eSIM for travel: the discreet digital passport
Using a local data eSIM to travel without exposing your home number, comparing the options, managing the residual risks.
Last reviewed January 8, 2026 Exposed
04 / 06
Connectivity
VPN, public Wi-Fi, DNS, eSIM: what was sold to you vs what actually protects you.
Connectivity is the area where marketing has done the most damage to public discourse. NordVPN “protecting your online identity”, public Wi-Fi presented as a deadly trap, DNS as an invisible detail. All of this deserves an honest examination.
This axis breaks down what each network layer actually protects, where HTTPS changed the game, where a VPN still serves a purpose (and where it does not), how to harden your DNS without illusion, and how eSIM transforms travel connectivity management.
-
-
DNS: the link no one hardens
Why cleartext DNS queries are an underestimated surveillance vector, and how to enable DoH or DoT in 10 minutes. Quad9, NextDNS, Mullvad, self-hosted: who does what.
Last reviewed February 1, 2026 General -
Public Wi-Fi: reasonable paranoia
The real risk level in 2025, what changed with ubiquitous HTTPS, and the good practices that remain relevant.
Last reviewed January 25, 2026 General -
VPN: 95% of the marketing is false
What a VPN really protects, what it doesn't, and how to choose the right one for the right use.
Last reviewed February 20, 2026 General