Next stop: Austria!!

Well in a few days time I will be off to Austria! My next solo trip takes me to the land of apple strudel, Mozart and “the hills are alive with the sound of music”! I will be in Vienna as my home base but am planning on a side day trip to Salzburg as well as a day trip for a wine tour in the Wachau Valley. It should be a fun trip and the weather is supposed to be in the mid 50’s to low 60’s so that sounds about perfect for me!

Stay tuned for full trip report when I get back. Oh, and stay tuned as we are already planning the next potential trip! (Looks like a possibility to go to Beijing and Shanghai in early September and then an Italy trip somewhere around early March if all goes well!)

 Happy travels!

NYC: I did it my way!!

So I thought it was about time that I blogged about the last two months of my tourist activities in NYC. I am here on business and about every two weeks, I stay over the weekend instead of traveling home to Chicago. The company pays for me to stay (hotel and meals) and all I have to do is pay for any activities I participate in. Pretty damn cool!!

So here is my recap of some of the things I did over the last few months here in NYC:

·         State of Liberty/ Ellis Island

o   You pick up the boat to State of Liberty and Ellis Island near Battery Park (taking the South Ferry subway stop). If you order tickets online in advance (highly recommended) it is $25 for the ride to both national parks. The parks themselves are free. I highly recommend doing this tour. It was sooo cold the day that I did this tour (in January)! You basically have to go through two airport type security to get onto the boat and also once on the island. But well worth it. Really an iconic thing you have to see if you are in NYC.

·         Broadway shows:

o   Kinky Boots: Cannot say enough great things about this show. There is a reason this won the Tony award. Do yourself a favor; spend the money, buy the tickets and prepared to be completely entertained!!

o   Chicago: I had seen the movie and this show is even better. Slight differences than the movie (of course) and I really enjoyed the humor that was put into this show.

·         Wall Street/Financial district/ Trinity Church:

o   This is one of those things you go see once, and then you are good. It’s another tourist area that is on everyone’s list. Really not much to “do” but you go, you see, you take some pics and then you move on. I would have liked to go into Trinity Church and the adjoining old cemetery, but it was Sunday morning when I was there and they were having their church service.

·         The Metropolitan Museum of Art:

o   There is a reason that this is a highly rated museum. It is incredible. Tons of stuff to see, from paintings, sculpture, photographs, even dudes wearing armor on horses. I spent about 4 hours here (including my lunch that I had in their café) and anyone who knows me knows that for me to spend 4 hours in an art museum it must have been a great museum. It was! And as a bonus: free admission for military if you ask!

·         Grand Central Station

o   Yes, I know talking about a train station is kind of weird. But this station apparently just went through its 100 year anniversary renovation. And I was surprised as how lovely it was. And there are quite a few shops within the station area (although I seemed to get there during non-business hours! I highly recommend you just stopping by and looking. And don’t worry, everyone takes pictures there! So go ahead and be a tourist!!

·         World Trade Center site:

o   A must see. Here’s the thing: I expected it to be emotional. I expected there to be many layers of security to get there. I expected it to be a bit of a walk as it is still under construction. All of these things are true. What I didn’t expect was for it to be honestly so incredibly beautiful! I know that this is hallowed ground. But for it to be so beautiful it almost brought tears to my eyes. Go. Just go.

·         Lower East Side Tenement Museum:

o   This was a small museum that many New Yorkers I spoke to (at work) did not even know existed. It is a wonderful find (thanks, TripAdvisor!)!  This is a restored tenement building that was actually used in the 1860’s through the 1930’s. I won’t go into all the history in case you visit but it has several tours that you can take (about $25 each, about an hour long in each case). I took the Hard Times and the Irish Outsiders tour. The cool thing is that the tour guides are more like history teachers and are really passionate about their work. Some of the restored rooms are furnished with help from decedents of the real life residents. Very, very cool! Be warned, not really for small kids, you can’t touch and there are a lot of stairs. Buy your tickets online in advance to reserve a space (small tours of 8 folks only) and I think the age limit is 8 and up.

So there you have it! My visit so far in NYC. Just a few highlights! I am grateful that I have the opportunity to stay in the city on the company’s dime and want to see as much “touristy” stuff as possible. Why not? It’s travel, even if it is in our own backyard!

The worst travel experience. It's not what you think!!

The worst travel experience. Ever.

Ok, so based on my last couple days trying to get out of NYC back to Chicago during the massive snowstorm that hit the East coast you might think that was my worst travel story. Ever. It was not. (Can you believe it?)

That’s right. Zombieland kill of the week goes to……

April 1994. Trip from San Diego to Boston for my sister’s wedding. Actually, it was not the trip to the wedding that was the issue. It was the trip back. Let me explain.

Remember that this was pre-911. Things were different in air travel. You had a lot more leeway in what you could and could not bring onto the plane and also in how security was handled. I traveled for this trip back to my sister’s wedding alone with my daughter (who was almost 4 and going to be the flower girl) and my son (who was about 15 months old). I was going to be the bridesmaid in the wedding as well. My husband was unable to go so it was just the two kids and I.

The flight there (as I said) was fine. I think we had a change of planes in some city but it couldn’t have been eventful for me to not even remember the city! It was the trip home that was horrible.

Got to Boston Logan airport with plenty of time before the flight. I recall it being a night flight, booked that way so that the kids could sleep most of the way home. We did have a scheduled change of planes (again, can’t remember where) but it was only going to be one change, not a big deal.  Traveling with kids brings it’s own challenges because there is always extra STUFF that you have with you. Some of the items:

·      The kids themselves

·      Umbrella stroller for the baby

·      Diaper/tote type of bag with all miscellaneous crap

·      Meghan’s doll (that she took EVERYWHERE) and a blanket for Connor

·      A small (think 6 pack) type cooler with milk for the baby and his medicine (he was just getting off an ear infection)

·      That damn flower girl bouquet basket that Meghan insisted on carrying home to San Diego

So, we get to the airport, no problem. Get through security, no problem. Wait for flight to board, no problem. But then there is an apparent problem. With the plane. Sigh…

So we wait, and wait and wait. I don’t remember how long. But that’s not important because that is not he worst of it. Not by a long shot! Both kids fall asleep (bless them!) so when it was time to board the new plane (not sure what happened to the broken one sitting at the gate) I couldn’t get the sleeping kids and all their crap onto the plane. It just wasn’t physically possible. And my daughter slept like the living dead. So she was pure dead weight. The gate attendants were unable (or unwilling) to help me carry her on board. So they called a baggage handler from baggage handling area to carry my sleeping daughter on board the plane. I can tell you I didn’t get this man’s name. But he was a huge (think 300 pound football player type) man who obviously had kids of his own. Because he couldn’t have been more gentle and helpful if it was his own kids. If I had any money I would have tipped him!

So off we go! But wait, there’s more! See because of the broken plane, we had to be re-routed all over the place to get to San Diego. So our plane made stops (and we changed planes) at the following places:

·                                           Boston to St. Louis

·                                          4-6 hour layover in St. Louis.

·                                          St. Louis to Phoenix

·                                          Phoenix to Las Vegas

·                                          Las Vegas to San Diego

Did I mention that we changed planes at all these locations? Yep, with two kids under 5, stroller, baby bag, the doll, the medicine and yes, that damn flower girl basket!!!!

It got to the point that whatever these kids wanted, I gave it to them. Just to keep them happy. Mommy rules went flying out the window (no pun intended)!  If they wanted to take their shoes off and run all over the gate area in St. Louis, have at it. If they wanted Skittles for breakfast, let’s go! If they wanted to sleep on the floor at the airport in Phoenix, sounds good to me. Whatever. Kept. Them. Sane.   (And me too!!)

When we finally landed in San Diego, my husband met us at the gate (remember, pre-911) and I handed those wonderful kids to him and once we got home, I locked myself in our room for a whole day. It was truly the trip from hell!! And I do need to mention that the kids (overall) were really well behaved! I mean as well as can be expected!

So when I think of the hell that I went through this past week getting out of NYC I try not to complain too much. Because it could be so much worse! Thanks for playing; let us know what your worst travel experience was!!!

            

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!!!

Travel for the Christmas holidays!

Merry Christmas to all!

This holiday season I am traveling back to Bridgewater, Mass to visit my family for the holidays! My entire family is getting together this year and we are all descending onto my brother's house! I fly out tomorrow (me and everyone else in the traveling world!) and will land at Providence TJ Green airport.

This will be the first Christmas that I am traveling as we normally stay home and chill for the holidays. But with the kids grown and married and everyone moving in different directions we thought this would be the perfect time to spend the holiday together. Doubtful that there will be any blogging about this trip although you never know!

Here's hoping that everyone has a fabulous holiday season and that you all get to spend time with family and friends! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Madrid trip: heading home!

So to summarize the Great Madrid Solo Trip of 2013: 

It was really fun! I enjoyed myself and had a great time walking around the city and checking out the sights. I had very little issues with anything other than some crowds at the main Sol transportation hub. I was not pickpocketed, hit on, robbed or accosted in any way. I found the Spanish people to be extremely friendly and helpful in every way! I never for one moment felt unsafe or uneasy about anything during my trip. I fell in love with Madrid and look forward to not only going back to visit but also to taking a day trip from Madrid to perhaps Toledo or Sevilla. Adios, Madrid. You are one cool place to visit!!!