Years ago, a friend tried air travel with his beloved patrol pack. Don’t do that.
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Years ago, a friend tried air travel with his beloved patrol pack. Don’t do that.
The accounting firm I used to work for had a lot of mining clients. Co worker visited one that did large scale blasting on a daily basis. On the trip home her laptop tested positive for explosives residue when it was swabbed at airport security. Needless to say she didn't make her flight.Quote:
Originally Posted by bodywhomper
If you don't already have one, a handheld luggage scale is super handy and can come with you so you can be at the right weight for the return trip.
If you're only bringing one pair of skis it's not terrible, but with two pair the weight limit comes up quick. My experience last year with Lufthansa was that they weren't as quick as I expected to nail us on the luggage weight, so long as we were within the actual max (75 pounds, maybe?) rather than just the included normal weight (26 kilos). They did, however, actually weigh all carry-on bags, which was a bit of an issue since I had my DSLR in my backpack with a large lens; I got away with pulling the camera bag out of the larger bag and calling it a personal item, but I wasn't sure if that was going to work while also having ski boots over my shoulder.
I was flying with a decent sized group (15 racers, 3 coaches), so I'm not sure if they gave us more latitude on weight just to get the herd through.
Edibles make flying much easier. Wait until after security check.
+1 on bringing your luggage scale. Way better to know all your bags are 48lbs before you head to the airport than discover at 6am in the terminal that their scale says one of your bags is 51lbs.
+1 on a small power bank for phone/iPad charging when there aren’t any plugs.
+1 on United Premium Economy seats. Cheaper than Business, waaaaay better than the slum behind you.
From my recent trip to Italy:
-print out your original ticket receipt that says what baggage you’re allowed on the return flight. Our first leg on the way home was Air Dolomiti and they gave zero shits until the saw the printed info.
-Orange Travel SIM card from Amazon. $20 for 8GB and 14 days. It’ll change your phone number, but everything else will work perfectly. Everyone in Europe uses WhatsApp, so phone numbers don’t matter to them.
-ATM for cash. Currency exchange is for suckers.
-Don’t forget to tell your credit cards you’re traveling. And have a backup card because one of them will fuck you over at least once.
-picture of your passport and drivers license so you don’t have to carry them everywhere.
-if you don’t have Global Entry, look into Mobile Passport. Seemed like a free easy way to skip ahead in line. I was waiting for my Global Entry interview and got passed by about 20 people in the Mobile Passport line. Meanwhile, there were about 500 people in the chump line.
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oh and bought a cheap pair of noise canceling headphones.Quote:
Originally Posted by Danno
On long flights these help significantlyQuote:
Originally Posted by Danno
I left mine on the damn plane a few flights ago. I literally can't watch a movie on the plane without them unless I want to read CC for the whole thing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Supermoon
Kindle and earplugs.
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100%. You don't even realize how loud the ambient noise level is on a plane until you try to listen to a movie or music without noise cancellation.Quote:
Originally Posted by zion zig zag
Re: skis getting lost/left behind
TLDR: put an AirTag in your bag
Anecdotal story - but when transiting through Heathrow (with a 12 hour overnight layover) our skis did not get loaded on the next flight - so when we landed at the next airport and needed to recheck in our skis for flight 3 they did not arrive on the carousel. We spent 30+ minutes running around arrivals to various normal and oversized luggage carousels looking for them - and then when we settled on “they didn’t make it” we had to line up in a long line to file missing baggage claim.
And then we could leave the luggage area and pass through customs - which by the time we did that we had missed the next flight.
So we paid for a hotel that night (while also having paid for accoms at our destination) and then flew out early the next morning still without skis.
The lost luggage people asked “where do you want them delivered?” Well that’s a hard question to answer when every 1-2 days we’re moving to different areas - so it depends on when you find them and when you can get them to us.
They give us a shitty pre-Y2K website we can check to decode info on when bag is found and what plane its being loaded on.
Eventually 48hours later we do a 2 hour round trip to a random airport to retrieve our skis.
All that being said - had we put an AirTag in our ski bag we probably would have known on arrival that our bag never left Heathrow - so we woulda not stressed so much looking for it and instead filed our bag report asap and caught our next flight. That woulda saved stress and the extra $200 in hotel fees.
Plus it woulda probably helped us more easily track its journey from Heathrow to us.
Why a 12 hour layover wasn’t enough to get our skis in the next flight I’m not sure - the flights were on the same ticket, same terminal, same airline alliance. It can’t be cheap for an airline to have to have to deal with this - especially since then also covered $500 of emergency gear purchases that I’ve been reimbursed for.
TLDR: put an AirTag in your luggage - it won’t fix everything but it can’t hurt
I always carried on my ski boots until last year I got lazy and of course my bags didn't show up. I will here on revert to always carrying on boots, etc. plus now have an air tag for checked skis.
To add to this:Quote:
Originally Posted by jm2e
-debit card checking account with a bank that reimburses ATM fees, including international (I use schwab investor checking- free and I don't invest with them).
-credit card(s) with no foreign transaction fees
And a couple other thoughts specific to your trip:
-check with your health insurance on coverage
-for switzerland specifically: get a Rega membership for heli rescue.
Maybe consider an international drivers license if for some reason you might ever need to rent a car.
I’ve rented cars in a lot of countries and never had or needed one. I don’t think the IDL is much of a thing anymoreQuote:
Originally Posted by MakersTeleMark
Are these required anywhere now? Isn't it just a $20 scam by AAAQuote:
Originally Posted by MakersTeleMark
Maybe for small/backwoods rental agencies in countries with non-roman character languages?
Certainly they're not needed in Europe.
The last car I rented internationally was with an invalid expired US DL. I was just brainstorming. Carry on.
Things that have inverters (think laptop charging brick, USB charging stuff, etc) can change 240v into 120 with a cheap adapter usually sold in country. No need for a bulky travel inverter. I bought one for 2 dollars at a train station and ran my laptop with it all through Europe.
If you've got Apple chargers with swappable plugs, it's worth buying the correct plug for the country you're visiting so you don't have a bulky charger precariously hanging from the $2 adapter. I think I got a day of three variations for $12 from Amazon.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yukonrider
It's generally worth taking a quick look at the devices you own to bring to verify they'll accept 240V input; most will and should be marked accordingly. Notably for ski coaches, DeWalt 20V chargers are specific to 120 or 240, but the DeWalt USB-C adapter will let you charge your 20V battery from a normal USB C charger (preferably 100W) and then you can use the battery as a power bank while traveling (just don't try to check it).
I have been reading a lot lately, and everything I have read has said that personal electronics generally do not need any kind of voltage converter at all? Edit: or are you saying just that, that the converter you buy to change the plug from the in-country one to a US one is all you need?Quote:
Originally Posted by Yukonrider
A plug adapter is all you need for charging a phone, tablet, or camera battery in Europe. Amazon has lots, cheap.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PNWbrit
it is very much a thing in Japan. No shit. The Japanese love, bureaucracy and paperwork. They will definitely request your international drivers license when renting vehicles, accept it with all due care and reverence, and then inspect it thoroughly to ensure its compliance with all relevant laws and company regulations… it will be handed back to you with a two handed, bowing gesture of respect. in my case, they weren’t gonna give me that RV my for tohoku trip without it.Quote:
Originally Posted by alpinevibes
Outside of that. Nobody gives a shit. nobody has asked me for my international drivers permit in teh Europe since I was renting cars whilst stationed in Sicily in the 80s. And even that was really just to keep idiot young sailors from renting and wrecking their cars…
This.Quote:
Originally Posted by Danno
This is the one I ended up with, small and light.
Attachment 469532
gotcha. I just bought a similar one on amazon yesterday after much reading, so wanted to make sure I didn't screw up!Quote:
Originally Posted by Yukonrider
If in doubt this is the line you're looking for, all chargers should have this rating text somewhere on them. 120 to 240v.
Attachment 469535
Converter is only needed for things that draw a lot of current like hairdryers and other things with motors.Quote:
Originally Posted by Danno
This is really geared to Euro ski trips
Travel is increasingly reliant on smart phones so you want to make sure you have your internet access and phone situation dialed.
I just do the Verizon $10day deal. I may be able to sort something cheaper but it's easy and that's my style.
A powerbank is key for peace of mind. Most planes have USB power now but airports are hit or miss. Don't forget your audio cord as if you want the inflight entertainment.
For me, the benefits of packing light outweigh having more stuff and clothes but I suppose that is personal preference. Schlepping to much shit just becomes a headache and takes away from the experience.
A couple other things have I've refined over the years are a. packing cubes or similar. These are specially handy is you have clothes packed in your roller ski bag. Usually you leave your skis and the bag somewhere besides your room in the hotel. b. A few lightweight shopping bags for helping organize whatever.
Verizon 's new unlimited ultimate plan is $55 month and includes unlimited in quite a few a European countries (10 GB month then goes to 2g). Hell of a lot cheaper than $10day or $100 month).Quote:
Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles
I have google fi and some of y'all tell me I am already all set for european travel.
Yeah, that's an outrageous price per day ($10). Cellular is pretty cheap outside of US. Here's a random pay as you go plan for as little as 5-10 pounds (month) depending on data: https://www.o2.co.uk/help/pay-as-you-go/big-bundles via SIM card. Includes virtually all of Europe and a total of 42 countries worldwide.Quote:
Originally Posted by fatnslow
Wanna go back to La Grave?Quote:
Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles
I don't know if I am going to do the packing cube thing but thanks for the suggestion of bringing those shopping bags (and pointing out that the ski bag likely won't be in my room like luggage, but the shopping bags will help me transport my stuff from wherever the ski bag is!).Quote:
Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles
those cheap IKEA tote bags made out of tarp material are great for lugging wet gear in and out of the rental car
Bring your boots on the plane. They're one of the items that if lost can really fuck up your trip. I usually just carry them in one hand and in the 10 trips to Yurp, I've never been hassled.Quote:
Originally Posted by Danno
Also: melatonin, it's helps for the first few days of jet lag.
(and I'd love to ski w/Foggy again...)
Seconding bring your boots on the plane as a carryon. We had some bag fuckery on our last ski trip (2 of 4 ski bags made it first try) and everyone got to ski all the days because we hand carried our boots. Also pack whatever day 1 stuff you might need (contacts etc.) in your carryon. You can rent skis, shells, etc. if you need to in order to tide you over.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Buster Highmen
Yeah, I didn't mean to imply I was considering not bringing the boots, just will be figuring out if I have them in my hand or a second carry on bag of some kind. And I figure I will have everything I need to ski (except skis) with me in the cabin. Although if no tele rentals available, having boots won't be much help. Didn't Tri-U go last year or the year before? Wonder if he investigated tele rentals.Quote:
Originally Posted by cravenmorhead
I don't know what I'll be up to this winter. I might make it to Europe and if I did I'd be in La Grave with the homies for at least some of the time. I got a pretty wicked paragliding addiction these days and I'm pretty sure I'll be in Columbia for some of February.
Real maggots would just wear their red boots on the plane. Faster that way.
Especially tele boots!
Nobody cares that Danno teles.
Acid in the eye dropper.