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Baggage
Check with your airline for specific baggage regulations:
Packing &
Handling Baggage
- Be sure that each of your bags is clearly and completely labeled.
For each piece, place one permanent address label on the outside
and another on the inside. For reasons of security, never
label baggage with your home address. Business cards make
good permanent labels.
- In addition, attach to the handle of each bag a temporary
label showing your name, destination city, and hotel.
- At your departure airport, your bags should be checked all
the way to your final destination airport in Europe or Canada.
- Our advice: travel light. Most people pack far too much. Bags
have a way of getting bigger and heavier by the minute, and
porters and baggage carts never seem to be around when you
need them. Some seasoned travelers recommend that you lay
everything out within view then pack only half. Others advise
packing trial bags, then carrying them for a while. It’s
also a good idea to pack a collapsible nylon bag, in case
your acquisitions outgrow your suitcase.
- Most travel packages ask on your registration if you’ll
be traveling with ski equipment. Airlines must be advised
in advance so they can reserve sufficient space in the baggage
area.
- It is always a good idea to bring along your own comfortable
ski boots, even if you intend to use rental equipment. A whole
vacation can be spoiled by one day of wearing poorly fitted
boots. If you do bring your own equipment, get good-sized
boot and ski bags. Stuff your soft clothing and skiwear around
the skis and boots to protect the equipment and save valuable
suitcase space.
- Don’t even consider taking a carry-on bag that doesn’t
fit in the airline’s overhead bin. If you are on a long
transatlantic flight, a bag underfoot becomes intolerable
- you need every cubic inch of space for yourself. In your
carry-on, pack a change of clothes and other essentials to
tide you over in case your checked bags are delayed (a rare
possibility).
- Do not pack anything that is fragile, valuable, or perishable
in checked baggage.
- Money, jewelry, important documents and medicine should always
be hand carried.
For specific information on baggage regulations for travelers in
Canada:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/vigilance/sep/tips/carry_on.htm
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Flight Check-In
Always arrive in good time for your flight departure on an international
trip - much earlier than for a domestic flight. Ninety minutes
in advance is adequate to ensure check-in and a good seat assignment.
At the departure airport, your bags must be checked all the way
to your final European or Canadian airport, and they are subject
to a special international security inspection. You will usually
receive boarding passes for all flight segments.
If you have flight-related questions, be sure to contact the correct
source for help. For example, if you are part of a group but contact
the public airline reservation numbers, you may receive incorrect
information because these general agents do not have full access
to all the details of your travel arrangements. Instead, check
with your travel agent, sales rep or group coordinator to make
sure you receive correct information from the right source.
When you check in, verify that the airline has your frequent flyer
number and that it has been correctly recorded.
Here
are some relevant frequent flyer programs:
| Air Canada |
Star Alliance |
| Air France |
|
| Austrian Airlines |
Star Alliance |
| Continental Airlines |
|
| KLM |
Northwest |
| Lufthansa |
United Airlines |
| Swiss International |
American Airlines |
|
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Land-Only
Land-only arrangements, which include everything except air travel,
are available with frequent flyer tickets or free travel arrangements.
For transfers to and from Innsbruck, travelers with land-only group
packages need to be at the European arrival airport at the same
time as their club group. Otherwise, they may need to make their
own ground transfer arrangements. There is no refund for unused
transfers.
Please note that land-only packages count toward lodging frequent
flyer allowances but not toward airfare frequent flyer allowances.
Baby and Child Travel
Arrangements vary according to age. For infants under two years
old, the typical charge for air travel is ten percent of the adult
fare, but it depends on the airline. Hotels do not usually charge
unless a special crib is needed. Again, charges vary by hotel
and are paid locally.
Children up to twelve years old are usually eligible for reduced
rates. At special group travel rates, there is usually no reduced
airfare for children.
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In-flight
Comfort
Wear loose, comfortable clothes and shoes, since feet tend to
swell during long flights. Drink lots of water and non-alcoholic
beverages. Since the air on planes is dry, you might want to pack
some moisturizing cream in your carry-on bag.
Avoiding Jet
Lag (Europe)
There are as many ways to avoid the effects of international traveling
as there are breakfast cereals. Here is a simple two-step plan
that works:
- Sleep during the flight. It’s hard to deny yourself
the drinks, food and entertainment offered on a transatlantic
flight. But once you’re at your destination, you’ll
be grateful for every hour of in-flight sleep you packed in.
So, as soon as you’re in the air, reset your watch to
European time. Aim for five to six hours of sleep, using an
over-the-counter or prescription sleeping aid if necessary.
- When you get to Europe, by all means keep moving. Apparently,
our bodies reset our internal clocks according to our exposure
to natural light. While sleeping when it’s not nighttime
may be tempting, it might also be your undoing. So, psyche
yourself up! Remember - mind over body. Tell yourself it’s
the beginning of a great new day and to get going. Go outdoors,
check out the neighborhood, do some window shopping. Then
eat a light dinner and go to bed at, or a little before, your
normal time. The good news? You’ll be refreshed and
ready to go when you awaken the next morning.
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