Originally Posted by
MDWCommuter
An elegant solution. But what is the cost of the data? If you're using AT&T in the U.S., aren't you paying their data roaming rates? Also, can you set it up as a hotspot so travel companions can use the internet?
I lean towards Android when choosing a travel specific phone/tablet if I will be picking up sims as I go. Apple iPad Air 2 has excellent LTE band support but relies on carriers enabling tethering profiles to allow hotspot/wifi sharing. It also doesn't support sms which some mifi and Android tablets running 4.2 do and can save angst to (de)activate data packages via sms. There are also several mid-priced android phablets. Lastly, my experience is that micro sims are easier to find than nano sims. If you're careful, a nano sim in an adapter is easier to pack than a chunky sim cutter.
If you want LTE, you need
a) ATT roaming (they officially support LTE roaming in certain countries) or local sim which offers plans with LTE
b) wifi device with large set of LTE bands for RTW
http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.c..._common_phones
LTE Bands used by country and carrier
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks
Tablet LTE search
http://www.gsmarena.com/search.php3?mode=tablet
If you're happy with 3G, that will lower the cost and open up a lot of options. Just get an unlocked pentaband 3G phone/phablet/tablet.
Google Fi and T-Mobile post-pay both offer good lower cost roaming data options if you can live with the reduced speeds or buying speed pass (T-Mo) which is still likely to be slower than most un-throttled local prepaid sims. Google Fi is currently supported on Nexus 6 and rumors say the new Nexus devices will be released in the coming month or so. T-Mobile is nice in that if you already have an unlocked phone with quad or penta band support, you basically just need the account & sim card. You can also put it in a dual sim phone to get phone/sms at the Tmobile number and pop in a local sim as needed for faster data (aka when it is worth picking up a local sim)