Deb in NZ Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Less than a fortnight until I fly to the States. I've traveled a lot, but my last trip was over 6 years ago. What has changed? Any advice of what to bring / not bring to make the trip easier? We are flying AKL-HNL-JFK, so 2 really long (8-10 hr) flights each way. I'm looking forward to traveling for the first time in over 2 decades without children. Dd & I will depart in 11 days, with my boys following a fortnight later. Any advice for them as this will be their first trip without me. The last time each of my boys traveled overseas they were 10/11 years old. They will only have carry-on luggage as they are staying for only 2 weeks. We have a history of overpacking, to this trip we are all aiming to travel light. Modern technology & the fact none of my dc are littlies helps a lot. Any advice is appreciated. TIA, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugs Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 You might want to say which state(s) you will be visiting and for how long. I am guessing at least NY City? I have only visited NY so I can't offer any advice. If your travels are all around the North East make sure you visit some National Parks, which are inexpensive, especially the Smithsonian in Washington DC ( a few hours from JFK). ETA: Woops! Just noticed you are from the US. I guess I still think we need to know your desired itinerary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Does everyone who is travelling have a US passport? L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb in NZ Posted April 29, 2014 Author Share Posted April 29, 2014 I'm looking for tips on traveling (i.e. flying, getting thru customs/immigrations, etc.) how those things have changed. I'm beginning to make my packing lists & don't want to forget anything or bring unnecessary items. We will be visiting family in VT for a wedding & will spend the remaining time catching up with friends & family in the area, shopping, & maybe doing a bit of hiking if winter ever leaves the area :-P . From past trips I know that the month flies by. Dd does want to visit Woods Hole, MA to see a ship that will be down this way the end of the year. As the ship arrives in port the same weekend that my boys arrive in VT from NZ, life is already looking to be very complicated. Does anyone know of any budget accommodation in Woods Hole, MA if dd ends up taking a bus down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb in NZ Posted April 29, 2014 Author Share Posted April 29, 2014 Does everyone who is travelling have a US passport? L Yes we all have both US & NZ passports. :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugs Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 I haven't been through customs for a couple of years so I won't comment on it. I do fly domestically at least once a year so I can address my experiences. i have traveled quite a bit in the past 30 years (boy, that sounds depressing!). I fly cheap-o, so keep that in mind. The new "normal" is to allow plenty of time to get through security and on to the plane. It seems airlines close the doors sooner than they used to and won't open the door if you are "late" (I got to a connecting flight 20 minutes prior to it taking off and they had already closed the door). You can bring outside food on to the plane (which I prefer) and even go though security with it (domestically at least). You can also buy food in the airport to take on or buy the airline food (meh). Keep your liquids to a minimum (3 oz), or nonexistent, going through security. We bring empty water bottles so we can refill once inside security. I haven't seen pillows or blankets on planes in awhile. Domestically, the overhead baggage area tends to get full fast. If you are traveling for a month you will probably bring something large enough to check, then a small(ish) carry on. Traveling a long time make sure you bring snacks, toothbrush and toothpaste (less than 3 oz tube). Bringing a change of clothes may help in case you are unexpectedly laid over somewhere. Not sure that is the kind of info/advice you are looking for. But I HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MFG Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 The last time we flew Air NZ (2 years ago) they were much tighter on both size and weight limits for carry on baggage. Be sure to check your weights before you get to the airport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Get to the airport that goes to the USA very early. It is nothing like flying into most other countries. We were 2hrs early for our flight back to the USA and almost missed the flight. When we flew to different EU countries, we cruised through all screening in 5min. I'm not sure if it's like this everywhere, but all flights headed to USA had to be screened at a special gate and it was really backed up. If you have carry on luggage only, it will make your life easier. They won't check baggage through the USA from international flights, so you'd have to get off the plane, pick up your luggage, then go through customs with your luggage, then recheck your luggage and have it rescreened. I think that is new within the last 10 yrs. We didn't have any checked luggage, thank goodness, but the people in line with us who did were very concerned about making their connections because the process took so long and it put them at the back of the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 I just had a friend who went to Iceland from Detroit, Air Canada to Toronto and then Icelandic Air to Reykjavik. They lost her luggage for five days. She did have toiletries and a change of clothes in her carryon but not her rain poncho nor extra socks...forgot those and she had a lot of hiking to do. So, I recommend the largest carryon you can manage and two shirts, two pairs of pants, undies, socks, umbrella (doubt you need significant rain gear for Vermont), make-up and other bathroom toiletries. If the wedding is going to be within a few days of arrival, you might want to change that from having two changes of clothes, to one, and include your wedding clothing. We went cross country for a wedding once and they lost our luggage. This was NOT good since dd was in the wedding and that meant her dress and shoes were gone. Thankfully, we explained the mess to the airline and they moved heaven and earth to find that luggage and have it to us the very next day and well before noon, so all was well getting ready for a 5 p.m. wedding. WHEW! Fill your water bottles after security, and if you bring your own snacks, they should probably be prepackaged and unopened. We got badly hassled by a TSA agent over our homemade turkey sandwiches one time. I don't know if he was just being a jerk or really hungry and hoping we would leave them behind. Watch the weight thing like MFG said. You do not want to know what they will charge you for being even one pound over and since you will not know when the last time was they calibrated their scales, and your home scale might not be 100% accurate, I recommend being 3-5 lbs underweight for added security. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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