Day 7: Last thoughts and heading home!

After a not so great night’s rest I checked out of the Marriott and headed to the airport. I was flying back out of FCO to IST where I had a couple hour layover. I’m not going to chat about the IST airport because I already discussed it. Did I mention to grab a trolley as soon as you see one? Because you should. Especially if you are sick.

The flight home was bad. Not that the flight was bad, I was bad. By this time I was so sick (on and off fevers, chills, coughing) that all I wanted to do was get home. And I constantly tried to “look better” because I didn’t want the Airport Powers That Be to think I had Ebola. Because I knew I didn’t but I didn’t want to have that conversation. This is where Global Entry comes in handy. No standing in line with the unwashed masses getting into Boston Logan airport. You just breeze through with hardly anyone looking at you. Best $100 I ever spend. I estimate the line to get back in was 45 minutes or longer. Yeah, I’m so not doing that.

Italy was amazing! I had a wonderful time (even with being sick) and would totally go back again. Not only did all the historical places not fail to disappoint, having the option of hanging out with folks who live in Rome really provided a fabulous experience. Any time you can hang with the locals makes for a more well-rounded trip.

***Michelle’s tip:  I think for my next Italy trip I would perhaps try and do a “region” instead of hitting places so far apart (Venice and Rome). I knew that for my first visit I wanted to see these two cities but the travel time does cut down on the sightseeing time. It was fine, but going forward I think that I would pick a “region” and then make multiple trips to Italy. It is a huge country and so many things to see that you can’t do it all. So don’t try. Enjoy what you can see and just go back another time! Oh and please try the gelato. All flavors.   J

It’s a Global Entry kind of day!!

So headed up to the wonderland of Northern Chicago for my Global Entry interview today. Not even going to talk about the crazy snow, traffic and generally shitty conditions. That’s not what this is about. It’s about the Global Entry interview!!

Once you get “conditionally approved” by the Global Entry Powers That Be (aka: Customs and Border Patrol) you get an email explaining the process and directing you to sign up for an appointment for your interview to finalize the process. You have basically all of the participating airports with interview centers to choose from, and the closest to me was Chicago O’Hare, which is my go-to airport for international travel.

It was super easy to make the appointment, all done on line and since they have Saturday appointments to chose from, it makes it convenient for the working masses. My appointment was at 10:00 am today and with the weather being what it was I wanted to be there early, just in case. As it turns out they were running ½ hour behind: there was about 8 people ahead of me in line.

Once they call your name you are brought back into the “interview area”, which is basically a desk with a couple chairs and computer terminal. The Customs and Boarder patrol dude was super nice and it was a simple process. His computer was giving him technical difficulties but the actual process was simple. They look at your passport, driver’s license and the interview letter that was emailed to you. Then they take your picture and your fingerprints (electronically) and ask you a few simple questions. Such as:

o   Have you ever been arrested domestically or abroad?

o   Have you ever had any immigration violations brought against you?

o   Have you ever used another name? (Not counting maiden names).

That was about it. Simple. Took about 15 minutes total and pretty straightforward. I should note that in all honesty, they have already done your background check. They know who you are and what you are all about. I think they just want to see you and match up your face to passport. Then he gives you a temporary card with your ID number on it and gives you the speech. Some highlights:

o   You will get your permanent card in the mail. No need to take that with you on trips. It is mainly for driving back and forth from Canada or Mexico.

o   You will receive an email in about 48 hours with further instructions on using your new Global Entry info when you book your future flights.

o   Cannot be applied to any current flights already booked, only for new flights.

o   You should for first time uses with all your preferred rewards airlines check in at the ticket desk so that they have all your information updated when you use the system for the first time. (After that you can check in online, etc).

o   Although technically you don’t have to fill out the customs form on the airplane any more, my dude explained that they tell folks to still fill it out because as he said: “kiosks break, machines run out of paper, stuff happens. Better to be prepared just in case”.

Like I said, simple process! I think that this is going to be a good thing and for only $100 for 5 years you really can’t beat the price. Anything that makes your entry back into the good old USA quick and painless is a win-win for me!!

Happy travels!!!!

International flights: Customs forms

Today I thought I would chat about the customs forms that need to be filled out upon re-entry into the US from international trips. I obviously have been thinking hard about my next international trip and have this on my mind!

When you are leaving your international destination and are flying back to the US you will be required to fill out a customs form for items purchased overseas. I have seen these forms distributed two ways:

1.     When you board your plane to head back to the US sometimes they hand them out as they are checking your boarding pass.

2.     The flight attendants on the flight will hand them out during the flight (anywhere from mid-flight to an hour before landing).

The 2^nd option appears to be the most common, IMO. The form is a standard form for US residents that requires you to fill out some information relating to what you are bringing back into the US.

Normal information that is asked on the form:

1.     Name, address, etc

2.     Flight # and airline

3.     Your passport #

4.     Items that you are declaring. (Your can declare up to $800 USD of items before you have to pay duty on it).

The reason for this blog posting is to give folks an idea of what I do to make this whole process easier. Yes, I’m a little OCD about things but after you have schlepped through the airport, gone through passport control, waited for your flight to board, been on a plane for 8+ hours then anything that can make your life more simple is a win-win for me!! (and as a note the crazy lady who sat next to me on my return flight from Madrid looked at me when I did this and gave me the look that said: Damn, I should have thought of that!!")

When I travel overseas I carry a small notebook with me in my messenger bag. Just an old-school 3” notebook purchased at Target for under $1. I find it useful for things like jotting down notes about places or attractions you visited during the day or adding names of folks who were helpful at those attractions (for TripAdvisor reports).

This kiddies, is a notebook. With paper!

Old-school!!

The night before my flight leaves to go home while I am packing and organizing I also take 5 minutes and take note of what I purchased and how much the items cost. Since you are packing these items and have them all in front of you it makes the process that much easier! I then jot this down in my notebook so that it is handy during the flight to fill out the customs form. It can be as simple as the following:

1.     Shoes/ Clothes               $70

2.     Books                            $40

3.     Candy/ olive oil            $50

You get the picture. Make sure that you estimate the cost in USD and not the local currency. Customs officers don’t care that that the items were purchased in Euro or Yen or whatever. They want the item in USD. I also don’t worry about exact amounts, just round up to an estimate of the cost.

Such a simple thing, and yes we have discussed the OCD factor in this. But hey, after a long flight (and perhaps some wine) you shouldn’t have to rack your brain to think about what you purchased on your vacation!!

Now I am told that with the new Global Entry system this will be done electronically and you are no longer needed to fill out the form, it is done at the kiosk. I still will probably use my little old-school notebook and just transfer it to the screen.

Hopefully this can help someone out and provide a little advice!! Remember, everyone is different and your mileage may vary but it works for me!!

Happy travels!!!