Uber
The last two major international cities that I have visited are Mexico City and Johannesburg. While the security concerns are overblown in both cities (more so in Mexico City), one of the greatest risks is in taking local taxis. The risk can run from the driver taking a longer route to something far more heinous. When taking taxis, the key is always taking the most honorable operators.
Uber is a game changer. For those of you that haven’t utilized Uber, the app identifies the name of the driver, their license plate, and an overall rating. This minimizes (if not eliminates) the risk of anything from happening. If the driver takes a longer route, there is always the opportunity to protest to Uber to get a refund. While you may not have cell phone service, WiFi can be found in many coffee shops/restaurants.
Not only does utilizing Uber make traveling safer, it is often cheaper than taxi services. In Johannesburg, the cost for us was 1/3 of the cost of a taxi.
Google Offline Maps
One of my favorite tech tools is utilizing Google Offline Maps. The key is typing in “OK Maps” (without the quotes) into the search bar after zooming into a particular area of a map when you have WiFi or cell service. Once in the foreign location without cell service, you will be able to track you location in the country.
