Ernest Adu, simply known as Adu, is an avid traveler and the founder of Aduable OÜ, established in Estonia, and runs Phone Travel Wiz. His website has been viewed more than 1.4 million times.
Hey, I am Adu!
“Hi, it's Adu from Phone Travel Wiz here,” while waving at the camera is something you will hear and see in every video of mine that I post on my YouTube channel. It has been a signature pose of mine since back in my vlogging days (you will not find my old vlogs – they are all private now ;) )
Well, I am Ernest Adu, but I like to go by just Adu because it is easy to say for everyone around the world. Plus, it is short and just a cool name.
I am 24, and I have been traveling since I was 16, although my first proper trip abroad was when I was 11. More about that later.
The Latest Articles
I write about everything related to traveling with your phone. Buying local prepaid SIM cards, reviewing local SIM cards, international SIM cards, international roaming, mobile hotspots, phone travel tips/tricks/hacks – if it has something to do with your phone, then you know that it will be covered here!
- Buying a SIM Card at Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) Guide
Looking to buy a SIM Card at Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Indonesia? Here is an in-depth buying guide covering the options, prices & recommendations. Read now! - Buying a SIM Card at Bali-Denpasar International Airport (DPS) GuideLooking to buy a SIM Card at Denpasar (Bali)-I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Indonesia? Here is an in-depth buying guide covering the options, prices & recommendations. Read now!
- Buying a SIM Card at Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP) Guide
Looking to buy a SIM Card at Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport in Spain? Here is an in-depth buying guide covering the options, prices & recommendations. Read now!
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Adu's Personal Story
Raised and born in the Netherlands in a city called Breda, I have always been interested in exploring more of the world.
Of course, when small and young, you do not have the funds and resources to go out and travel, so it was mainly an unrealized dream.
The movie Coming to America was a long favorite of mine where Eddie Murphy (playing as Prince Akeem Joffer) and Arsenio Hall (playing as Semmi, Akeem's friend), who are wealthy individuals from Zamunda (fictional), go to the United States for the first time to celebrate Akeem Joffer’s 21st birthday.
You probably have seen the movie plenty of times (so have I), and I was just amazed about how cool New York looked like – much different than Breda!
But there was an issue… I was scared of flying. Like, really afraid – terrified. I know, I know – flying is the safest mode of transportation out there, but I always argued that the chance of surviving a car crash is higher than a plane falling down from the sky.
Yes – I was that irrational kid.
Together with two peers of mine in primary school, I was selected to take part in a television show called Energy Survival, which took place in Norway.
Yes! I was going to be famous!
But… we would go by plane because driving from the Netherlands to Norway would take ages, and the ferry was too expensive.
So, I had an issue.
Two weeks before departing, I was so excited about this trip but also terrified.
Excited about being filmed and being a TV star. Terrified of flying.
In fact, I barely slept for those two weeks before departing. I wonder how I managed to survive!
The day came, and… the flight was fine! No turbulence, clear skies, and no problems in general.
I even thought taking off was the most fun part. Landing, however, was a bit scarier, but I managed.
My first flight with Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) was a success!
Although my first proper holiday was a success, I still did not have the means to go out traveling, mainly because (1) I was still in high school and (2) I did not have the money to go out traveling, so I put by travel dreams on hold for a while.
In primary school, I had a great friend called Liam. We went to the same high school.
He invited me to join him on two holidays; one to Turkey (by plane – yikes) and one to Italy (by car, much better!).
This reignited my want to travel again.
So, traveling is fun – that is a fact. But what about solo travel? That is not something I had done yet.
Well, while in high school, I was a HUGE Call of Duty fan back in high school. You could say I was addicted to it (to be honest, I was, but sshh.).
I met a cool guy called Sam on Xbox. After playing games with him for more than a year, I decided to visit him in the UK (do not worry – he was a kid himself, and his mom approved of me visiting them).
This would be my FIRST SOLO FLIGHT ever – at the age of 16 back in 2014 (UK border patrol were wondering why I was traveling alone, ha!)
Just like with Norway, I was terrified. I barely slept two weeks before departing.
The day came, I checked in, waited for my EasyJet flight, hopped on and… it was actually fun!
Seriously, I thought flying was fun for once – third time is a charm, they say.
Now, I knew that I could go visiting more exotic places around the world.
In 2015, I made it a goal to be abroad at least once a month. Greece, UK, France, Germany, Sweden – nothing was too crazy for me now.
In June 2015, it finally happened. I set foot in New York (an 8-hour flight with KLM from Amsterdam to New York JFK on a Boeing 777 – this is also when I became a fan of planes in addition to loving trains).
The first destination of my two-month trip exploring North America (both the USA and Canada).
I can tell you that New York was exactly as I expected it to be – fun, exciting, and crazy. I loved it!
Later that year in October (still 2015), I set foot in Asia for the first time – the Philippines.
This trip, however, was for work, but I still enjoyed the country.
A year later, however, I decided to go to Singapore.
I LOVED it. Seriously. It is such an impressive city-state. From there on, I knew I loved Asia and decided that I wanted to visit an Asian destination at least once a year.
Since then, I have been an avid traveler. North America, Europe, Asia, and even Oceania, I have been to these continents.
There are so many countries to visit, and I will do my best to visit as many of them!
So, What is Phone Travel Wiz?
In the previous section, you learned more about me and why I love traveling so much. Now, it is time to introduce you to Phone Travel Wiz and what Phone Travel Wiz is.
Phone Travel Wiz is the Hub for Phone Travel. We cover everything related to traveling with your phone.
From local prepaid SIM cards to international SIM cards/travel SIM cards, from international roaming to mobile hotspots – all is covered on this site.
Moreover, Phone Travel Wiz gives you tips on how to save money on phone costs when traveling abroad and educates you about phone travel in general, such as why international roaming is so expensive, why India still has national roaming, or whether eSIMs work abroad.
About SIM Cards
The thing is, it can be a challenge to find information about SIM cards online.
If you search “buy SIM card + country name,” you will often get results of a bunch of (expensive) international SIM cards (that may not work well), forum results (often TripAdvisor or Quora) from threads created years ago, articles and reviews about particular SIM cards that do not exist anymore (because of mergers or bankruptcies), or information in a language you may not understand.
Since I travel so much and buy SIM cards anyway, I thought, “hmm, maybe I should share my experiences on which SIM card is the best in the countries I visit,” so Phone Travel Wiz was born.
Local Prepaid SIM Card Reviews
Instead of just trying the SIM card that is regarded as the best by the locals, I try out all the SIM cards the country has to offer (or as many as I am legally allowed to try, as some countries put up a maximum number of SIM cards one can have on their name).
This could be three SIM cards, like in Estonia, or 15 SIM cards, like in Australia.
Instead of doing one speed test in the city center, downtown, or CBD of the capital city, I try to do at least four speed tests.
Always one in my accommodation, one in a popular tourist attraction, one inside a mall, and one in a park. If I visit multiple cities, towns, and villages during my trip, I do even more speed tests.
In Taiwan, I did over 500+ speed test in 9 cities and towns with six different SIM cards (Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile, Far EasTone, Taiwan Star, GT Mobile & Ibon Mobile). You will not find a blog taking testing to this level.
Local Prepaid SIM Card Buying Guides
I do not just review SIM cards, I also write guides about local SIM cards (such as buying a local prepaid SIM card in Burundi), where I introduce you to the telecom market of a country, the SIM card registration laws, SIM card prices, data-featured packages, and tell you which SIM card is the best.
Depending on your needs, the most popular mobile operator, the one with the most customers, may not be the best for you.
That is why I mention everything there is to know of every operator in a country in my guides so that you can make an informed decision.
Moreover, the sites of the operators are often not in English.
With the help of the languages I know (English, Dutch, and Danish – can read Norwegian, Swedish, French, and German), my connections around the world (like my partner who speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, and Indonesian), and good-old Google Translate, you do not have to guess which SIM card you should buy – I do the research for you and present it in an understandable and logical manner for you.
International SIM Cards & Travel SIM Cards
Earlier, I stated that you will often get a bunch of international SIM card results when searching “buy SIM card” or “best SIM card” on Google or whichever search engine you use. I would not recommend touching most of them.
However, some international SIM cards, like Surfroam, are actually pretty good.
Sometimes, they offer better value than local prepaid SIM cards in a handful of countries.
The same can be said for some travel SIM cards, like the ones sold by SimOptions and SimCorner.
Therefore, I try out international SIM cards and travel SIM cards as well and would sometimes even recommend you to use an international SIM card over a local prepaid SIM card if it saves you money,
About International Roaming
Although I am a big fan of local SIM cards and love connecting them, not everyone shares this passion.
Getting a local prepaid SIM card for each country you visit can be a hassle and annoying, especially if you are a frequent traveler or traveling for business.
Luckily, international roaming does not always have to be super expensive.
In fact, many operator have something that they call roaming plans/bundles/packages, which are significantly cheaper than their standard roaming rates (pay as you go roaming).
Tip: stay away from standard roaming rates. That is how people get roaming bills in the thousands.
Because there is a high demand for international roaming, and it can sometimes be reasonably priced, I discuss the international roaming options of operators as well.
I always conclude these guides with my verdict of whether roaming with your operator is worth it or not, based on the roaming options from other operators in your country and operators from around the world.
Below is an international roaming video guide of Mint Mobile, an American Mobile Virtual Network Operator.
About Phone Travel Tips, Tricks, and Hacks
There are actually secrets out there about traveling with your phone. Why does international roaming have to be so expensive? Do eSIMs work abroad? What can your phone do in Airplane mode, and what can it not do? I answer questions like these on this site.
Who and What is Aduable OÜ?
Aduable OÜ is the legal entity that owns the Phone Travel Wiz brand. I started this site in August 2019 (with why is roaming expensive being the first article on the site).
After writing a few articles, I decided that I want to turn this hobby into an actual business, which happened in November 2019, when I established Aduable OÜ in Estonia.
As a digital nomad, which is a term I am not fond of, I do not actually live in the Netherlands (my home country, for those who skipped my personal story).
In fact, I have not lived in the Netherlands since the summer of 2016 (because I studied in Denmark for 3.5 years), and I started traveling after I graduated.
Because I do not physically conduct my business in the Netherlands, I had a hard time convincing the Dutch Chamber of Commerce that I, in fact, have a Dutch business.
Estonia, on the other hand, embraces the digital nomad movement and allows those not living in Estonia to set up a company with their e-residency program.
This program is available to those living anywhere in the world – you do not have to be an EU resident to be accepted into the e-residency program.
The Estonian e-residency program even has several service providers, like Xolo (the one I use) that will help you set up your company (officially registering it through court proceedings), help you set up with getting an Estonian bank account with LHV, file your company taxes, and do your accounting with Xolo Leap.
What does Aduable OÜ Mean?
Aduable is a combination of my surname, Adu, and the word Able. OÜ stands for OsaÜhing (spelled as osaühing), which means Private Limited Company in Estonian. It is your equivalent of LLC (Limited Liability Company in the United States and New Zealand), Pty Ltd (Proprietary Limited Company in Australia), or Pvt Ltd (Private Limited in India).
Below are the business details of Aduable OÜ:
- Legal name: Aduable OÜ
- Legal form: Private limited company (OÜ)
- Registry code: 14848768
- Registration date: 14th of November 2019
- VAT number: EE102209505
- Field of operation: information and communication
- Code of principal business: 63121 – Web portals (digital publishing, blogs)
- Capital: €2500
- Address: Harju maakond, Tallinn, Lasnamäe linnaosa, Sepapaja tn 6, 15551
- Email: [email protected]
Contact Adu
Do you want to contact me? Go ahead – shoot me an email at adu a T aduable do t ee – I will be waiting for your message!
