Arrive like you live there

The first hours in a new city are the worst hours to make decisions in: you're tired, the signs are in someone else's alphabet, and your data may or may not exist. So make the decisions before wheels-up, and arrival becomes a sequence to follow instead of a puzzle to solve.

Before you fly

1. 1 Download the offline map of the city in your maps app. Future you, standing in a dead zone, says thanks.
2. 2 Make your accommodation the first stop on Day 1 in Treader, so the route to bed is always one tap away.
3. 3 Screenshot the address in the local script. Taxi drivers read it better than your pronunciation.
4. 4 Decide the airport-to-bed plan, including a price ballpark, so the $90 "official taxi" reads as the scam it is. (The rest of the routines are in Travel scams.)
5. 5 Sort data before boarding: an eSIM or roaming plan bought at home beats airport kiosk pricing.

The first hour

• Cash: a modest withdrawal from a bank-branded ATM inside the terminal. (The ATM rules apply here most of all.)
• Message the people who worry that you've landed.
• Execute the bed plan you already made. No new decisions tonight.

The first morning

Walk the neighbourhood before opening the itinerary: find the grocery, the pharmacy, the coffee. Ten minutes of bearings makes the whole trip feel local. Then ask Scout for a first-morning walk near your stay and ease in properly.