Getting Around Abroad: Ride-Hailing Apps, a Bit of Cash and the Right Licence

Set up the apps before you arrive

Do your research on which apps will be useful in each country. Start with transport: does the country have an app for the metro? What do taxis look like there: is it Grab, Uber or something else? Have those apps on your phone before you arrive.

Ride-hailing apps are the safest and best way to use a taxi. Every journey is recorded, you book on your phone, you can follow the car in real time, and you know what you’re paying. That’s far better than waving down a taxi on the street. In China, WeChat and Alipay work for transport as well as payments.

You’ll need data for all of this. I always like to have some of my own rather than relying on hotel Wi-Fi. I don’t stick to one eSIM provider: in Asia I might get one that covers the whole region, such as Airalo, but in Jakarta a local-network eSIM is cheaper for me. Shop around.

Cash, cards and exchange rates

Check whether the country mainly uses cash, card or apps, or a mix. Whatever the country, always carry a little cash as an emergency safety net. Have a rough idea of the exchange rate so a quick sum tells you whether a taxi or meal is fair, and check a live app such as XE. When a card machine asks whether to pay in pounds or the local currency, always choose the local currency.

Tip: Always carry a little cash as an emergency safety net, even in places that rarely use it.

Hiring a car or moped

Always hire from a legitimate hire company. The big, well-known companies tend to cost more, but I stick to them, purely for safety. A comparison site such as DiscoverCars lets you compare them in one go. Mopeds are more often hired from local companies, so choose carefully and check reviews.

Make sure you have the right documents. In much of Asia you’ll need an International Driving Permit (IDP). You get one in person from certain shops with PayPoint (the Post Office stopped selling them in 2024), and it costs £5.50; see GOV.UK. Make sure it’s stamped for every category on your licence, including mopeds, and carry it whenever you ride or drive. Check, too, that your travel insurance covers you on a moped.