International Travel Bootcamp at Chicago Seminars 2015 by Rapid Travel Chai
- 1. International Travel Bootcamp Chicago Seminars 2015 Stefan Krasowski Rapid Travel Chai
- 2. Itinerary Planning Tips ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 3. Who Am I? I lived in China for 8 years I work in international business I plan obsessively I travel fast I come back exhausted My wife is the opposite ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 4. Where Have I Traveled? 139 UN Countries 210 Travelers Century Club Countries ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 5. My Dream Trip ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved My Wife’s
- 6. I Started the Morning in Namibia’s Etosha National Park ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 7. I Flew WDH-JNB-JFK ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 8. Picked Up Mail, Did the Laundry and Dishes, Kissed my Wife ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 9. Flew EWR-ORD and am Having Happy Hour with You ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 10. That’s the Magic of this Hobby ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 11. What Matters to You? The flight? The hotel? The destination? The people? The food? What else? ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 12. Planning ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 13. Where to Go? Explore outside your social media bubble Consider offbeat and offseason ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved Yamamoto’s Bunker, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea
- 14. Where to Go – UNESCO Sites Jesuit missions and German yerba mate farmers, Paraguay ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 15. Where to Go – Travelers Century Club Anne of Green Gables & lobster suppers, Prince Edward Island, Canada ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 16. Thorn Tree Forum for Destinations ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 17. What About Trip Advisor? ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved I use it sparingly, such as hotel wifi/shuttle/parking info
- 18. What to Do When You’re There? ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved Avoid the yet another cathedral slog What is truly distinctive about a destination? You don’t go to Easter Island for the diving
- 19. A Bit About Elite Status Carry frequent flyer cards (e.g. for Star Alliance lounges) Expect Airlines to treat you well Expect hotels to stiff you, especially in Europe Expect rental car status to be (nearly) useless ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved The Club Carlson Europe Nespresso Room Upgrade
- 20. Air – Research Wikipedia’s airport and airline pages ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 21. Air – Passes If you think awards are confusing and frustrating… ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 22. Air – Booking Find flights on ITA Matrix Locate booking options on Google Fights or Hipmunk ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 23. Air – Budget Airlines skyscanner.com and whichbudget.com Price all the extras Know the airport – where in ‘London’? Know the terminal – Malaysian remote LCCTs ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 24. Air – Obscure Airlines OneTravel for hard to ticket airlines Get reservation record AND ticket number ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 25. Air – Points for Cash and Earn Miles Citi ThankYou and US Bank FlexPerks cover many airlines Get AA codeshares on Citi for Prestige 1.6 cents/point ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 26. Air – China Flights Global sites only price full-fare tickets China sites price discounts: ctrip, eLong, travelzen ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved Expedia $212 eLong $111
- 27. Some Offbeat Star Alliance Awards Copa in Latin America Ethiopian around Africa (not currently on united.com) Turkish flies to more countries than any airline, 100+ United now partners with Azul for Brazil ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 28. Fernando de Noronha, Brazil ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 29. United Micronesia Island Hopper Join missionaries, military, dignitaries and islanders ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 30. Palau and Peleliu ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 31. Some Offbeat One World Awards Avios, Avios, Avios – fill in gaps on itineraries Use for Canada, South America, Africa, Indian Ocean, Australia, Pacific and Russia Example: Sri Lankan several daily flights to Maldives ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 32. Always Check Non-Alliance Partners, Too ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved +
- 33. Some Offbeat SkyTeam Awards AeroMexico for Latin America and even to Europe/Asia Gol in Brazil and to Brazil from Orlando Air France + Kenya Airways to Madagascar and Indian Ocean China Eastern/Southern + China Airlines to Asia Virgin Australia to Solomons, Christmas & Cocos Islands Saudia for Middle East ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 34. Lemurs in Madagascar ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 35. Thin Red Line in Solomon Islands ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 36. Air France KLM Caribbean Hopper Visit Caribbean on the way to Europe British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have hoppers, too ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 37. Dominican Republic and Haiti ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 38. French Guiana and Suriname ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 39. Complex Air Awards Study Travelisfree.com for routing rules – tomorrow at 5:15 ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 40. Rail – Where? East Asia and Europe Overnight trains save time, save hotel ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 41. Rail – How? Advance web bookings can be difficult and deceptive Multiple stations in cities Use Man in Seat 61 and Deutsche Bahn websites ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved Rail Europe $131 SCNF $81
- 42. Rail – Passes Compare & cost pass options and alternative transport May need to purchase before arrival ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved Swiss Pass 2nd Class is $298 for 4 days – yikes!
- 43. Bus – Where? ‘Executivo’ business class services in South America ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 44. Bus – Tips Beware the near empty bus that is ‘leaving soon’ Your stuff will be either with you or with someone else Prepare for heat, prepare for cold ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 45. Taxis - Tips Beware taxis hanging out at hotels If the locals use radio taxis, you should too Taxis for day trips vs guides ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 46. Taxis – India India’s airport prepaid taxis: Cheap and safe Book before exiting the airport! ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 47. Driving Exhilarating or stressful? Driving on the left is surprisingly easy International Driving Permit (IDP) is an annual pain Cheapest way to see Europe? ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 48. Rental Cars – Booking Booking sites often ‘location not found’/’sold out’ Try rental agency websites Try AutoEurope (not just for Europe) and BJ’s Travel ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 49. Rental Cars – Gotchas ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved Riga, Latvia: $43 to pick up at 8 pm! Ayers Rock: $0.23 per km after 100km!
- 50. Rental Cars – Free Days Hertz awards in 16 markets National/Enterprise awards in ≈ 17 markets Watch out for massive taxes ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 51. Rental Cars – Insurance Many Chase and Citi cards now cover ALL countries – get certificate of coverage (Ireland, Israel) Insurance often mandatory, sometimes included in rate: • Canada rates include liability • Mexico/Central America require adding liability • Basic CDW included in Europe – Supercover enhances • Temporary licenses (Caribbean, Kuwait) ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 52. Hotels - Don’t Stress Over All the Options ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved Good or Bad Hotels They May Be, They’re All in Paris
- 53. Booking.com & Hotels.com for Local Hotels ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 54. It Doesn’t Need to a Competition to Find a Bed We Enjoy ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved Hotel Casablanca, Dominican Republic, $50
- 55. Quirky – Hotel Braavo, Tallinn, Estonia $38 ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 56. B&Bs Across US & Canada ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved Knox’s Dam B&B, Prince Edward Island, $90, now retired
- 57. Casa Particulars in Cuba ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved Be treated like a grandchild for a day
- 58. Ranches in Argentina & Uruguay ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved Estancia Finca Pedra, Uruguay, off-season $65
- 59. Ryokan in Japan ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved Dinner in Bed, Tokiwa Bekkan, Kinosaki Onsen, $200
- 60. Hotel Awards Consider Carlson, IHG, Choice Hotels International locations often much better than US ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Executive Lounge Radisson Royal Hotel, Dubai
- 61. Hotels Have Partners Too ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 62. Alternatives of All Kinds ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 63. Tips ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 64. US Passports Get the large passport book (last call for extra pages) Get a passport card for land & sea & backup ID Enroll in Global Entry/NEXUS/SENTRI and add to airline profiles for TSA PreCheck Have scans and copies ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 65. Second US Passports Great for frequent travelers who need visas Easy process Only valid for two years ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 66. Visa Requirements for US Citizens 166 countries Visa Free or Visa on Arrival Sources: Henley & Partners, Wikipedia ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 67. Visas for US Citizens Check embassy websites and travel.state.gov – things change 10-year China and India, 3-year Russia tourist visas Must pay Argentina reciprocity fee online in advance Yes, you need a visa for Australia ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 68. Money – Cash When have you heard, “Sorry, we don’t accept cash” Traveler’s checks are dead Carry a cheat sheet or app for fx rates Schwab debit card – no fx fee + ATM reimbursements Avoid anything Travelex!!! ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 69. Money – Credit Cards Logo in the window may only mean local cards Chip and Signature cards work most of the time Chip and Pin cards for heavy EU travelers (Barclay Arrival+) ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 70. Handy Credit Card Benefits Chase & Citi – trip delay coverage Citi Prestige Priority Pass – includes family or 2 guests Discover – accepted in China via UnionPay, Japan via JCB ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 71. Tech Unlocked phone + local SIM card T-Mobile – unlimited data & text to 120+ countries Encrypt your laptop Get a VPN ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 72. Apps “Is it better than Google Maps?” test Know what features are available offline ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 73. Insurance Insure yourself, your trip, or your stuff? ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved Credit cards often insure your trip and your stuff I insure myself – GeoBlue Trekker Choice annual plan Annual or per trip? insubuy.com, travelinsurancecenter.com
- 74. Health CDC Yellow Book @ cdc.gov/travel Know scientific names of your meds (aspirin = acetylsalicylic acid) Plan ahead for vaccines Malaria pills pros and cons International Certificate of Vaccination ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 75. Yellow Fever ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved Source: CDC Yellow Book 2014
- 76. Safety Don’t be: Drunk Drugged Debauched Especially when you don’t speak the language or know the legal system ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved The Rapid Travel Chai ‘3 Ds’ of Travel Safety
- 77. Luggage Backpack = maximum flexibility, bag never leaves you Wheeled = less flexibility, more comfort Backpack/wheeled convertible = bad at both ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 78. Packing Unless going to the moon, you are not going to the moon onebag.com packing strategy ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 79. Join Me Tomorrow at 2:30 for 101 Tips, Tricks and Hacks to be an Expert Traveler ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved
- 80. Thank You [email protected] @rapidtravelchai rapidtravelchai.com ©Stefan Krasowski, All Rights Reserved