Previous to my trip to Panama City, Panama, I had only used Uber in the U.S. Since I had a little bit of credit in my account, and I wanted to test out using Uber in foreign countries, I figured it made more sense to Uber rather than to take taxis.

It worked like a charm.

Actually, the only time I was ripped off in Panama was the one time I did take a cab (there were no Uber drivers close by). He basically drove around in circles looking for the place, eventually dropped us off elsewhere, and then charged an astronomical $12, all things considered.

Anyway, back to Uber. It worked like a charm. Since I didn’t have cell service, I just needed to find a wifi network to connect to (pretty easy) and click to request the car, like normal. Now, the really great thing about Uber is that you can search for your destination in English, and then the driver will know where to go in his or her native language! This was really great because only one of the drivers we had spoke English (out of 4 or 5), and my Spanish skills are nothing to brag about.

So, Uber operates in 45 countries around the world. I couldn’t recommend it more! I will be using Uber as often as possible over regular taxis when I travel outside of the US, as well as inside the US. This is another great way to take advantage of 40% off Uber rides.