Packing 101: Phone it in

Smart travel doesn't start at check-in. It begins by packing your smartphone. Here's what to download before takeoff

- Tanisha Saxena

Passport? Valid. Visa? Stamped. Phone? Don't just charge it and turn on roaming. Pack it with digital essentials that will make a foreign country feel a little less alien, less expensive. Three frequent flyers share their best picks.

Exit routes. “The first app we download before every trip is whatever is the most common taxi app at our destination,” says Surat-based Akshita Nagpal, 29, who documents her trips with her friend Jash Reshamwala on Instagram (@HeartWantsTravel). Regional apps often beat global ones such as Uber in price and reach. Some specialise in airport pick-ups and drops. In Dubai, it’s Careem; in Oman, it’s Yango; in Vietnam, it’s Grab; in Georgia, it’s Bolt.