It is sometimes necessary to have access to voice/text and data while traveling long term. On short trips it is possible to make due with roaming, but over an extended period this gets very expensive. In the past my approach has been to pick up a sim card from a local carrier upon arrival. This is always a bit tricky when you are not fluent in the local language, but patience does it. This trip I need data on arrival.
Looking for options led me to the topic of eSIM’s. The Wikipedia explanation is here: concept of eSIM .
Before purchasing an eSIM be sure that your phone meets the technical requirements.
I read several guides but found that most of them appeared to be sponsored. The information is good, but I see allot of rather expensive plans that are not quite suitable for my purposes.
In my case only data is necessary. Voice and text are not particularly important to me. The practical reason: I am not fluent in the local language. This makes it unlikely that I will be calling or texting numbers in the region.
Considering that I will be traveling for an extended period, I will be looking for a longer term plan. Going through the various providers I found that the best value for me is a 30 day plan.
Another benefit of using an eSIM is the ability to switch back and forth between the eSIM and the sim card provided by my home carrier. Why would you want to do this? Its all about access to SMS and other services that are tied to my personal cell phone number. Ideally I will use my local number as little as possible to avoid roaming fees, but its nice to have one button access.
In many ways this trip is about testing new waters. I cannot endorse any particular eSIM providers, but hopefully I will get some hands on time.
Stay Wild!
Resrouces:
https://abrokenbackpack.com/best-south-america-esim-providers/
https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/travel/esim-for-travel
https://www.techradar.com/pro/best-esims-for-international-travel
The Wild 
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