I'm trying to figure out a way to get multiple people in a traveling party to Europe internet access. Two of the three aren't very tech-savvy and have locked phones. One has an unlocked phone and could hotspot for them, but their phone would die quickly.

I can think of two options that might make sense:

- A mifi device that would allow you to insert a purchased SIM card that isn't locked to any particular carrier (this seems more expensive, but if a device does this well, it would be my preferred option)
- Taking an old/cheap phone, installing a SIM, and using it as a hotspot (this seems like my fallback, but concerned that the phone's battery will die quickly)

Does anyone have experience in this situation? What did you choose to do?