A road trip across the US runs on data more than most people expect. Navigation streams map tiles and live traffic for hours at a time, passengers stream playlists and shows between stops, and someone is always booking the next motel or checking a trail closure. Choose a prepaid data plan for your road trip with the right allowance and hotspot data, and the car stays connected from the first fuel stop to the last scenic overlook.
What a Day on the Road Uses
Every trip is different, but these rough figures help you size an allowance before you set off.
| Activity | Approximate data |
|---|---|
| Turn-by-turn navigation, six hours of driving | Around 30MB to 60MB |
| Music streaming, four hours | Around 150MB to 600MB |
| Passengers streaming video on a tablet, two hours | Around 2GB to 6GB |
| Uploading a day’s photos and short clips | Around 300MB to 1GB |
| Searching for food, fuel and places to stay | Around 100MB to 200MB |
The navigation itself is light. What drains an allowance is entertainment for passengers and uploading content in the evening. A couple driving a scenic loop for a week may use 8GB to 12GB, while a family with tablets in the back seat can pass 25GB in the same time.
Three Kinds of Road Trip
The Long Weekend Drive
A three or four day loop, such as the Pacific Coast Highway or a drive through New England in the autumn, mostly needs maps, music and photo sharing. Two people with phones only will rarely go past a mid-sized allowance, and hotspot data is a bonus rather than a need.
The Family Summer Trip
Two weeks between national parks with children in the back seat changes everything. Tablets need a hotspot connection, downloads happen between stops, and the allowance has to cover several devices at once. This is where hotspot data matters as much as phone data.
The Cross-Country Drive
Coast to coast, or a month living out of a camper van, calls for unlimited data with a generous hotspot allowance. Long days at the wheel, evenings planning the next leg and a laptop for any remote work all add up.
Whichever of these sounds like your trip, count the devices that will need a connection, not just the phones. A tablet for the children or a laptop for an evening of planning is what turns a modest allowance into a large one, and it is the hotspot figure that decides whether that works.
The Plans, Mapped to the Trip
All four options include unlimited nationwide talk and text and calls and texts to 100 countries, with 5G data and no contract. Here is how their road trip data allowances line up.
| Plan | Data | Hotspot | Price per 30 days | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $33 High Data Plan | 18GB | 10GB | $33, now $7.50 for 6 months | Long weekend drives |
| $39 Unlimited International Plan | 25GB | 10GB | $39, no promo | Couples on a two week trip |
| Unlimited Plus | Unlimited, full speed for the first 50GB | 15GB | $49, now $18 for 9 months | Family summer trips |
| Unlimited Pro | Unlimited | 25GB | $59, now $29.50 for 6 months | Cross-country and van life |
Two details are worth knowing. Unlimited Plus also includes 5GB of roaming data for Mexico and Canada, which is handy if your route crosses the border into Baja, Vancouver or Niagara. And at its current promo price, six months of renewals on the $33 High Data Plan come to $45 in total.
Packing List for a Connected Car
- A car charger or USB cable for every phone, since navigation and hotspot use drain batteries quickly.
- A phone mount on the dashboard, so the driver never has to hold a phone for directions.
- A saved list of fuel stops and places to stay for each leg, so the evening search for a bed takes minutes.
- A hotspot password that only your group knows, set before you leave the driveway.
- A note of your plan renewal date, so your data does not run out in the middle of a trip.
Before You Turn the Key
Match the plan to the journey: 18GB for a long weekend of maps and music, 25GB for a couple on a longer trip, Unlimited Plus for families sharing a hotspot and Unlimited Pro for cross-country drives with a laptop on board. Each one is a no contract hotspot plan for car travel you can switch up or down between trips.
All four plans come from Lyca Mobile. Still choosing your route? Browse scenic drives and stop-off ideas on Onthevacation.
