Why Your Internet Feels Slow Abroad (and 10 Quick Fixes That Actually Work)

Why your internet feels slow abroad

When you’re abroad, slow internet usually isn’t about your phone “being old” or you “having bad luck.” It’s almost always one of these:

• Network congestion (airports, malls, stadiums, tourist hotspots)

• Weak signal indoors (thick walls, elevators, basements)

• Your phone choosing the wrong network band for the location

• Background apps eating your data and bandwidth

• VPN / Private Relay / security tools slowing traffic

• Misconfigured roaming or APN settings

• Your plan throttling speed after a limit (fair usage caps)

Good news: most of the time, you can fix it in minutes.

First: quick 30-second diagnosis

Before you change anything, ask yourself:

1. Is it slow everywhere or only in one spot?
   If it’s only slow in your hotel room but fine outside, it’s likely signal or Wi-Fi placement.

2. Is it slow for everything or only one app?
   If TikTok is slow but Maps works, it may be the app, background data, or VPN behavior.

3. Is it slow on Wi-Fi and mobile data?
   If both are slow, it could be your phone settings or the local network itself.

Now let’s fix it.

10 quick fixes that actually work

1) Toggle Airplane Mode (the “reconnect” hack)

This forces your phone to drop and re-register to the nearest tower.

Do this:

• Turn Airplane Mode ON for 10–15 seconds

• Turn it OFF

• Wait 10 seconds and test again

This fixes a shocking number of “stuck on a bad tower” issues.

2) Restart your phone (yes, seriously)

Not the most exciting advice, but it clears network processes and resets connections.

If you’ve been moving between locations all day, a restart can instantly improve stability.

3) Turn off VPN (or pause it for 5 minutes)

VPNs can add latency, slow routing, and sometimes break local app performance.

Test quickly:

• Turn VPN OFF

• Run a speed test or try your upload again

• If it improves, keep VPN off for streaming/uploads, then turn it back on for sensitive tasks

If you’re using iPhone features like iCloud Private Relay, temporarily disabling it can also improve speed in some locations.

4) Switch between 5G and 4G manually

Sometimes 5G is available but unstable. 4G can be faster and more reliable.

Try this:

• If on 5G, switch to 4G/LTE

• If on 4G, switch to 5G Auto

• Test after each switch

This is especially useful in crowded areas where 5G is congested or weak indoors.

5) Choose a network manually (stop auto-network selection)

When “Automatic” picks a partner network that’s technically available but practically slow, manual selection can help.

Do this:

• Settings → Mobile/Cellular → Network Selection

• Turn Automatic OFF

• Try a different network from the list

• Test speed for 1–2 minutes

If one network is congested, another can feel instantly better.

6) Disable Low Power Mode (it can reduce performance)

Low Power Mode is great for battery, but it can limit background activity and sometimes affect how aggressively apps sync and upload.

If you’re about to upload content, do a call, or stream:

• Turn Low Power Mode OFF

• Upload

• Turn it back on after

7) Stop background apps from eating your bandwidth

Cloud photo backups, app updates, and auto-sync can quietly slow everything down.

Quick wins:

• Pause iCloud/Google Photos backup while you upload important content

• Turn off App Store / Play Store auto-updates

• Close apps that aggressively refresh (video, social, drive apps)

If your upload suddenly becomes smooth, background activity was the culprit.

8) Clear Wi-Fi issues: “Forget” the network and reconnect

Hotel Wi-Fi often looks strong but has login portals, device limits, or weak routers.

Do this:

• Forget the Wi-Fi network

• Reconnect

• Re-enter password

• Open a browser to trigger any login page

Bonus: if your hotel has both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, try both. 5GHz is often faster but shorter range.

9) Reset network settings (when nothing else works)

This is the “big hammer” that fixes deep connection glitches.

Warning: It clears saved Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth pairings.

• iPhone: Settings → General → Transfer/Reset → Reset → Reset Network Settings

• Android: Settings → System → Reset options → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth

Do this if your phone behaves weirdly on multiple networks, not just one place.

10) Make sure roaming and APN settings are correct

This depends on whether you’re using your home SIM, a local SIM, or a travel eSIM.

Check:

• Is Data Roaming enabled if required for your setup? (many travel eSIM setups need it ON to work)

• Is your APN set correctly (some providers auto-configure, some need manual settings)

• Did you hit a data cap that triggers throttling?

If you’re on a travel eSIM and it’s slow, re-check the setup instructions and confirm the eSIM is selected for mobile data.

If it’s still slow: it might not be you

Sometimes the network is genuinely overloaded where you are.

Common situations:

• Airports and transit hubs

• Concerts, stadiums, festivals

• Downtown tourist areas at peak hours

• Underground areas (metro, basement malls)

• Older hotels with overloaded routers

In those cases, the “fix” is to switch networks, move 20 meters, or avoid public Wi-Fi and use a more stable connection option.

The smarter travel move: don’t depend on one flaky network

If you travel often, the real solution isn’t memorizing hacks. It’s having a connection setup that’s reliable enough that you rarely need them.

A travel eSIM like Virgin Connect Roam is designed for exactly this. Quick activation, no SIM hunting, and a smoother experience than relying on whatever public Wi-Fi you happen to find.

Quick checklist you can screenshot

• Airplane Mode ON/OFF

• Restart phone

• VPN OFF test

• Switch 5G ↔ 4G

• Manual network selection

• Low Power Mode OFF for uploads

• Pause photo backups and updates

• Forget Wi-Fi and reconnect

• Reset network settings

• Check roaming/APN/data cap

FAQs

Why is my internet slower abroad than at home?
Different network partners, congestion, signal strength, and plan limits can all affect performance.

Should I use hotel Wi-Fi or mobile data?
For reliability and security, mobile data is often better. For large downloads, Wi-Fi can help if it’s stable and trusted.

Does a VPN slow internet?
It can. It adds routing overhead and sometimes reduces speed depending on server location and network quality.