You know what its like after a long haul flight, you're feeling weary and disoriented and all you want to do is get to your accommodation to drop off your luggage and have a shower. And maybe sleep.
So you walk out of the arrivals area and look desperately for a taxi. In most airports there will be a line up of cars waiting for you, and you don't really have a choice which car you jump into. If you're lucky, the driver will know where you need to go to and wont try to rip you off by going the long way. If you don't speak the local language, you may have an issue communicating your destination (I always screen shot my location and show the driver if I choose to catch a taxi).
There may even be some chit chat along the way.
- "Where are you from"
- "Are you travelling alone"
- "How long are you here for"
The usual stuff of taxi conversations. If the taxi driver is particularly entrepreneurial, he/she may even ask you if you need a private guide and offer their services for the duration of the holiday.
I met a women at a recent conference in Berlin who flew in from the States and we got to talking about how she caught a taxi from the airport and went the long way which cost her an additional 20 Euros to what the guide book suggested. She also mentioned that she had a "creepy" feeling from the driver who knew she was alone and knew where she was staying and knew for how long she'd be there for. He even offered to be her private guide for the week, including taking her out to some restaurants and bars of an evening.
Of course she declined, however this didn't make her feel any less at-ease in a new city.
I always hire a private car to collect me from the airport when I arrive in a new city that I haven't been to. It may cost a little more, but in my mind it's worth it.
A private car will have had all the necessary vetting, and will be waiting for you as soon as you walk out of the gates. You won't need to try to navigate your way through an unfamiliar airport to a taxi stand where you have to wait in a queue, travel-lagged and wearied.
A private car will also take care of your luggage, so the risk of leaving it behind in a taxi is less.
A private car will unlikely chit chat with you along the drive, unless you instigate it. There will be no discussion about why you'e travelling alone, where you husband is, how long you're there for etc. So there is no "slip" of potentially critical information that could put you at risk.
In the event I do have to jump in a taxi, I'm always very careful about the information I give away. In some cases I lie. I might say that I'm meeting my husband at the hotel who arrived days before I did. Or I might politely decline conversation by saying that I'm not feeling the best.
Of course this all sounds so over the top and unnecessary. The chances of something happening from a taxi driver are very small, however being in emergency assistance for travellers I've become more risk adverse than the average traveller.
I'm yet to try Uber in a different country, however I swear by Uber in my hometown as opposed to Taxis. Maybe on the next trip........
So you walk out of the arrivals area and look desperately for a taxi. In most airports there will be a line up of cars waiting for you, and you don't really have a choice which car you jump into. If you're lucky, the driver will know where you need to go to and wont try to rip you off by going the long way. If you don't speak the local language, you may have an issue communicating your destination (I always screen shot my location and show the driver if I choose to catch a taxi).
There may even be some chit chat along the way.
- "Where are you from"
- "Are you travelling alone"
- "How long are you here for"
The usual stuff of taxi conversations. If the taxi driver is particularly entrepreneurial, he/she may even ask you if you need a private guide and offer their services for the duration of the holiday.
I met a women at a recent conference in Berlin who flew in from the States and we got to talking about how she caught a taxi from the airport and went the long way which cost her an additional 20 Euros to what the guide book suggested. She also mentioned that she had a "creepy" feeling from the driver who knew she was alone and knew where she was staying and knew for how long she'd be there for. He even offered to be her private guide for the week, including taking her out to some restaurants and bars of an evening.
Of course she declined, however this didn't make her feel any less at-ease in a new city.
I always hire a private car to collect me from the airport when I arrive in a new city that I haven't been to. It may cost a little more, but in my mind it's worth it.
A private car will have had all the necessary vetting, and will be waiting for you as soon as you walk out of the gates. You won't need to try to navigate your way through an unfamiliar airport to a taxi stand where you have to wait in a queue, travel-lagged and wearied.
A private car will also take care of your luggage, so the risk of leaving it behind in a taxi is less.
A private car will unlikely chit chat with you along the drive, unless you instigate it. There will be no discussion about why you'e travelling alone, where you husband is, how long you're there for etc. So there is no "slip" of potentially critical information that could put you at risk.
In the event I do have to jump in a taxi, I'm always very careful about the information I give away. In some cases I lie. I might say that I'm meeting my husband at the hotel who arrived days before I did. Or I might politely decline conversation by saying that I'm not feeling the best.
Of course this all sounds so over the top and unnecessary. The chances of something happening from a taxi driver are very small, however being in emergency assistance for travellers I've become more risk adverse than the average traveller.
I'm yet to try Uber in a different country, however I swear by Uber in my hometown as opposed to Taxis. Maybe on the next trip........
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