The dominant messenger in Europe, Latin America, India, Middle East, Africa.
What WhatsApp is
WhatsApp is the dominant messaging app across Europe, Latin America, India, the Middle East, and much of Africa, used for everything from personal chats to contacting hotels, tour operators, and restaurants. For travelers, it's often the expected way to reach local businesses and stay in touch with people met along the way.
What it does for travelers
- ✓Free messaging, voice calls, and video calls over Wi-Fi or mobile data
- ✓Photo, location, and document sharing, useful for confirming bookings and meeting points
- ✓Voice messages, which many locals and businesses prefer over typed text
- ✓Group chats for tours, hostels, and travel companions
- ✓End-to-end encryption on personal messages and calls
Good to know
- WhatsApp uses data rather than SMS, so it works over any internet connection regardless of your carrier.
- Your account is tied to a phone number; keeping the same number (or porting it) lets you stay logged in while traveling.
- It's free to use, though it consumes mobile data for media and calls.
- In a few countries WhatsApp calls or the whole service can be restricted, so check local conditions before relying on it.
Travel tips
- Many hotels, guesthouses, and tour guides respond far faster on WhatsApp than by email, so save their numbers as soon as you book.
- If you switch to a local eSIM, you can keep your original number active for WhatsApp by leaving it as a secondary line.
- Share your live location with travel companions when meeting up in an unfamiliar city.
- In regions where calls are blocked, text messaging often still works, and a VPN may restore calling where it's permitted to use one.
When to reach for it
Use WhatsApp to reach local businesses and contacts in regions where it's the default messenger, which is most of Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. It beats SMS and email for quick, free communication anywhere with internet.
Where we list WhatsApp
49 destinations, with what it's good for in each.
- 🇭🇰Hong KongThe default messenger in Hong Kong — restaurants, shops, and tour operators confirm bookings on it.
- 🇸🇬SingaporeThe default messenger in Singapore — restaurants, tour operators, and drivers all use it.
- 🇮🇩IndonesiaIndonesia's default messenger. Drivers, villas, and tour operators all confirm on WhatsApp.
- 🇮🇳IndiaUniversal for hotels, drivers, guides, and small businesses.
- 🇲🇽MexicoUniversal in Mexico — taxis, restaurants, AirBnBs all communicate via WhatsApp.
- 🇧🇷BrazilUniversal for any business and personal communication.
- 🇦🇪United Arab EmiratesUniversal for hotels, drivers, and tour operators — text works, but calls are often blocked.
- 🇹🇷TurkeyUniversal for hotels, guides, and restaurant bookings.
- 🇪🇬EgyptUniversal for booking hotels, taxis, tours.
- 🇿🇦South AfricaUniversal for bookings, tours, drivers.
- 🇲🇦MoroccoUniversal — even small riads use it.
- 🇸🇦Saudi ArabiaUniversal.
- 🇮🇱IsraelUniversal for businesses.
- 🇦🇷ArgentinaUniversal for any communication.
- 🇵🇪PeruUniversal — tour guides, drivers, hotels.
- 🇨🇴ColombiaUniversal.
- 🇲🇾MalaysiaMalaysia's default messenger — hotels, tour operators, and drivers all use it.
- 🇱🇰Sri LankaUniversal for hotels, guides, drivers.
- 🇳🇵NepalUniversal for trekking guides, hotels.
- 🇵🇰PakistanUniversal.
- 🇧🇩BangladeshUniversal.
- 🇶🇦QatarUniversal for hotels, drivers, and tour operators.
- 🇰🇼KuwaitUniversal for hotels, drivers, and restaurants.
- 🇴🇲OmanUniversal for tour operators.
- 🇯🇴JordanUniversal for guides and drivers.
- 🇰🇪KenyaUniversal for safari operators, drivers.
- 🇹🇿TanzaniaUniversal.
- 🇳🇬NigeriaUniversal.
- 🇨🇱ChileUniversal.
- 🇨🇷Costa RicaUniversal — tour guides, hotels, drivers.
- 🇵🇦PanamaUniversal.
- 🇩🇴Dominican RepublicUniversal — resorts and excursions.
- 🇲🇻MaldivesUniversal — resort transfers, seaplane bookings, restaurant pre-ordering.
- 🇫🇯FijiHow locals, dive shops, and small tour operators actually reply — message them to confirm pickups and bookings.
- 🇲🇺MauritiusThe default for reaching guesthouses, taxi drivers, and tour operators — they reply here faster than email.
- 🇹🇳TunisiaThe default messenger for guesthouses, guides, and excursion operators — they confirm bookings here.
- 🇨🇾CyprusHow locals, tour operators, car-hire desks and apartment hosts expect to reach you.
- 🇲🇹MaltaHow hosts, dive schools, boat charters and restaurants confirm bookings here.
- 🇱🇺LuxembourgCommon for reaching hosts, tour guides and contacts across the multilingual workforce.
- 🇪🇪EstoniaThe default messenger for reaching guesthouses, tour operators and locals across the Baltics.
- 🇱🇹LithuaniaThe common messenger for contacting hosts, guides and locals throughout the Baltics.
- 🇸🇮SloveniaThe common way to reach guesthouses, mountain huts and tour guides across Slovenia.
- 🇪🇨EcuadorUniversal in Ecuador — hostels, tour guides, and drivers all coordinate over WhatsApp.
- 🇺🇾UruguayHow Uruguayans message everyone, including hotels, restaurants and tour guides.
- 🇬🇹GuatemalaHow everyone communicates — shuttle drivers, guesthouses and tour operators all reply here.
- 🇯🇲JamaicaHow drivers, villa hosts and tour operators communicate and send quotes.
- 🇱🇦LaosHow guesthouses, tour operators, and drivers communicate and confirm bookings.
- 🇧🇭BahrainThe default for everyone — hotels, drivers, restaurants, and tour operators all use it.
- 🇬🇭GhanaThe default messaging app — drivers, guesthouses, tours, and businesses all run on it.
WhatsApp — frequently asked
Does WhatsApp work if I get a local SIM abroad?
Yes. Your WhatsApp account stays tied to the number you registered with, so as long as that number remains active you stay logged in, even while using local data.
Is WhatsApp free internationally?
The app itself is free and uses internet data, so there are no per-message or international call charges beyond your data usage.
Why do businesses abroad prefer WhatsApp?
In many regions it's the standard communication channel, so hotels, guides, and shops monitor it closely and tend to reply quickly.
Last reviewed in September 2026. Pack My Apps is independent — WhatsAppdidn't pay to be listed and the download links aren't affiliate links. Features, fees and country coverage change, so confirm anything your trip depends on in the app itself. Report an error.