Avoiding unpleasant surprises while traveling to places around the world from the United States can be a lifelong quest for even the most frequent of travelers.  Procedures and practices we are comfortable with navigating domestic travel may not be relevant during the international version. Airports are set up differently from one another. In foreign places we are not familiar with, our first language might not be that of the land we are visiting. Still, there are a number of commonly preventable international travel surprises we can totally avoid with complete information not always easy to find from the travel service provider.  Today, we have the issues and potential ways to address them.

Preventable International Travel Surprises

Flying Home Can Be A Very Early Day

Say we’re flying to Europe for a cruise. Regardless of the airline or price we pay, if we’re going to get back home at a decent time, we will probably have a return flight plan that starts very early in the morning.  It is not unusual for flights to depart at 6AM..  The airline will want you there at least two hours before that flight. Maybe three. That means your transfer from the ship to the airport may leave as early as 3- or 4AM.  The simple solution here is to not take that early flight home.  Instead,

• Stay A Day- On sailings that begin and end in the same place, that destination is commonly not seen.  We arrive and go directly from the airport to the ship. When it’s over, we might have that very early fight schedule mentioned above, offering no chance to see the place then either.  Post-cruise packages offered by the cruise line might include transfers ship to hotel on the last day of the cruise then from hotel to the airport a day or longer later. Seamless.
• Divide Up The Return- Take a later flight that gets you part of the way home, perhaps at some place you might like see.  Like say a traveler is flying home to Chicago from Amsterdam and the return flight plan calls for a stop in New York.  Divide that up and take the flight from Amsterdam to Frankfurt one day and from Frankfurt to Chicago the next with a hotel you source on your own in-between.

 

Preventable International Travel Surprises

Luggage: Free All Around Or Just One Way?

 

This one I found out the hard way. Going over to Europe, my domestic carrier allowed a 70-pound bag.  On the way back, the partner airline allowed 50 pounds. The choice was dividing up twenty pounds of stuff into other bags or pay more.  I paid. While I got full credit for miles flown on my domestic brand of favor, the same luggage policy was not universal between partner brands.  Moral of story: Check all airline luggage policies used on an itinerary. Most cruise lines will mention this in the documentation that no one reads.

 

Preventable International Travel Surprises

Assume Nothing, Know The Right Rules At The Right Time

 

Moving along on the luggage topic noted above, airline luggage policies are entirely different than any cruise line luggage policies.  One common element that is a pretty safe bet: If something you want to bring is on the TSA NoFly list, it is probably not allowed on the cruise ship either.  Again, assume nothing, know the rules.  They change. Easy call: Always walk off the plane in a foreign destination with your passport and travel documents handy. Where and when you will pass through customs is also a variable that changes from time to time.

 

Preventable International Travel Surprises

What About Prescription Medications?