The first hour, in order

Most of the money lost on a trip is lost in the first ninety minutes, by tired people.

You land tired, without local currency, without a working connection, and with a queue of people whose job is to sell you things at arrival prices. It is the single worst moment of the trip to make financial decisions, and it is when most travellers make several.

A sequence helps.

Before you leave the plane

• Know the rough conversion rule. One line, memorised, so every number you meet in the next hour means something.
• Know roughly what the transfer into town should cost. Your accommodation's confirmation email usually says.
• Have your accommodation address saved offline, ideally in the local script.

The sequence

1. Connectivity first, if it is free. Airport wifi, or activate an eSIM you set up before flying. Do not buy a SIM at the first counter you see without checking what it costs — arrivals-hall SIM pricing is its own genre.
2. Cash from a bank ATM, not a bureau. Withdraw enough for a day or two, not the week. The bureau is the expensive option, and the machine attached to a recognisable bank beats the standalone one.
3. Decline the conversion offer. The ATM will ask whether to charge you in your home currency. Say no — every time.
4. Transport by the boring route. The official taxi rank, the ride app, or the train. Not the person who approached you inside the terminal.
5. Agree the fare before setting off, where meters are not standard.
6. Break a large note early. ATMs dispense big notes and your first small purchase is the easiest place to get change, before you need it for a bus fare.

What can wait

Almost everything. A local SIM can be bought in town for less. A better rate is available tomorrow. The tour being sold at the desk will still exist. Nothing in an arrivals hall is time-limited except your patience, and decisions made to end the arrivals hall faster are the ones that cost.