Arriving in Sweden with Little Swedish or English

In an unfamiliar language, showing a phone screen is generally easier than speaking — write down your accommodation address, your driver's name, or any question you need to ask, and hold up the phone rather than attempting a conversation. Most people, at an airport or in a taxi, are used to this and will read rather than expect you to speak.

A translation app with offline language packs downloaded before you fly is worth having ready, since airport wifi isn't always reliable the moment you land and before you've picked up a local SIM or data plan.

With a pre-booked transfer, your driver's name, phone number and licence plate are sent to you before pickup as a written message — you don't need to describe where you're going or negotiate anything out loud. Match the licence plate on the message to the car, and that's the whole interaction required to get in.

If you do need to communicate something during the ride — feeling unwell, a change of plan — a translation app on your phone, shown rather than spoken, works with any driver regardless of shared language.

• Download an offline translation pack for Swedish (and English, if that's also not your first language) before you leave.
• Save your accommodation address as text you can show, not just type into an app that might need connectivity.
• Have your driver's confirmation message saved somewhere you can access it without wifi — a screenshot works well.

If a friend, family member or colleague who does speak English or Swedish is available to make the booking for you, that removes even the online booking step from the list of things you need to handle in an unfamiliar language. They can enter your flight details and destination and forward you the driver's confirmation once it arrives — you'd still only need to show that message and match a licence plate on arrival.