International roaming
Your home carrier keeps serving the same SIM while you are abroad and bills according to its roaming package or pay-as-you-go rules. The advantage is simplicity: your normal number and carrier relationship stay unchanged.
Travel eSIM
A separate digital SIM provides mobile data through partner networks in the destination. You choose the allowance and validity before travel and can keep the home SIM active separately on compatible phones.
Cost control
A prepaid travel eSIM gives you a fixed purchase price and data allowance. Roaming can also be predictable when your carrier sells a defined travel pass, but pay-as-you-go roaming can be harder to control.
Convenience and phone number
Carrier roaming wins when you want everything to work exactly as it does at home. A data-only travel eSIM is attractive when internet access matters more than traditional voice and SMS.
Which should you choose?
Compare the total price for your specific destination and trip length. Also consider whether you need your regular phone number for calls, whether hotspot matters, and how much data you expect to use.
On a dual-SIM phone, you can keep the home SIM for your normal number and use the travel eSIM only for mobile data.