Travel hacks and advice

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Originally Posted by jackattack

look up Switching Mode Power Supplies (SMPS)



Why is it annoying that Macbook is now compatible with USB-C? I think it's amazing. I can travel with a multi port usb power supply with a simple plug adapter to charge all of my devices: phone, watch, camera batteries, laptop, tablet, headphones, etc...

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It's not USB-C that annoys me; I'm very happy for that. I traveled to Europe and everything except my radio and video camera could charge via USB (laptop, phone, heated sock batteries, DeWalt battery), and the video camera really annoyed me because there's not really a good reason for it not to support USB charging (the factory charger voltage and current is low enough that USB would be viable).

It's these chargers that I'm talking about:
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/M...d47d324606e322

I thought the ones we got with our last batch of MacBook Airs were more than 20W, but they were that form factor. I'd much rather have higher wattage and the older form factor that allows for swapping plugs:
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/M...3f6be36380dda4

You brought a Dewalt battery to Europe and weren’t arrested? I’d have assumed that thing would be too big. Unless you aren’t referring to the implied cordless tool battery.


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Originally Posted by jm2e

You brought a Dewalt battery to Europe and weren’t arrested? I’d have assumed that thing would be too big. Unless you aren’t referring to the implied cordless tool battery.


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The program I was working for has a storage unit in Munich with gates, coaches' skis, etc, including some drill batteries after I convinced one of the other coaches that he should just buy some to leave there rather than covering any evidence of the word "lithium" on the battery and checking it.

His success rate with the latter technique wasn't great, but it was better than I'd like if I was on the same flight.

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Originally Posted by jackattack

Like 2021 and later MacBook Pro, 2022 and later MacBook Air is compatible with both MagSafe 3 and usb-c. The male adapter end of the MagSafe 3 cable plugs into a usb-c port on the ac adapter. The apple adapter will provide 140w through the magsafe cable, while usb-c is limited to 100w. That's fine for a trip where I can use the same cables for multiple devices.

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I'll be damned. thank you for that.

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Originally Posted by bodywhomper

She was seeing ~$950/person on air Portugal for mid-June. SFO-Venice with layover in Lisbon on the return.

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seeing tix on google for 5 peeps at $3600 on air portugal: SFO-lisbon-Milan; $3750 on british air/american: sfo-heathrow-milan; and $3750 on american: sfo-philly-milan.... claims of rates at ~$1700 lower than usual. Are they likely to go lower?

What do you all do for travel insurance? get a sapphire credit card? find insurance with squaremouth.com? or something else?

We use travelguard. We've never comparison shopped or researched if there are better alternatives. I've only had one claim--we were reimbursed about 2000 dollars each for unused helicopter time on an Alaska trip. I was a little surprised that they paid it no questions asked, with documentation from the operator. That was over 5 years ago so I don't know if the same coverage would be honored.
My wife took out a policy for an Asian trip that was canceled due to covid. She was refunded by the airline and the tour operator. Travelguard refused to refund the premium or even offer a credit.

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Originally Posted by bodywhomper

What do you all do for travel insurance? get a sapphire credit card?

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In the EU right now with a 7mo pregnant wife; so did a decent amount of research on this.

I did not buy any supplemental third party travel insurance….

If you have:
- A perked up travel credit card (with tickets and hotels purchased thru it)
- Decent health insurance
- Bought a non-budget airline ticket (something other than the lowest tier).

…You should have no problems cancelling or getting home with coverage if shit hits the fan…

You would probably need third party travel insurance to cover any third party tours / excursions….

BTW - booked this entire 10d trip with Chase points, so if you don’t already have a travel credit card; you’re doing it wrong…



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Originally Posted by jm2e

Poor Things...
...on a plane, on an aisle seat, in the front row...

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There is NO way I could've watched that movie with others around, let alone on a plane. I watched that one by myself and it was STILL unnerving, which I guess was sort of the point but still. That is absolutely wild they have that one available for an in-flight movie. :eek:

I’ll get extra travel insurance depending on the trip. If the location is very remote or third world I like to have a little extra repatriation coverage. And if the trip has lots of moving parts where delay would cause me to lose money I look for extra delay and cancellation coverage. I usually use Squaremouth to compare plans and read reviews of payout difficulty.

You're probably fine without it (assuming decent credit card), unless you are doing adventure sports of some sort.

And if you want extra coverage because you're doing fun shit, then make sure your travel insurance actually covers it...because a lot of them specifically exclude things like skiing off piste (which in europe is everything that's not a groomed run), rock climbing, etc.

I bought a policy from "World Nomads" when I went to switzerland this past winter. They specifically include off-piste in the standard plan and backcountry touring in the "explorer" plan for a few bucks more. Some other insurers offer an adventure sports rider for an extra fee

Didn't have to use them for anything important, but they did cut me a check when SWISS Air stiffed me on paying for gear I had to buy due to delayed luggage (SWISS would only pay 50% value on stuff I bought...and stuff is fucking expensive in swiss ski towns). World Nomads sent money fast without question after months of trying to argue with SWISS Air.

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Originally Posted by bodywhomper

seeing tix on google for 5 peeps at $3600 on air portugal: SFO-lisbon-Milan; $3750 on british air/american: sfo-heathrow-milan; and $3750 on american: sfo-philly-milan.... claims of rates at ~$1700 lower than usual. Are they likely to go lower?

What do you all do for travel insurance? get a sapphire credit card? find insurance with squaremouth.com? or something else?

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$3600 looks like a good price; your only better option on price is to fly into Milan, which is showing $2880 R/T for four people for mid-June dates. Not a terrible itinerary either, with TAP. Hard to say if anything will go lower on price. At this point, with inflation and travel demand in 2024: I would say under a $1000 R/T per person is pretty good for SFO to specific area in Europe at this point.

We've only purchased "extra" travel insurance (travelguard) a couple times - Australia with infant twins, Kenya during a presidential election. We always have a quiver of cards, including a Sapphire, which cover any issues with delays, lost bags, etc etc. Rarely, if ever have had to use it, but we're usually on flying on miles, so we're not as concerned about recouping $5000-10,000 in greenbacks if things go south. Definitely have a Sapphire or similar card with good benefits and book all your flights, cars, hotels on that card.

I got an annual policy from Allianz. It’s pretty handy If you travel a lot. It covers any trip over 100 miles from your house. No matter your mode of Travel.

I think the price is reasonable for what I get. And I like Not having to deal with Insurance on every trip individually.

they get three levels depending on your needs

https://www.allianztravelinsurance.c...rips-basic.htm

https://www.allianztravelinsurance.c...rips-prime.htm

https://www.allianztravelinsurance.c...ps-premier.htm

after working on the trip committee at our ski club for a few years , I got to see firsthand what happens to people when they decided not to get insurance And ended up having something happened to them. The cost of dealing with unexpected medical needs can be quite high. Especially if you need any sort of medical help during the travel back home.

Ski club of Great Britain can also be a good place to pick up Insurance. I believe they do both travel insurance and Slope insurance in case you get injured off piste where you’re not going to be covered by ski patrol.


https://www.skiclub.co.uk/ski-club-travel-insurance/

Thanks all! Hadn’t considered ski club sourced travel insurance.

We’re doing some research and the top three things to do in Dublin are visit a prison, a distillery and a brewery.
It’s really crazy how what my wife and I like to do on trips is just wildly different from what most people like to do.

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Originally Posted by plugboots

We’re doing some research and the top three things to do in Dublin are visit a prison, a distillery and a brewery.
It’s really crazy how what my wife and I like to do on trips is just wildly different from what most people like to do.

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Does that mean you’re going to the prison?


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I mean, it's not just a brewery, it's the Guinness brewery--almost certainly the most famous brewery in the world.

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Originally Posted by plugboots

We’re doing some research and the top three things to do in Dublin are visit a prison, a distillery and a brewery.
It’s really crazy how what my wife and I like to do on trips is just wildly different from what most people like to do.

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So it's going to feel just like home.

Few tips come to mind after a recent trip:

Wipe your luggage with Clorox wipe after the trip. Keeps it looking good for years.

Expend the bags for packing. Compress and zip up the expansion for transport and travels.

Have some zip ties, ziplock bags, small roll of duct tape,and Velcro straps for just in case. Had an extra bag to drag back. Velcro strap attached one behind another to roll with one hand.

Public bathroom in London are nonexistent. Go to a nearest pub. Toilets are usually upstairs or downstairs. No need to ask for permission even. Large department stores are a good bet too.

Know local 911 number.

Not sure what people do for foreign currency… but I ordered Euros through my Bank of America app… swung by the branch day before I left and picked them up… super easy. Exchange rate was competitive.

I still prefer to swipe the CC abroad, but a lot of places still prefer cash…


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Originally Posted by nickwm21

Not sure what people do for foreign currency… but I ordered Euros through my Bank of America app… swung by the branch day before I left and picked them up… super easy. Exchange rate was competitive.

I still prefer to swipe the CC abroad, but a lot of places still prefer cash…


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I just go to the ATM when I get in country and get enough for a couple of days at a time.

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Originally Posted by nickwm21

Not sure what people do for foreign currency… but I ordered Euros through my Bank of America app… swung by the branch day before I left and picked them up… super easy. Exchange rate was competitive.

I still prefer to swipe the CC abroad, but a lot of places still prefer cash…


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ATM. Zero reason to use any other system.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by nickwm21

Not sure what people do for foreign currency… but I ordered Euros through my Bank of America app… swung by the branch day before I left and picked them up… super easy. Exchange rate was competitive.

I still prefer to swipe the CC abroad, but a lot of places still prefer cash…


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I use an ATM in Euroland.

I haven't touched cash the last few times I've been in europe (or canada)...otherwise ATM.

No need to get any in advance and I use a bank that refunds all ATM fees.

Nice to have cash if you take tours, for the tip. At least in Scandinavia they don't seem to mind dollars, which is helpful because all the Baltic countries have different currency.

When I was living/working in Mexico in 2009, my paycheck was auto-deposited by my US company in a US bank, then every friday I would withdraw my pesos for the week from an affiliated Canadian bank ATM. And immediately after, my card would get locked for possible fraudulent activity because the withdrawal was in Mexico, so then I would have to call the bank support line and talk to someone in India to get the card unlocked, until next week when the whole process would repeat itself despite me telling them I was in Mexico and to stop locking my card. Good times.

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Originally Posted by old goat

Nice to have cash if you take tours, for the tip. At least in Scandinavia they don't seem to mind dollars, which is helpful because all the Baltic countries have different currency.

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Just the tip. 8)

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Originally Posted by riser4

Just the tip. 8)

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Yeah, just the tip. Not in stores AFAIK.

I'm sure many of you use the website flightaware.com for flight tracking. One of the features I use frequently is "where is my plane now?" The airlines are usually pretty slow at posting flight delays, but if you can see that the airplane being used for your flight is still en route and delayed in arrival you can often predict delays well before the airline makes it official.

We flew from Sacramento to LAX en route to Paris. When we got to LA we glanced at a TV screen and there was video of a plane on the ground in Tahiti. The locals had bombed the empty Air Frnace plane in protest of French nuclear testing in Tahiiti. It was our plane. We spent a lovely night at LAX.

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Originally Posted by The AD

I'm sure many of you use the website flightaware.com for flight tracking. One of the features I use frequently is "where is my plane now?" The airlines are usually pretty slow at posting flight delays, but if you can see that the airplane being used for your flight is still en route and delayed in arrival you can often predict delays well before the airline makes it official.

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Truth. United is pretty good for this type of visibility through their app but FlightAware gives you instant and overall visibility.

Snag the blanket on international flights. Free picnic blanket.

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Originally Posted by The AD

I'm sure many of you use the website flightaware.com for flight tracking. One of the features I use frequently is "where is my plane now?" The airlines are usually pretty slow at posting flight delays, but if you can see that the airplane being used for your flight is still en route and delayed in arrival you can often predict delays well before the airline makes it official.

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Yup. Very useful for SW when you're sitting at the bar trying to figure out if you have time for another round or not.

You still need to be on your toes though, they can switch planes and you can suddenly go from a 3 hour delay to boarding now, depending on the airport.

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A few observations and predictions for a brave new world future of international travel-

-I recently traveled from the US to the UK. I've been many times in the past but this was my first time in three years.
-I have a new passport, this was my first time traveling with it.
-In the past, an airline employee had to inspect and verify a new passport. Now, there is only a need for an online photo upload of the passport.
-I left the US without anyone ever confirming that i had a physical passport in my possession. Instead, there was a facial recognition device that was used for walking through the gate to board the plane. As best I could tell, there is no ability to bypass the facial recognition at the gate.
-Arriving in the UK, I scanned my passport at an automated immigration kiosk. Said kiosk let me through to the customs and baggage hall. My passport was not stamped. I passed through customs by walking out with hundreds of other people through "nothing to declare" exit door without ever interacting with a human.

-Leaving the UK, I made it all the way through security and to the gate with only a boarding pass. There is no longer exit passport control, at least for flights leaving to the US. My passport was not stamped.
-In the past, there was no way to get issued an app based boarding pass without checking in at the airport. You had to check in and talk to ITS security people who would always question you on the nature of your travel, who packed your bags, etc before every flight bound for the US. This is no longer the case, or at least wasn't for me.
-At the gate, I did have to present a passport. I was asked why I didn't have an ITS sticker on my passport. I told the agent that I hadn't been interviewed this time around. They waved me through.
-I never had to present a passport upon arrival back in the states. The global entry line is now entirely facial recognition. You walk up to a kiosk, it scans your face and then you walk out.

I predict that the future of international travel in the developed world will be entirely facial recognition and that passports will largely be obsolete. I predict that this will also be the case for domestic travel, given that the TSA is now using facial recognition at many airports.

My trip was the most convenient international trip that I have ever experienced. That said, I do think that the future will likely be one of increased intergovernmental control and coordination in the name of anit-terrorism. Governments will be able to bar people from travel with the click of a mouse, and there will be no bypassing the facial recognition software, with data being shared around the world. I would bet that this system will be abused by increasingly authoritarian governments from now to eternity.

^^^Pretty much the same for me coming and going through Schiphol.

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Originally Posted by Kevo

-Arriving in the UK, I scanned my passport at an automated immigration kiosk. Said kiosk let me through to the customs and baggage hall. My passport was not stamped. I passed through customs by walking out with hundreds of other people through "nothing to declare" exit door without ever interacting with a human.

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Yes, that part floored me, too. I couldn't believe I could just collect my luggage and walk right out to the train station at Gatwick.

Coming home I flew into Vancouver and it was a bit more complex: had my photo taken at an automated kiosk and had to answer a series of questions, but then it was simply hand the printout to an agent and proceed to the luggage carousel, then out of the airport after getting luggage. Pretty quick and simple.

Remember, you can defeat facial recognition software by wearing juggalo makeup.

I was just contemplating this last week as I packed for a trip to 5 different countries on 2 continents over 9 days - remarking to myself how it’s crazy that a little booklet of paper is vital to being able to complete each step of this journey. I could lose every item I bring with me other than the clothes on my back and be inconvenienced but otherwise fine. But losing a booklet of paper would cause the trip to be ruined. Seems odd that in 2024 there can’t be a better option or at least a second option.

People kinda freak at the idea of getting microchipped.

As part of the Schiphol trip, we went to Nairobi and there we had our picture taken and had to do fingerprints, but it was still quick.

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Originally Posted by I Skied Bandini Mountain

People kinda freak at the idea of getting microchipped.

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My face and my retinas and my fingerprints are already in “the system” - so if I lose my little paper booklet just let me show up at the airport an hour earlier, go through some extra level of screening, and let me be on my way.