Traveling

[lizcam]

So I might be doing some international traveling for the first time this year. I know I can google-fu this answer but then I wouldn\'t get to hear your horror stories and happy time stories of your traveling

Here\'s my question. What should I watch for and what can I get away with mini-wise. I haven\'t been on a plane since 9-11 so any hints there would be good too. I\'m going to try and get away with just a carry-on but is this possible?

Oh....and stories. I like stories so if you have any please feel free to relate them. Thanks!


As Ubie would say.........And discuss!

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by lizcam
What should I watch for and what can I get away with mini-wise.
In relation to what, do you want to have access to painting them onthe plane or just in your carry on bag?
I haven\'t been on a plane since 9-11 so any hints there would be good too.
Drink plenty of water, although you\'re limited to what you can carry on board as fluids
I\'m going to try and get away with just a carry-on but is this possible?
Depends where you are going to and for how long. Buying clothes abroad might be seen as a good option but don\'t forget the UK\'s prices are high to start with and the Dollars pretty damn weak against the pound.

 

[Dragon Forge Design]

From my experiances from traveling international..and many times with figures.

I will answer figures first. As long as they fit inside the carry on allowances, traveling with miniatures is east and no problem. Pack them well and you will be fine.

Ok as for the trip. first off where are you going?

Money- Talk to your bank and exchange as much money as you think you are going to spend before you go. You will get a much better rate of exchange.. trust me once you arrive to places like the UK (say London) of Europe (say Paris) the places where you exchange money which are commonly call Buearo de Change or something like that will rob you blind.. charge high service fees and at rates much higher than actual rates. It might be $2.00 to the pound but through places like that you will end up paying $2.20 to the pound.

Pay for everything you can with a CC as CC companies exchange money on million dollor lots so you will get the best rate. If you need cahs withdraw it from a Banks ATM as again you will pay actual exchange rates and not large service fees.

For buying things like Miniatures, I have found that almost all can be purchased cheaper in the USA than you can buy abroad..

As Mike said drink water..drink water.. drink water.. water is cheap in Europe so buy and drink it.. on your flight again drink as much water as you can.

One yu arrive to where your going, stay awake as long as you can. a short nap mid day is ok but if you can stay awake till say a normal bed time and then get a good nights sleep you can get your normal boby clock back in rhythem with your new local time much quicker.

As for clothes, pack light and I have found that of your on a longer trip..almost every where you will go you will find either a do it yourself laundry mat or in my case in Paris..I took it to a laundry..paid 10 euros and had it done for me and I picked it up washed, pressed and folded and wrapped in paper 8 hours later.. that way Ill bring 5 days of clothes for a 10 day trip.

 

[mud duck]

If your up to it, take the flight in a couple of hops. My Parent flew to England with a stop in Iceland, a couple hours layover there and 2 and half days or so on the way back. But the price of the ticket was about a 1/3 to and half cheaper. Oh and don\'t fly into Hetherow <sp>.
Pack at least one change of clothes in your carry on. When to Germany for the service, of course my bags left left on a different flight. So here I am on base with only Class As to wear for a week and a half and boy do those shoes pinch Lucky for me I had mainly classes at the time and had my jacket with, the weather at the time was something foul.

 

[Sand Rat]

From my experiences -

1. Be polite to the airport workers - courtesy goes a long way, and if you watch the \"Ugly Americans\" are the ones getting their stuff torn to pieces by the customs officials - or the TSA here in the states. I never had problems in any of the airports I flew from, to, or through, including Heathrow with this piece of advice.

2. On the plane, drink a lot of water and try to sleep.

3. Enjoy yourself, but remember, that whole Ugly American thing.

 

[wiccanpony]

bring me back something \"English\"


and as a mature lady of class...... water= many, many pit stops..so know where the nearest bathroom is

 

[jahminis]

as a guy who travels international more than i do in the states, i have had all the ups and downs one could have...
i travel with a sabol army transport as my carry-on, and i\'ve always been allowed to take it...i have had some interestin\' arguments with security regardin\' some of the weapons on my minis(especially the 54mm or larger stuff)...
one guy tried to tell me that my big space marine couldn\'t fly with me, \'cause i could stab someone with his sword...i told him i had spent 50 hours paintin\' him, and there was no way in hell i was gonna chip the paint...if somebody needed a stabbin\', i\'d just use my thumb!!! that didn\'t go over too well...but eventually me and artemis made the flight...:twisted:

one thing is for sure though...carryin\' the minis with ya is always better than arrivin\' abroud, only to find that all your minis have been murdered by the baggage handlers...

good luck...

cheers
jah

 

[Wolf Fang]

minis should be no problem on a plane.. only reson i can see them being a problem is if eny metal ones have sharp pointy bits on them

 

[Fizl]

How long are you going away for that you intend to take mini stuff!

If you only intend to take hand baggage remember if you come into and out of the uk some airports will only allow you 1 piece of hand baggage including your hand bag so any space you have will be very limited (this may be the case elsewhere too). There are also the fluid restrictions to worry about.

Shaz

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Just in case of the worst..........I hear that in the event of a crash, being in the back of the plane is the safest place. Hopefully it wont come to that.

 

[lizcam]

Originally posted by Shawn R. L.
Just in case of the worst..........I hear that in the event of a crash, being in the back of the plane is the safest place. Hopefully it wont come to that.

Gee, Thanks Shwan. lollollol

 

[Undave]

But what if the plane gets chased by a giant space dragon and it eats the rear compartment? It happens more often than you\'d think.

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Originally posted by lizcam

Originally posted by Shawn R. L.
Just in case of the worst..........I hear that in the event of a crash, being in the back of the plane is the safest place. Hopefully it wont come to that.

Gee, Thanks Shwan. lollollol

Well, hey, it IS something good to know............ When the plane is breaking in two and skidding down the runway in a shower of sparks, think of me!!lol

 

[Thunderhawker]

As far as mini related stuff:
- carry your brushes in a containter. Also try and secure the handles of the brushes so they don\'t bounce around in said container and ruin the bristles.
- I would carry on and particularly important minis, safely wrapped (but easily opened) so I could ensure they at least reach the destination.
- I agree with taking at least one change of clothes with you on the plane.
- do NOT walk around with a phrase book if you do not speak the language (being England, you should only have that problem in Wales, or if someone is speaking real english. It marks you as a tourist and a target. Also leave your Old Glory shirt back home.
- If you take a computer on the plane, invest in a spare battery, the Atlantic is a big pond to cross.
- And for any further questions I refer you
here

 

[PegaZus]

Originally posted by Shawn R. L.
Just in case of the worst..........I hear that in the event of a crash, being in the back of the plane is the safest place. Hopefully it wont come to that.

Actually, you want to be over the wings. That\'s where all the structure to hold the wings on is located, and thus, the strongest part of the aircraft.

The tail? If the pilot it desperately trying to pull up hits first.

 

[DaN]

I won\'t mention any horror stories or mention any films like Alive... (oops)

I would also mention just trying your luck (in a nice way though)

What I mean by this is - when you come to check in ask if there any cancellations and chances to upgrade - I tried this once when I hadn\'t managed to get an aisle seat (As I need room for my lanky legs ) and managed to get a different seat.

Also, bear in mind that Kosher and Halal meals get served earlier and are usually of a higher quality than most airline \"food\".

When you reach customs be polite, but don\'t try too hard to make small talk as it makes you appear nervous

Whereabouts you actually going?

 

[lizcam]

Originally posted by DaN
I won\'t mention any horror stories or mention any films like Alive... (oops)

I would also mention just trying your luck (in a nice way though)

What I mean by this is - when you come to check in ask if there any cancellations and chances to upgrade - I tried this once when I hadn\'t managed to get an aisle seat (As I need room for my lanky legs ) and managed to get a different seat.

Also, bear in mind that Kosher and Halal meals get served earlier and are usually of a higher quality than most airline \"food\".

When you reach customs be polite, but don\'t try too hard to make small talk as it makes you appear nervous

Whereabouts you actually going?

The trip is a MAYBE! But London and possibly Paris as well.

 

[Dragon Forge Design]

Originally posted by DaN
I won\'t mention any horror stories or mention any films like Alive... (oops)

well as long as shes not flying over the Andes shes ok..

I would also mention just trying your luck (in a nice way though)

What I mean by this is - when you come to check in ask if there any cancellations and chances to upgrade - I tried this once when I hadn\'t managed to get an aisle seat (As I need room for my lanky legs ) and managed to get a different seat.
[/quote]In some cases you can get 1st class up grades for $100.00 which for a long haul international flight is well worth it



When you reach customs be polite, but don\'t try too hard to make small talk as it makes you appear nervous
[/quote]The great thing about flying into the UK and especially Gatwick is after Pass Port control you pick up your luggage and walk through the Customs nothing to declare line.. never been stopped once in a dozen trips..Heck I don\'t think Ive ever seen a customs agent even..

Whereabouts you actually going?

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by wiccanpony
bring me back something \"English\"
I\'m supposing that would have to be Two legged Masculine and somewhat rugged.


and as a mature lady of class...... water= many, many pit stops..so know where the nearest bathroom is

Hygiene wipes. Probably the most important travel aide for any Lady. Not all restrooms in the UK are, er....\"savoury\". So having your own \"condiments\" might be helpful.
If you have a hiking/backpacking store anywhere near to you I\'d recommend one of the small \"magic\" towels. Used to use them for Camping/Hiking. If I can get completely dried using one after a shower you should be fine, they fold up smaller than an A4 magazine. Something Like this.

Your own Medi kit headache tablets etc.
Remember:
Advil = Paracetamol
Peptobismol = Milk of Magnesia
Immodium in case of \"The Out House Clenched Cheek Two Step\".

Things to remember in the UK:

Beer is not the same as Ale. (Theakston\'s Old Peculiar is called that for a Bloody Good Reason) American beer would be classed, in very polite circles, as a Lager.

French Fries only exist in McDonalds. The UK has CHIPS.

Crisps are what we in the UK call Potato Chips.

Biscuits are what you call Cookies.

Bottled water look for bottles labelled BUXTON, probably your safest bet.

Oh and something that you may not be aware of most resteraunts in the UK do not serve Glasses of Water along side your meal as is the custom in the USA & Canada. That is something you\'d get charged extra for.

Curry Houses, if you decide to try one of them remember that Vindaloo and Bhopar Phal can be lethal. (The equivalent of a Texas 9 Alarm Chilli with built-in afterburners. )

If you do get stuck and need a Coffee we do have Starbucks, but also look out for Costa Coffee, Caffe Nero and Coffee Republic.

Now to the height of culinary care:- The Great British Breakfast. You might want to try this but please be aware that it consists of:
Bacon, Sausage, Eggs (Fried or Scrambled), BlackPudding, Baked Beans, Fried Bread, sometimes slices of Fried Liver, Hash Browns and possibly something called Ulster Fry.
Followed by a round of Toast and large cups of Tea.
Yep A plate Chock full of Colesterol.


.......do we dare mention \"Snakes on a Plane\" ?

 

[Amazon warrior]

Originally posted by Dragon Forge Design
One yu arrive to where your going, stay awake as long as you can. a short nap mid day is ok but if you can stay awake till say a normal bed time and then get a good nights sleep you can get your normal boby clock back in rhythem with your new local time much quicker.

I heartily second this. I\'ve flown London-Japan (12 hours), Japan-Australia (12 hours) and Australia-London (25 hours), each time I stayed up until a \"normal\" bedtime for the destination country, and I had very little trouble with jet-lag. Sure, after flying back from Aus I went to bed early (8-9pm, early for me!) for a few nights afterwards, but there was no wandering around at three in the morning wondering when lunch was going to be! I also found it helped if I arrived in the morning. I think it\'s something to do with the natural light helping to reset your bodyclock.

Personally, I find it damn near impossible to sleep on planes, so good luck with that! The only time I\'ve ever managed sustained sleep on a plane was when I\'d already been awake for getting on for 48 hours, on the second leg of Aus-London.

I also agree with being polite to the staff. And if you don\'t ask, you don\'t get!

On water- yeah, drink LOTS! you can\'t really take much on board, but most airlines are pretty good about bringing round refreshments regularly. I\'ve found some are better than others for that, tho. If you\'re thirsty, that\'s what the \"call\" button is for!

I\'d also recommend getting an aisle seat. As much fun as it is being able to look out the window, it\'s much less fun mountaineering over the snoring chubba sitting next to you every time you need to pee.

A side note: The atmosphere in a plane can get very passive-agressive, especially when some 5\'5\" idiot\'s been crushing your knees for the last five hours and everyone\'s exhausted. It\'s not fun. Grit your teeth, breath, find the happy place and it\'ll be over soon.

General comment: I had no idea that you could get away with minis on board a plane. I thought that they\'d spot them on the scanner, tear the bag apart looking for them and then bin them for being dangerous! Mind you, the amount of c**p I pack into my carry-on luggage, I don\'t think there\'d be room for minis! lol I did get warned that taking unmixed GS on a plane is bad- they tend to think it\'s plastic explosive.