Dumb All Over
A Little Ugly on the Side
SkepticScott
TAM Volunteer Guy
You'll be a veteran traveller before you know it, RemieV.
KingMerv00
Penultimate Amazing
Me not at work:
Me at work:
Sorry I couldn't get anything smaller. Sorry for broken monitors.
Me at work:
Sorry I couldn't get anything smaller. Sorry for broken monitors.
Geek Goddess
Hot enough to melt 4" rebar
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2006
- Messages
- 6,940
Thanks, guys*sniffffff*
I'm still debating about whether to 1) try to figure out how to check my luggage or 2) try to buy every liquid I'll need in 3 ounces or less and put it in a ziploc.
I vote check your luggage. Besides, those ghosts you have hiding in your luggage will never make it through security.
lol... I *may* check it. If I can figure out how in advance and make it a stress-free experience. If not, I'm going to jam every little thing I own into one bag, or possibly wear all my clothes.
TriangleMan
Graduate Poster
Me being crowned High Priest of the Illuminati.
actually I'm in the Bazaar in Istanbul but being an Illuminati High Priest sounds much cooler
actually I'm in the Bazaar in Istanbul but being an Illuminati High Priest sounds much cooler
SkepticScott
TAM Volunteer Guy
Checking luggage is pretty stress-free, but not always. There's always a tiny bit of stress until your bag comes out. Because many bags look alike, I suggest putting something distinctive on your bag. Tie a ribbon to a handle or put a sticker on it. The last time I flew into Vegas, I waited 20 minutes or so by the baggage carousel before the bags from my flight arrived. Which carousel your flight is using is on signs on the carousels, and may also be shown on the "arrivals" monitors.
Most airlines charge you extra if your bag is heavy. I think the limit is 50 pounds, and some airlines have scales you can use to check.
If you choose to carry everything on, you'll get out of the airport faster. You can bring two items on board. Bring one item that will fit in the overhead storage bins and a large bag that will fit under the seat. The bag I bring for 'under the seat' is about 12" x 16" x 10".
Bring books. You'll have lots of time to read before and during your flight.
exarch
Anti-homeopathy illuminati member
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2003
- Messages
- 7,184
Allison, imagine deciding to go to TAM2 in December (barely a month before), this being your first international trip in a decade, and you first ever trip all alone.
I survived somehow.
I think your experience is not going to be the scariest, just the first step in something much more exciting
Geek Goddess
Hot enough to melt 4" rebar
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2006
- Messages
- 6,940
Thanks, guys
I'm still debating about whether to 1) try to figure out how to check my luggage or 2) try to buy every liquid I'll need in 3 ounces or less and put it in a ziploc.
If you have a long flight, or if you need to change planes during your trip, check your luggage. Schlepping luggage around an airport sucks. Checking luggage is easy, just follow the signs at the airport. I use the 'curb side' check-in all the time, as it is generally faster, you don't have to wait in a potentially long line at the ticket counter. If you curb-check, and print your boarding pass out from home, you won't have any lines except the security line. Remember that some airlines charge a couple dollars per bag to use the curb-side, and you will want to leave a small tip for whoever handles the luggage, like a dollar or two per bag. So, if you check one bag, you may be talking bout 3-4 bucks to avoid some hassle. If you take yourself to the airport, drive to the curb-side, check your luggage, then park your car. If someone is taking you, they can drop you right there. If you carry your luggage on, it will save you 10-20 minutes in the LV airport, but if you're not in a rush to be somewhere, it's not really that long. On my frequent short hops, I carry my luggage, unless I have to take my computer.
The ziplock has to be one-quart size, no bigger (and no smaller for some strange reason). I had a half-empty 3.5 oz toothpaste bottle and one guy let it through, but on the return trip, the next guy took it. Lipstick doesn't count, but lip gloss or gel does. I'm not advocating bypassing security, but I've been known to put a tube of lipgloss in my jeans pocket, which does not set the detectors off. Of course, if you are randomly picked for a pat-down, there it is.
For carryon, that depends on your flight time. Anything under two hours I consider a hop, and might take only a book stuck in my purse. I tend to doze off (which is why I like window seats, I can rest my head against the wall) Long flights, or with plane changes, I take something do to - like needlework, a notebook/travel diary I sometimes write in, etc.
It's an adventure!
Hutch
A broken man on a Halifax pier, the last of Barret
RemieV, Skeptic Scott and Geek Goddess offer much good advice. If you are really an inexperienced traveller (and not just our leg pulling, as my old dutch grandpa would have said), then may I, as another frequent flyer, offer a couple of suggestions:
1. Make sure you get to the departure airport at least two hours prior to your leaving (3 if you're flying international, I do not know where you are from). You can check at least two bags of 50lbs each; I would recommend that you check the bags in at the ticket counter rather than outside at the curb. That way you get your boarding passes and can watch them put the stickers on the bag for your destination.
2. As Scott notes, you can carry a smaller bag (usually less than 30 lbs, but few airlines ever check it) and a hand-held object (purse, bag, etc.) However, they will have to go through security and it can slow you down--one reason to get to the airport early. These days I carry a book and my ticket with me and that is about all.
3. Wear slip-on shoes, because you will be asked to remove them, along with anything metal (belt, coins, watch, etc.) for screening. If they call you out of line for further inspection, don't sweat it, I've been 'reviewed' several times and no problems.
4. If you have to change planes between your starting point and destination, check the airline magazine since they usually have maps of their hub cities and many airlines will announce their connecting gates before the airplane lands. If not, someone from the airline can help you if you are confused. And doublecheck; airlines will change gates on you.
5. Las Vegas is a BIG airport and constantly busy. Follow the signs to baggage claim and look for the carousel with your flight number displayed. Once you have your bags, you have two choices to get to the hotel (1) Cab, which will run you about $15-20, or bus, which is only about $7, but stops at a number of hotels and can take upwards of an hour to get you to your hotel.
6. If you want to, either add your arrival time/airline to the thread I have, or if you want to PM me the schedule I'll offer whatever other advice I can.
Looking forward to meeting you at TAM5; and trust me, you'll be fine.
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Geek Goddess
Hot enough to melt 4" rebar
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2006
- Messages
- 6,940
I do this on international flights. A clean shirt and undies, my contact lenses and glasses, my meds (if I have them). Almost anything else, I can live without for a day or two.
ETA: Hutch, at DFW they put the barcode tags for the luggage on right there at the curb and give you the receipts for the checked luggage. Is that not the case everywhere? I always pre-print my boarding passes.
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