It's interesting that this blog is entitled travels and stories but for the most part it's just been stories so far. So for this fourth post, I'll try to make it travel related this time.
My job and the company I work for has allowed (or required depending on how you look at it) me to travel to many different places for the past years. In two years, I've been to several different states and cities including Boston(MA), DC, Philadelphia(PA), Pittsburgh(PA), Cleveland(OH), Providence(RI), Indianapolis(IN), Lake Charles(LA), Chicago(IL). Prior to that other trips on separate occasions have taken me to Bradenton (FL), Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, different parts of South Korea, Zhuhai for the most part. While I still fail at packing (I am by no means a light and expert packer), I managed to be really comfortable travelling that I don't worry much when I have to.
Getting to the airport, depending on the location, taxis/uber/grab/supershuttle may be an option but for a matter of convenience, lately I find myself preferring to drive myself and just accumulate points by being a rewards member of long term parking companies that operate in airports. Once at the airport, to check-in I would start look for self-service kiosks, check for baggage drop counters outside with a really short line, scan the screens for the counter numbers for my airline, line up accordingly if needed (I normally have baggage for check-in), grab those tag labels or immigration forms if needed and start filling them up while in line or while checking in. If not required to pay for travel taxes or any other fees, I'd head straight to the Homeland Security or Immigration Queue. At this point, there is no need for me to stop and write down on the forms because I've already done so while waiting to check-in. My goal is typically to get cleared by immigration or security check as fast possible and head to my gate or wander around after doing so.
It has now been my habit to always bring with me, my company ID on all travels whether business or personal because of past requests from the Immigration officer when I used to travel heavily in Asia (from my home country). I will have my passport/Driver's License ready as well as my flight ticket (or phone depending) and everything else tucked in my bag.
Once cleared, at the security checkpoint, I would have already observed if:
1. shoes need to be taken off at the security checkpoint. Some still requires you to do so. (I don't wear any steel-toed shoes at all.)
2. laptops need to be taken out of the bag.
3. water bottles have been chucked.
4. jackets, belts and loose coins, if any are removed.
This would allow me to start removing my shoes, taking my laptop out of the bag, etc. while waiting for the slowpokes to finish and be ready in a jiffy to push my bags to the x-ray machine and wait for my turn at the security screening.
And after then, will I relax and take my time to wander.
Now, arriving at the destination is another story and depends if a flight connection has to be made in a certain period of time and in which terminal.
Flight connection required:
1. On deplaning, boarding gates and times are immediately double checked on the screens near the arrival gate.
2. Follow the signs for transfers to different terminals or gates.
3. Grab a bite or drink because US domestic flights don't normally provide any unless flying business or first class, even when flying during lunch or dinner time.
4. If it is absolutely necessary, free airport wifi are typically now more available although sometimes you have to wait a little bit until a little window pops up on the screen requiring you to acknowledge those terribly long terms that in my informal survey so far nobody really ever reads before actually getting you connected to the internet. If nothing shows up, you may either have to forget the network, join again or manually launch a browser and attempt to connect to any site. This may trigger the connection prompts. Otherwise, if still unsure if you are connected or just using a cached site, you can always look up for daily news and see the date and time there.
No flight connection required:
1. On deplaning, find out where arrival or exit gates are.
2. Any forms that need to be filled out should already be filled out.
3. If it can be helped, restroom breaks can wait until getting through immigration
4. Line up immediately on the arrival country's immigration for foreign nationals.
5. Look for the carousel number for the bags.
6. Go for the restroom break
7. Collect your bags
8. Exchange some money just enough to get you through a day or so
9. Grab a taxi/uber/grab or in Seoul/Tokyo/Osaka: find a train or airport bus.
10. Or head to the rental desks. Again, it would be wise to sign up for rewards especially if travelling for business and I've been somewhat partial to National. I like their concept of being able to just walk straight to the garage and just pick and choose any car according to your membership level. Board the car, and drive off to the exit gate.
Hopefully I didn't miss anything. On a sidenote, we are terribly spoiled nowadays given the availability of GPS. I remember a time I had to travel to Florida for the first time and GPS wasn't as available back then that all I had to get me from the airport to my temporary residence was the directions printed out from MapQuest. I survived nonetheless.
My job and the company I work for has allowed (or required depending on how you look at it) me to travel to many different places for the past years. In two years, I've been to several different states and cities including Boston(MA), DC, Philadelphia(PA), Pittsburgh(PA), Cleveland(OH), Providence(RI), Indianapolis(IN), Lake Charles(LA), Chicago(IL). Prior to that other trips on separate occasions have taken me to Bradenton (FL), Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, different parts of South Korea, Zhuhai for the most part. While I still fail at packing (I am by no means a light and expert packer), I managed to be really comfortable travelling that I don't worry much when I have to.
Getting to the airport, depending on the location, taxis/uber/grab/supershuttle may be an option but for a matter of convenience, lately I find myself preferring to drive myself and just accumulate points by being a rewards member of long term parking companies that operate in airports. Once at the airport, to check-in I would start look for self-service kiosks, check for baggage drop counters outside with a really short line, scan the screens for the counter numbers for my airline, line up accordingly if needed (I normally have baggage for check-in), grab those tag labels or immigration forms if needed and start filling them up while in line or while checking in. If not required to pay for travel taxes or any other fees, I'd head straight to the Homeland Security or Immigration Queue. At this point, there is no need for me to stop and write down on the forms because I've already done so while waiting to check-in. My goal is typically to get cleared by immigration or security check as fast possible and head to my gate or wander around after doing so.
It has now been my habit to always bring with me, my company ID on all travels whether business or personal because of past requests from the Immigration officer when I used to travel heavily in Asia (from my home country). I will have my passport/Driver's License ready as well as my flight ticket (or phone depending) and everything else tucked in my bag.
Once cleared, at the security checkpoint, I would have already observed if:
1. shoes need to be taken off at the security checkpoint. Some still requires you to do so. (I don't wear any steel-toed shoes at all.)
2. laptops need to be taken out of the bag.
3. water bottles have been chucked.
4. jackets, belts and loose coins, if any are removed.
This would allow me to start removing my shoes, taking my laptop out of the bag, etc. while waiting for the slowpokes to finish and be ready in a jiffy to push my bags to the x-ray machine and wait for my turn at the security screening.
And after then, will I relax and take my time to wander.
Now, arriving at the destination is another story and depends if a flight connection has to be made in a certain period of time and in which terminal.
Flight connection required:
1. On deplaning, boarding gates and times are immediately double checked on the screens near the arrival gate.
2. Follow the signs for transfers to different terminals or gates.
3. Grab a bite or drink because US domestic flights don't normally provide any unless flying business or first class, even when flying during lunch or dinner time.
4. If it is absolutely necessary, free airport wifi are typically now more available although sometimes you have to wait a little bit until a little window pops up on the screen requiring you to acknowledge those terribly long terms that in my informal survey so far nobody really ever reads before actually getting you connected to the internet. If nothing shows up, you may either have to forget the network, join again or manually launch a browser and attempt to connect to any site. This may trigger the connection prompts. Otherwise, if still unsure if you are connected or just using a cached site, you can always look up for daily news and see the date and time there.
No flight connection required:
1. On deplaning, find out where arrival or exit gates are.
2. Any forms that need to be filled out should already be filled out.
3. If it can be helped, restroom breaks can wait until getting through immigration
4. Line up immediately on the arrival country's immigration for foreign nationals.
5. Look for the carousel number for the bags.
6. Go for the restroom break
7. Collect your bags
8. Exchange some money just enough to get you through a day or so
9. Grab a taxi/uber/grab or in Seoul/Tokyo/Osaka: find a train or airport bus.
10. Or head to the rental desks. Again, it would be wise to sign up for rewards especially if travelling for business and I've been somewhat partial to National. I like their concept of being able to just walk straight to the garage and just pick and choose any car according to your membership level. Board the car, and drive off to the exit gate.
Hopefully I didn't miss anything. On a sidenote, we are terribly spoiled nowadays given the availability of GPS. I remember a time I had to travel to Florida for the first time and GPS wasn't as available back then that all I had to get me from the airport to my temporary residence was the directions printed out from MapQuest. I survived nonetheless.
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