I will be flying outside the US in a couple of months. It is the first time I've flown internationally in nearly 15 years. I'm sure the rules have changed since the last time I've flown. So can you all give me some advice about carry-ons, helpful tips, etc.?

It will be me and my 8-year old son. He's never flown before so he is beyond excited!

Make sure you eat the fruit before you disembark in the U.S.

You didn’t state where you’re heading to, but there’s been a thread or two recently on international travel. Lots o tips.

https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...970049934#5970049934

https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...840045934#2840045934

The tips mentioned in those two threads are good.

Maybe it's just me but 75% of my stress comes from going through airport security. The rest of the travel can easily be handled with common sense.

For going through TSA, be prepared with the end goal of having nothing in your pockets or on you as you walk through TSA.

I keep the minimum stuff in my pockets. I have a ready zip up in one of my bags that I will put my wallet, watch, ring, and anything else in my pocket.

Make sure the bags you use are clean as in no bullets from the range or knives you forgot.

Customs is usually the biggest headache with international travel. It helps to have a cheat sheet handy with your flight numbers, the address of where you'll be staying in country, and the phone number of your lodging. Many customs forms require those pieces of information, and I'm always scrambling to find them in all of my documents.

Also, have a couple of credit cards with you in case one gets flagged. Even if you tell the card company you will be traveling overseas, the automated fraud detection systems will sometimes lock your card. Found that out the hard way on a trip to Guatemala.

Check to see if your credit card company tacks on foreign transaction fees and make sure your debit card has a four digit pin.

If there are no foreign transaction fees and your credit card company doesn’t pull any fast ones on currency conversions it’s almost always better to pay in the local currency to make sure you don’t get hit with some exorbitant exchange rate by the seller.

Great advice so far! Thanks!

REading through the other threads as well. Thanks for sharing those!

What county are you going to? How long is the flight? How many connections? How long is your stay?

Tony

You haven’t said where you’re going. Some parts of the world you’ll need immunizations and anti-malaria prophylaxis. This CDC site is helpful: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list

One thing I’ve found helpful returning home from the 3rd world was I had a longer layover in Europe and I had a change of clothes packed in ziplock bag (even better: those vacuum bags that you roll out the air and don’t need a vacuum) so it didn’t pick up any scents. I took a shower during my layover in Europe and put on the scent free clothes which was made me feel more normal.

I'm assuming since it's your first int'l trip in awhile, you do not have Global Entry.

When returning to the US, there's three method's Custom's has for you to get through the security/passport control:
1- Wait in line like most people
2- Have Global Entry
3- Use the Mobile Passport Control App

Get the Mobile Passport Control App loaded onto your phone and set-up your profile. It'll make life a lot easier upon you and your family's return.

BTW- Where are you headed or, what airport in/out? There's likely some other handy information that can be imparted.

If you’re going to Fly the Friendly skies of United, remember: those in compliance have nothing to fear.

Having made a few 14hr trips to Japan, a few tips.

1) Buy the best noise cancelling headphones that you can find. I thought it hurt a bit when I bought the new Bose wireless ones by wow was it worth it.

2) Buy a really good neck pillow. Try a few, avoid cheap ones. The one I have is inflatable but has foam in it. Also well worth it.

3) If you're headed west, figure out when 8am is at your destination related (do the math) to your local time zone. Set your alarm on your phone to wake you (head set counts here) at 8am destination time. Sleep all you want until that alarm goes off, then stay awake after that. It will help with jet lag. If you're headed east, not sure what to tell you.

4) If it is a long flight, find out how many meals are served. When I go to Japan there is a dinner not long after take off, then a snack around midnight local time, then a breakfast an hour or so before you land. Knowing this will help with when to sleep and wake up.

5) If you're going to be walking a lot, especially between locations as you travel, pack smart. 3 big suit cases won't be fun

6) This is an old trick. Underwear and socks are cheap. Buy brand new, use them once, throw away as you travel. This buys you some space back in the suit case for packing all of the stuff you're going to buy. Why brand new? If you get in an accident in a foreign country, you don't want to be in shabby tighty whities do you? Your mother wouldn't not approve.

7) COMFORTABLE SHOES!!!!!!!

8) If you it will be warm where you are going, those convertible pants (legs zip off into shorts) are nice, you only pack one thing.

9) If there is any chance of rain, a good old baseball cap is a nice thing to have with you.

10) Your own travel alarm is nice

quote:

Originally posted by benny6:
What county are you going to? How long is the flight? How many connections? How long is your stay?

Tony

Flying to Skopje, Macedonia. Turkish Airlines out of Chicago. Short layover to change planes in Istanbul.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
If you’re going to Fly the Friendly skies of United, remember: those in compliance have nothing to fear.

Flew from Chicago to Bangkok on Emirates last year with the family.One stop in UAE for a couple hours. First leg was on a 777 then a A380. Coach seats all the way.
The last time my virgin ass was that sore was after this green horn went on a full day horse back riding trip in Colorado when I was 19. Couple that with my 66 year old prostate and two arthritic knees that stiffen up when sitting,you would know sure misery.
I could not buy enough seat cushions at the airports, non worked great but did help.
My advice, Buy the BEST seat cushion you can, sit in the aisle, kill if you need to for a seat with a bulk head in front of you, if you ever thought about beginning a opioid addiction this may be that time.

quote:

Originally posted by Rigby470:Flying to Skopje, Macedonia. Turkish Airlines out of Chicago. Short layover to change planes in Istanbul.

So be sure to check out what your luggage sizes/weights/carry-on limits are for each leg and airline change in your trip. For instance, You might be allowed two bags in Chicago but only one in Istanbul. Worth checking out before hand, especially carrying-on sizes and limits.

I realize this is the absolute most basic advice for traveling out of country, but some people forget - you and your son both have passports and they are not expired, correct?

Let the State Dept know where you are; check in with the Consulate and keep updates as you move around.

Take travelers checks. Carry little cash, local currency, and divide it among pockets. Don't wave money around, don't pull money out of your pocket and count it. If you must take a debit card, know that you'll be hit with high fees, and use a fresh account with very little in it. If you take a debit or credit card, be sure your bank knows you'll be traveling. If your account gets flagged while you're out, you may find your account shut down and no way to fix it from abroad. I've had it happen.

Carry extra passport photos. Make electronic and hard copy images of your passport name and ID page, as well as any visas you may have. Store them in separate locations and keep one on a memory stick with you.

Carry small quantities of the meds you'll need, and make sure They're in original packaging. Carry Kaopectate. Take bottled water to the hotel; use that to brush your teeth. Don't use tap water.

Travelers or support stockings are useful to prevent issues with your legs on long trips.

I do a lot of long trips, 12-30 hours, internationally, constantly on the go. I take a lot for granted, but complacency can be a hazard. Register for the OSAC state dept updates, you'll get them by email. Know what's going on politically in your destination and transit areas.

Take a flashlight with you. Everywhere, including on the airplane. It may save your life. Never be far from your shoes, and always have the laces open when they're not on your feet.

If you leave the hotel, always take a business card with you. If you get stuck or lost or have a problem, even if you don't speak the language, you can show the card. Keep emergency numbers and contacts on you.

Get a z-pack for travel. Make sure your immunizations are current. Yellow fever vaccine is in extremely short supply globally right now. Know what your destination requires before you get there, otherwise you may get turned around and sent home.

Learn a few words of the local language, even if it's just thank you and hello and good evening. A little effort goes a very long way toward good will.

Don't speak in public louder than necessary, or any more than necessary. Don't flash your outfit; wear what others wear, not loud USA shirts or logos, and don't flash your accent; don't do anything that marks you as form the US, or from a different socioeconomic status than the area where you are. Don't look like a tourist, and don't haul around a big camera. You might as well wear a neon sign. Try not to look amazed at everything you see. It screams tourist, which is another word in most languages for "rob me," or worse.

If you want a phone and you're traveling, get a t-mobile one to take with you.

Keep your passport and credit cards in RFID sleeves. Dont' leave anything in the hotel when you go out. It may not be there when you get back.

When you're in transit with your bags, be physically touching them and pressing agains them at all times. I've been places in Europe where crew members in uniform had their bags stolen from right at their feet while they waited to board the airplane.

Chain or bolt your doors, use the peephole, and know where the exits are. They're not just for fires.

Areas that look just fine in the daylight are oftne not, after dark.

People who bump into you don't have your best interest at heart, even if it seems accidental.

Don't pat your pockets to verify your wallet is there. It lets others know where you keep it.

No matter what a US airline tells you about baggage limits, find out directly from your foreign carrier, because the foreign carrier may very well not allow everything that you're bringing. I've seen suitcases, computers, and all kinds of things go in the garbage, and often there's no way to buy them onto the next leg. I've even run into that as a uniformed crewmember...on Turkish airlines, no less.

Know your itinerary, and keep printouts with you all the time.

quote:

Originally posted by sns3guppy: Take travelers checks.

Nobody uses travelers checks anymore, let alone places to accept them. It's either cold hard cash or, credit cards.

quote:

Originally posted by sns3guppy:
Carry small quantities of the meds you'll need, and make sure They're in original packaging.

How are you supposed to do that when the "meds" you take don't come in small quantities?

Sure, I can take a single "card" of Allertec-D (Costco's Zyrtec-D clone), but my lisinopril, saw palmetto and turmeric (herbal supplements) come in the bottles they come in. I really don't want to haul along three months of those for a ten-day trip.

Never mind the gigantic bottle of enteric coated aspirin and the whole bottle of ibuprofen.

I'm sure I can do without the vitamins and CoQ10 for ten days, but what am I supposed to do about the rest of that stuff?