Top 10 US Cities Indians Visit Most & How to Stay Connected

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Traveling to the US from India is a wonderful journey, whether on vacation, visiting relatives, touring universities, or attending business meetings. However, traveling across American cities and time zones requires high-speed mobile data. Most Indian telecom operators impose high international roaming rates, while buying physical SIM cards at the airport wastes time. With a travel eSIM activated in the US, travelers will have uninterrupted 5G internet the moment they land. 

Understand your bandwidth needs, and securing an eSIM USA before takeoff ensures instant, high-speed 5G connectivity the moment your plane touches down. 

Why Roaming Your Home Indian Number is a Bad Idea 

Even though you should leave your Indian SIM active on minimal standby to get SMS alerts and bank OTP, you should avoid depending on Jio, Airtel or Vi for daily calls or data services in the USA. 

• High Costs: International roaming or IR packs of Indian telecom providers are always unreasonably priced. For example, a typical IR pack comes at a price of ₹2500-₹4000, while the data limit might be less than 5GB-12GB.  
• Extreme Data Limits and Sluggishness: After exceeding the daily/monthly roaming limit, the data becomes so slow that it can hardly be used on a phone, which is particularly troubling if you rely on GPS or ride-hailing services. 
• Horrible Pay-As-You-Go Charges: Depending on how the IR pack works, you might end up paying as much as ₹50-₹100 per megabyte while roaming in a foreign country, leading to an exorbitant bill that may reach a staggering amount, dozens of thousands of rupees. 
• High Cost of Call Rates: Making any local calls in the US (such as contacting a hotel, restaurant, or Uber driver) and making calls home while roaming will drain your talk time limit quickly. Incoming or outgoing call charges while roaming can be very high. 

Understanding Travel Data Usage in the USA 

To avoid running out of data in the middle of your trip, you will need to estimate the data consumption based on your travel plans: 

• Light Data Use (1GB – 2GB / Week): Use of Google Maps for navigation, performing occasional web searches, checking e-mail, and using WhatsApp. 
• Moderate Data Use (3GB – 7GB / Week): Daily posting on social media, using GPS for navigation every day, streaming music through Spotify, and making occasional video calls back home. 
• Heavy Data Use (10GB+ / Week): Posting travel videos in 4K resolution, streaming HD videos on YouTube while traveling, hot spotting through the laptop, and regular high-definition video calls to family members. 

Top 10 US Cities Visited by Indian Travelers 

1. New York City, New York 

• Main Attractions: Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Central Park, and Broadway. Get an authentic South Asian meal in Jackson Heights or on Lexington Avenue. 
• Data Usage: Moderate to High. Live apps (MTA Subway) and frequent uploads of pictures/videos require around 1GB to 2GB of data daily. 

2. San Francisco, California 

• Main Attractions: Golden Gate Bridge, Disneyland, Alcatraz Island, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Cable Cars. Take day trips to Napa Valley or Muir Woods. 
• Data Usage: Moderate. Continuous GPS navigation through city streets and booking ferry trips require a moderate amount of data. 

3. Los Angeles, California 

• Main Attractions: Universal Studios Hollywood, the Santa Monica Pier, the Hollywood sign, Rodeo Drive, and the Griffith Observatory. 
• Data Usage: Heavy. The huge LA highways make driving difficult without any kind of navigation apps, as Google Maps is always needed. 

4. Chicago, Illinois  

• Landmarks & Experiences: Millennium Park (The Bean), Willis Tower Skydeck, Navy Pier, and Chicago River Architecture Cruises.  
• Data Need: Moderate. City mapping, ticket checking and searching for deep-dish pizza places.  

5. Washington, D.C.  

• Landmarks & Experiences: The White House, US Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, and Smithsonian Museums with free entrance.  
• Data Need: Light to moderate. Walking navigation of the National Mall and digital museum guides.  

6. Orlando, Florida  

• Landmarks & Experiences: Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and Kennedy Space Centre.  
• Data Need: Heavy. Theme Park mobile apps that check for ride wait times and facilitate the order process of food.  

7. Las Vegas, Nevada  

• Landmarks & Experiences: The Las Vegas Strip, Bellagio Fountain, Fremont Street, and Grand Canyon helicopter tour.  
• Data Need: Moderate. Live streaming of street shows and an app for group coordination. 

8. Boston, Massachusetts 

• Points of Interest: Freedom Trail, Harvard University and MIT campuses, Quincy Market, and Fenway Park.  
• Data Requirement: Moderate. Campus navigation, transit monitoring, and calling back home. 

9. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas 

• Points of Interest: Fort Worth Stockyards, Reunion Tower, and Dealey Plaza. 
• Data Requirement: Moderate. Navigation on major highways and finding dining options.  

10. Seattle, Washington 

• Points of Interest: Space Needle, Pike Place Market, MoPOP, and Washington State Ferries. 
• Data Requirement: Moderate. Tracking ferry schedules, navigating the city, and backing up videos in the cloud. 

Why a Travel eSIM is the Superior Choice 

In comparison to old physical SIM cards or expensive international roaming, getting an eSIM in the USA for tourists is far more advantageous for Indian tourists.  

• Maintain Your Indian Number Active for OTPs: With modern dual SIM smartphones, you can keep your physical Indian SIM card or eSIM alive on a cheap standby. You will receive important banking messages such as SMS alerts, OTPs, and WhatsApp verifications without having to use the heavy 5G data plan.  
• Breeze through Airport SIM queues: After a tedious 15–20-hour-long flight, waiting in queues at US entry points can be daunting and exhausting. There are eSIM tourist plans for the USA that can be activated instantly through QR code scanning while still in India.  
• Direct International Calling: Premium travel plans offer the advantage of direct calling to family and friends in India from their mobile phone’s dialer.  
• Zero Physical Chip: There is no need to handle the tiny plastic chips anymore or use an ejector pin while travelling. 

How to Set Up Your US eSIM Before Takeoff 

• Assess Compatibility: Verify that your mobile device is unlocked from the carrier and is compatible with eSIM technology (for instance, if you possess an iPhone 11 or later versions). 
• Purchase Before Travel: Order your eSIM for India or a Travel eSIM for the USA Online while you are in India to obtain the activation QR code via email. 
• Scan & Install: Connect to your Wi-Fi network at home in India and search for Settings > Cellular Data > Add eSIM, where you can add eSIM options after scanning the relevant QR code. 
• Set Dual SIM Preferences: Set your Indian SIM as the primary SIM for receiving calls and messages from your bank and select your US eSIM as the default SIM for data usage. 
• Activate on Arrival: Enable data roaming on your eSIM when you arrive in the USA at the airport and get connected immediately. 

Whatever the way you travel, the decision of which unlimited data plan to choose relies on identifying the duration of your trip and determining your requirements. By selecting an eSIM tailored to your travel plan and saving long-term, you can bypass the airport SIM queues and not worry about international roaming fees while being able to enjoy uninterrupted high-quality 5G connectivity right after you arrive in the USA.