes to handling payments or to getting home safely. For LGBTQIA+ travelers, it goes further still; their sense of safety is shaped by who they are in almost any situation, not just one moment."

About the study

Airalo's Global Travel Safety study was commissioned by Airalo and conducted by YouGov among 4,527 international travelers across nine markets: the United States (502), Germany (503), Canada (500), the United Kingdom (501), Italy (504), France (509), Australia (502), Brazil (502) and Mexico (504). All respondents had traveled abroad within the past two years. Samples were made representative by gender, age and region within each market. Fieldwork dates were July 7-16, 2026 for the United States and Germany, and Aug. 5-24, 2026 for Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Australia, Brazil and Mexico.

About Airalo

Founded in 2019, Airalo is the world's leading travel eSIM platform, trusted by more than 30 million travelers across 200+ destinations. We don't just connect people to mobile networks, but to the places, people, and moments that make travel worthwhile. We build the technology that removes the last remaining friction from global movement, so travelers can arrive anywhere and belong instantly. Our fully remote team of 400+ people lives by the same borderless philosophy we built into our product.

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