I got taught a lesson today in exchanging money…

I was at the airport- about to board a flight to the US when I spied an ATM machine for US dollars. This is great- I thought- this way I don’t have to look for a machine when I land. Also, the transaction fee was $3.50 which is a lot for a regular withdrawal but I have found that banks can charge up to five dollars when you use ATM machines in another country.

What I should have noticed was that this was a standalone ATM- not affiliated with any bank- only a company called Direct Cash.

 What was the problem? Firstly the machine didn’t say what exhange rate was used until you actually received the money. When I checked my receipt I was astonished to find out that I got charged a ridiculous rate of 1.12 Cdn to 1 US- when in the real world the canadian dollar is the same value as the US dollar (today the Cdn is actually worth MORE than USD). I think they make more by giving you a crappy exchange rate than they do with the transaction fees.

In all I ended up paying $115 Canadian dollars for $100 US which at my bank would have only been $100. Even at an exchange booth I would have payed around $105.

The moral is to be very careful where you exchange money- and be sure to check the rates.

Too add insult to injury the ATM only gave me $60 instead of $100 so now I have to run after the banks to get back the rest of my money…

Now Air Canada has introduced a mobile boarding pass. What a great idea! 

They already had Mobile Check-In which allows you to log into mobile.aircanada.com on your wap enabled phone (which I haven’t actually used). Now, for certain flights, Air Canada will send you two sets of SMS messages to your phone.

The first message confirms your flight, the second sends a barcode which can be scanned, thereby eliminating the need for a paper boarding pass.

I was just thinking the other day that it is strange to arrive at an airport with all of your flight info- yet still had to print out a boarding pass just to get from the entrance of the airport onto the actual plane.

A couple of years ago I started keeping my flight information on my phone (without printing anything) until one day I had a hard time at Heathrow for not having any physical documentation regarding my flight. That was the point that I started printing out all of my flight details…. but now I may try to eliminate these printouts again.

All of the details of the new Mobile Boarding pass can be found on Air Canada’s website here

I was sitting in a hotel room last week- waiting for my luggage to arrive when I picked up USA today to see an article about problems at JFK. The article identifies several problems wich are contributing to the problems at JFK- but I am sure that they are similar to other airports also.

The last time I flew to california my first flight was late which made me miss my connection- on my latest trip I made it to Atlanta but my luggage did not (it did show up at midnight, but not before I had to buy a whole new set of clothes). That was not the only thing that went wrong on this trip- on the way back one of my flights was cancelled, I asked why it was cancelled and the agent could not give me any reason.

So, I have had problems with three out of four of my last trips. Is this normal for travel in a first world country?

I wonder how bad it will have to get before the FAA and the airlines actually do  something about this. I keep hearing that there are problems but have seen no solutions. Maybe we need a network of high speed trains like they have in Europe to give the airlines some competition.

Web Check-in must be something new for Air Canada. I don’t know for how long they have had it but read about the promotion for July 2007 which gives you 250 Aeroplan miles for using the service.

With web check-in you can check in, choose your seat, and print your boarding pass up to 24 hours before your flight. This can save you some time at the airport. I have used it on British Airways and it worked very well.

For more details on the Air Canada promotion check here. For full information on Air Canada web check-in click here

I was hoping to use this and get some extra miles- I will be traveling in July but unfortunately I will not be flying Air Canada.

For more info on other Aeroplan promotions, check out my Aeroplan page .

If you are traveling somewhere like Africa, for example- you do have to take some additional precautions for your safety- especially in airports. Here is my advice for navigating through the airports in these countries.

1. Have someone meet you at the airport and do not take a lift unless you are completely sure that the driver is from the right organization.

2. Make sure that you have a world phone so you are able to call your local contact/hotel/etc….if you are not sure of the person picking you up.

3. Always carry on you a bunch of US One Dollar Bills. This is especially useful when someone wants to offer you a service such as carrying your bags. If someone does wants to carry your bags- let them. When you get to your bus/taxi- give them a dollar. I have seen people get hassled all the way out of the airport- but if you have a local guy carrying your bags noone will approach you. 

4. Dress down… far down… do not be wearing expensive watches or sunglasses as they attract attention. I am 6′ 4” and 250 pounds so I can’t be hidden- but I don’t stand out.

5. Do not get upset- some things take a lot longer in other countries- especially african ones. Remember that you are the visitor.

The more often you travel off the beaten path, the more used you will get to this. And there are incredible things that you can see and do which make it worthwhile to try sometime.

I have had the good fortune to have had a few of these experiences. I have ridden on a camel around the pyramids in Egypt… There is no way to explain the feeling of this kind of experience but it can really be life changing.

During a trip I had recently my plane was delayed for a couple of hours before leaving Montreal so I got to Chicago late and missed my connection. I was a bit concerned because I had an important meeting the next day in Southern California.

The first thing I did was call the United airlines toll free reservations number and the people there told me that I had already been put on a flight the next day. This was not going to help me because I had a meeting the next day. They recommended that I talk to customer service.

It took more than an hour of waiting in line because United only had three customer service agents on duty, and when I got to the front of the line there were a couple of hundred people behind me. The customer service person we met did not seem interested in helping too much. They did not offer anything at all. This surprised me because I have been stranded at other airports and been offered hotel rooms for the night. No, all I got was them telling me that the earliest they could get me to San Diego was by the next evening. I asked her to get me to Los Angeles or Orange County and she told me that I would still only get to SanDiego by next evening. I had to explain that if she could get me to Los Angeles or Orange County I would drive the rest of the way. Then she finally understood.

So, I was put on a flight to Orange County and drove a couple of hours to my hotel. The only problem I had is that my bags were sent to San Diego- so I had to pick them up the next day.

Funnily enough I was in a hotel room a couple of days later watching a report about how only 75% of all flights are on time. This does not seem reasonable to me. You can see the statistics for yourself at the Bureau of Transportation. Scroll down the page and click on Airline On-Time Performance.

If you have the unfortunate but common experience of missing a connection the first thing you should do is call the airline. I recommend doing this while waiting in line at customer service. If you do need to be somewhere: try to fly to another airport else which is relatively close to where you are going- and drive the rest of the way.

I have been an avid user of Priority Pass for the last 5 years but my time with them has come to an end. It wasn’t that the service was bad- it is just that

1. My travel habits have changed- I am taking more flights within North America compared to international, which does not give me the same opportunity to use the pass
2. My new company will not pay for it.

If I did think that Priority Pass was worth the money I would certainly still pay for it myself- but I had forgotten about one of their bad habits- charging your credit card automatically for the next year’s service. My current Priority Pass is valid until April 2007- it just expired today in fact. Three weeks ago I received my new pass for next year- along with a charge on my credit card. The credit card charge was on March 5th- even though I had another card valid until April 1st.

OK so they charged my card early, I thought. I called Priority Pass to ask for the card to be cancelled and was told that I had to mail back the card. So I sent back the card immediately and have now been waiting three weeks and still have not gotten my money back. I hope that I do not have to wait too long because pretty soon I will dispute the charge with my credit card company.

I still think Priority Pass can be worth the money- but you really have to look carefully at the airports you will be using. For example, some of the main reasons I stopped using it is that I cannot use it in Montreal (my home airport), and JFK as I often pass through the Delta terminal.

I was traveling today and was hoping to get some work done before my flight left from Montreal

When I tried to connect to the Internet I was disappointed to find out that the free internet access is no longer available.

Now you have three options

1. You can pay 9$ for a daily pass
2. You can pay $46 for a monthly pass
3. You can get access through a roaming partner (they had quite a few)

The prices are in line with other Airport wifi that I have seen- it is just sad that it is no longer free.

I may have to look into a roaming partner…

A quick tip for those of you who, like me, spend a lot of time in Airports.

When you are sitting at an airport and the battery on your laptop is running low, you need to check out the Air Power Wiki. This wiki is dedicated to identifying the location of power outlets in airports. I have used it several times - and have also contributed to it.

It is a very good resource to find those elusive power outlets at airports.

As some of you may have noticed- I have a lot of thoughts about airports- mainly because I spend so much time in them.

On this latest trip I have experienced four airports- Montreal, Amsterdam, Dubai, and JFK in New York.

This trip really made me think about who is living in the first world and who is not.

So here is my list of the good and the bad of each airport that I experienced. I think I will be blogging this info regularly.

The good

• Montreal- free Wifi- why can’t everyone have this?
• Amsterdam- cleanliness, special quiet areas with seats that are ressemble lounge chairs and you can acually sleep in
• Dubai- Beautiful airport, clear signage, clean, shopping- I don’t smoke but a carton of cigarettes was under $15!
• JFK- I am trying to find a good thing about JFK- really. Maybe the fact that you can connect to almost anywhere through this airport- but I suspect that Schiphol and Dubai airport have similar capacities.

The bad

• Montreal- when you land in Montreal, depending on where you arrive, there is a very long walk to customs.
• Amsterdam- The lineups to get into the aircraft at the gate were very long- over 40 minutes from when they started letting passengers in the plane. Surprising that they can’t find a better way to do this.
• Dubai- Lineups- at passport control and again to get a taxi there is a fair deal of waiting. They should be able to figure out a better way
• JFK- There are many bad things about this place. Firstly, the airport is very confusing. My ticket did not have a terminal listed and I had to ask which terminal to go to. Secondly, when I arrived at the terminal there was noone to help and I ended up waiting in the wrong line for 20 minutes (and I usually know where to go). Lastly, the airport is a mess, with old dirty carpets- and worse. The last time I was here there were buckets in the middle of the hallway catching roof leaks.

 Any thoughts?

Well, I just got caught. I am at the airport in Montreal, leaving for a business trip, and today I decided only to take carry on luggage.

This is usually an advantage because when I arrive at my destination I don’t need to wait around for my luggage- and as this is is a short trip, just a couple of days, I really don’t need that many clothes and personal items.

Personal items, that’s where the problem is. When passing through security I got my shaving cream and gel confiscated because the containers were too large. The lady was very nice and said that it is happening to a lot of business travellers.

I guess I have to make sure to buy the smaller travel size items.

Al least they let me keep my deoderant…

From CNET News. Getting consistent, reliable access to the Internet at a hotel can be a challenge for business travelers; according to The New York Times.

I think this is something that most business travellers have come across- and the article hits the nail on the head- with more people using applications which use more bandwidth, you do get problems with access.

Just a few weeks ago I was using free internet access at a Faifield inn in Texas. I had major problems accessing my company VPN. But you know what they say about free… you get what you pay for.

One time a couple of years ago- when Wifi was not as widely available as it is today, I paid $50 USD for a day of wireless access at a hotel in Moscow. Unfortunately for me the hotel was so well built that the Wifi worked everywhere in the common areas- but not in my own room.

See the original article here

Just a reminder, the United States will have new requirements for Canadians traveling into the US. Starting January 23rd, 2007, you will need to bring a passport with you (previously you only needed a piece of id such as driver’s license).

I think that this does make sense. If the United States government wants to implement this then we have to respect their rules. For me it does not make a big difference as I always have my passport when I travel. In any case the passport is a standard document and it will make customs officials’ jobs a little easier. But it will make a difference for some people who are used to driving to the United States.

Last year I was going to Mexico and the person behind me in line was actually travelling with only his drivers license. He was complaining that he had to get a letter signed by a commissioner of oaths to prove his identity. He didn’t have an answer, though, when I asked him why he didn’t get a passport.

The additional requirements are making me think again about joining the NEXUS program.

One of the things I get asked about sometimes is and what can be taken back through customs.

The basic rule is: know what you must declare. If you live in Canada you can find answers to the most common questions here

A case in point. On once occasion during a period of time when I had been travelling a lot I was coming back from France with some foie gras in my suitcase. The foie gras was sealed in a jar. When I arrived into Canada I had checked the box on the form indicating I had no food. But when the customs officer asked me, I suddenly remembered that I did indeed have a small jar of foie gras and I mentioned it.

From that comment I did get flagged and had all of my luggage searched. I was told that I could be given a $400 fine and I had to plead with them not to give it. The only thing that saved me was the fact that I had told the customs officer the truth, but that I had just filled out the form incorrectly.

On another occasion I was returning from Russia with 5 bottles of vodka in my luggage. This was of course more than I could bring back and as such I declared it. As my luggage came out on the belt I could smell it from 20 feet away. One of the bottle had leaked, soaking my entire bag with vodka! I am pretty sure that I would have been searched if I had not claimed the fact that I had it with me.

Found today on InflightHQ is a reference to a very interesting article.

There is a new frequent traveler program which is about to be rolled out in the United States. From the article: “Those willing to pay a $100 annual fee will no longer have to take off their shoes before flying, and their photo ID card containing biometric information will allow them to be processed as quickly as 30 seconds” (see the full article here)

I am happy to see that airlines are doing something to try to alleviate the frustration of airport lineups- even if it is a program you have to pay for (though $100 is a bit steep).

This program looks even better if you look at it in combination with the Nexus program which is being implemented to reduce customs waiting times.

Pretty soon airport lineups could be a thing of the past (hopefully).

I wrote an earlier post about Taxis and Limosines. Yesterday I came across a situation where taking a limosine was much better than taking a taxi.

I landed in the middle of the afternoon in New York, at Laguardia airport, expecting to take a taxi into Manhattan.

Unfortunately when we came out of the terminal we encountered what can only be described as a huge lineup for the taxis. There must have been at least two hundred people waiting in line.

As a result of the lineup we went back inside the terminal and asked for a limosine service. We got one which cost us just a few dollars more than a taxi would have, and we waited only five minutes.

So today’s tip is that sometime it makes sense to check the limo service.

The last time I was travelling internationally (last week); as I was browsing through the duty free stores I noticed a couple of things. So I thought I would give a couple of tips about Duty Free.

1. Duty Free does not always mean good deal. The price at Duty Free does not include tax but it may be more expensive where you are making the purchase. The solution is to know what a good price is for what you want to buy. In my own case I like scotch. I know roughly what a bottle should cost which allows me to make a good choice.

2. If you have the time, you can find better prices outside of the duty free stores at the airport. Of course you may not want to spend your valuable time looking for things but if you know exactly what you want, ask your hotel concierge, or even better, a taxi driver, where you can find the item at a good price.

3. On your outbound journey keep a copy of the duty free magazine from your seat pocket. Assuming that you are flying the same airline on the way back, they may have better pricing or different selection of duty free items than you will find at the airport stores. Take a look at it just before your return journey so that you know your alternatives when you go to the duty free store.

4. Keep in mind that in some cases you can even collect points on duty free purchases- which can give you other benefits. In this case I am thinking specifically of the BAA Worldpoints program, but I am sure there are others.

Having just commented on how long the lineups are at airports- I just had one of the best airport experiences I have ever had.

Denver International airport is so well organized, the only other place I can compare it to is Dubai airport. This is what I just experienced:

I arrived at the airport 50 minutes before my flight was scheduled to depart. I know this is very late but it was unavoidable. First, upon disembarking from the rental car shuttle bus, I was greeted by a United attendant who checked my bag and gave me my boarding pass. One person in front of me in line, so maybe 2 minutes wait.

I decided to go through security immediately nbecause you never know how long that will take, it was very fast. Maybe 5-10 minutes I and was through.

Denver airport is pretty big, so you do have to take a train to your concourse. But I actually managed to get to my gate within 20-25 minutes of my initial arrival at the airport. This is incredible, especially considering that I had been initially worried about missing my flight. 

A few years back I had a similar experience in Dubai airport. My flights had me landing in Dubai and leaving on a connecting flight 45 minutes later. I was concerned that this would not give me time to reach my next flight, but my travel agent said that the system allowed the booking so it should be ok. When I got off of the first flight I was directed to a counter where I was issued the boarding pass for my second flight, and told where the gate was. In less than 20 minutes I was at the gate for my second flight, just at the beginning of boarding.

Now I ask myself- if some airports can be this efficient, why can’t the rest of them take some notes from the good ones?

As I was passing through Montreal airport this morning I wondered to myself what the airports could do to make things more convenient for passengers. I spend a lot of times waiting at airports which gives me a lot of times to think about this. Here is what happened today:

I go to the airport an hour and a half before my flight, which is about the latest I could get there. There is a lot of waiting at airports. And waiting in line happens to be one of my pet peeves.

This morning I counted that I had to wait no less then four times.

1. First you have waiting in line just to do self check in.
2. Next you wait to get a luggage tag.
3. Thirdly you wait waiting to pass through US customs, and
4. You wait to pass through the security check

I would have experienced a fifth wait- the waiting prior to boarding at the gate, but on this occasion by the time I actually got through security I just had enough time to get to my gate and I ended being one of the last passengers to board the plane.

What really amazed me is that my luggage was put onto a conveyor belt just before I entered the security zone. This was about half an hour before my flight was departing, between my third and fourth lineups. I thought that my luggage wouldnt get on the plane, but lo and behold, my luggage was off the plane and on the conveyor at my destination when I got there.

If they can do this for luggage they must be able to do something for people. I am not saying that it will be possible to eliminate all waiting, but I think that someone smart should take a look at how to minimize some of these waits.

I just ran across what must be the definitive list airport wifi access over at travelpost.com. They also have a listing of the airports with free wifi access here

A few of the airports on the free list are in Canada and my home town Montreal is mentioned as one. I have never bothered to try connecting there but as it happens I will be passing through this airport twice in the next two weeks, so I will be checking it out.

I just commented a couple of days ago about why lounges can’t provide free wifi access, and it looks like there is hope. At least one lounge is offering free wifi- the Continental lounge in Boston Logan:

from an article in Roadgladiator

The FCC has finally ruled that “Continental Airlines can continue to offer free Wi-Fi access through Continental’s own selected carrier in its Presidents Club Lounges, including the lounge at Boston’s Logan International Airport“.

I have checked, and I can use my Priority Pass there. Sweet.

I was on my way from Tunis to London, via France. My flight was supposed to leave at 5 p.m. and arrive in Paris just past 7 p.m. This would give me time to get to my hotel near Charles de Gaulle airport for an evenings rest before my morning flight to London where I was scheduled to meet some customers. Little did I know that a short flight was going to become one of my worst traveling experiences.  As my flight from Tunis was international, I had to be there at 3 p.m. The flight leaving Tunis was delayed for several hours, and unfortunately the airline (Air France) chose to tell us about the delays in 30-minute increments. Each time we would get close to boarding time, the departure time was pushed back. At first there were rumours of trouble with the aircraft. What we found out eventually was that the air traffic controllers in France were on a one-day strike. Why no one from Air France in Tunisia, seemed to be aware of this initially, or why they would tell us about aircraft trouble, I have no idea. If this had been known- which Im sure it was in the rest of the world, I would have much preferred to move my travel plans back a day then spend my entire evening in Tunis Airport. What did Air France offer us for a delay of 7 hours? A can of soda or a bottle of water (one or the other- not both). Thanks Air France. But my night wasn’t over. Eventually the flight from Tunis did depart- we boarded just before midnight, landed in Paris after 2 a.m., and had collected our luggage at around 230 a.m. At this point I had a problem. I was not sure how close my hotel was to the airport, and I had a flight to London at 7 the next morning (meaning I would have to come back at 5); So, I decided to stay at the airport. Unfortunately at this time of night there is absolutely nothing open at Charles de Gaulle airport, and equally unfortunately there seemed to be many other passengers in similar situations. So I spent the next three hours wandering around, occasionally finding a spot to sleep; only to be woken up any time I seemed to get my eyes closed for more than a couple of minutes. Many times I was woken up by the machines that clean the tile floors. What a horrendous racket they make- not only from the brushes, but the machines also beep loudly. Unshaven, unwashed, and very unhappy, by the time I got on the flight to London I was little more than a walking zombie and when I eventually got to my hotel in London. I called my clients to cancel my meetings for the day and went directly to bed. Before you travel, in order to make the best of it, in the unfortunate case that you ever find yourself in a similar situation, do take a look at the website www.sleepinginairports.com. Charles de Gaulle is listed as one of the worst airports to spend an overnight. That does not come as a surprise to me.

A friend of mine came out of the airport in Montreal recently, only to find a long lineup of people waiting for a taxi.

Not liking to wait in line, he asked how much it would be for a limo ride. Surprisingly, it is pretty much the same price to use a limousine than a taxi. And there are no lines.

 The reason for this is that the limousine has a flat rate, whereas the taxi is metered. So if there is no traffic your cost may be approximately the same, but if you do get stuck in traffic it becomes more expensive to use a regular taxi.

 I have come across similar situations before. One time I was staying in New York city for a conference and when a co-worker and I came to hail a taxi to get to the airport, the doorman told us that the two people in front of us were going to the same airport and he could put all four of in a stretch limo for a price which was more total cost than the regular taxi, but much cheaper per person…

Another example of this I have seen is getting from the airport in Nice to Monaco. It is cheaper to take a helicopter than a taxi if you are alone- if you are more than one person than it is cheaper to split the taxi fare.

This may be something worth checking out the next time you are trying to get to or from the airport.

While I spent eight hours in Atlanta airport yesterday, I spent my time there wondering about the small things that could be improved at airports. I had a reservation on the 10pm flight back to Montreal. As my business in Atlanta was finished in the afternoon, and as I had already checked out of my hotel, I decided to come to the airport early because I had seen there was another flight at 6pm. When I arrived at 3 p.m., even though I was 3 hours in advance to the other flight I was told there was no room. I find that very hard to believe. I then asked if it was possible that some seats would become available before the departure of the earlier flight- the response was: its possible, but once we have checked your bags on the later flight you have to go on that one. Thank you Delta.
So, I sat in the Delta lounge in concourse E for six hours, very grateful for having my Priority Pass. Interestingly, there are a bunch of airlines listed at the entrance to this lounge, but as was the case at LaGuardia, there is no Priority Pass listed. This is a large lounge, and actually very well laid out compared to most of the ones I have been to, but like most lounges in North America I dont understand how they are so limited in terms of services. The food choice is pretzels, crackers, or peanuts- most lounges in Europe, which I have been to have a much wider selection. I am not expecting five star cuisine, but maybe some small sandwiches or soup would be nice.
The World Series is on and people have been grumbling about CNN and FOX being on the TV screens, it looks like they cannot even get the baseball game on TV. I guess this is because we are watching the special airport channels.The best thing about the airport channels is that they repeat themselves- so  I have now seen the CNN interview with Dick Cheney’s wife three times.
My final comment of the day, by the time this gets posted I will already be home in Montreal because I do not have internet access- why cant they have free Wi-Fi access in airport lounges? You can buy access for 24 hours at the very reasonable price of $5, but I, like most of my fellow travelers, am not going to be here at the airport for 24 hours, most people will be here an hour or two at most. Why dont they offer it by the hour?

At the last company I worked for I did a lot of international travel on different airlines to different airports- and corporate policy was always to travel economy class. At some point I was introduced to Priority Pass and I have been using it for the last three years.

For those of you unfamiliar with Priority Pass , it is a service which gives you lounge access at over 500 airports worldwide, so if you are in an airport pretty much anywhere, there is a good chance that you can access one of the lounges using your card.

Priority Pass isn’t cheap. For occasional travelers you can have a basic membership for which you pay $99 +$24 each time you access a lounge. If you have more than 6 lounge visits per year you should use a standard plus membership for which you pay $249 but you have 10 free visits- and subsequent ones are $24 each. At the top end is the prestige membership which costs $399 but you do not have to pay anything more for any visits. Prestige works out best if you have more than 16 visits per year.

What are the downsides to Priority Pass ?

• The staff at airport lounges are not always familiar with it- although this has been improving. On one occasion (at the lounge in Luanda, Angola) I was refused entry even though I knew for sure that I should have lounge access.
• The program changes all the time. On another trip I was denied entry (at Air Canada lounge in Montreal) because that particular lounge was no longer part of the program.
• Many times there are no signs which show you can use Priority Pass, so you have to go and ask.
• If you bring a visitor you always pay $24 for them

These kinds of incidents range from embarrassing to downright infuriating as I pay $400 a year for my pass out of my own pocket. Case in point, I was just at the Delta lounge in Laguardia. I was traveling on an A ticket- first class- which sometimes give you lounge access. At first when I tried to access the lounge the staff said that I needed a Delta Club card- the lady at the counter smiled at me and offered to sell me this for $400 per year. When I then asked if I told her that I already pay $400 for my Priority Pass they said that I could use it. I would have shown the Priority Pass sooner, but there were no signs for Priority Pass at all.

The really nice thing about this card, though, is the wide availibility of access. I don’t know how they do it but it is rare than I cannot use it at all and generally it works well. Check it out if you are unfamiliar with it.

Here are a couple of ideas that a friend of mine gave me for saving time at airports. I knew he was a good person to ask because he hates waiting in line: 

1. If you happen to travel through the same airport often,get a few copies of the customs forms and fill them out in advance, in order not to delay your lineup.
2. If you have a way to fast-track customs, do so. In Canada we have Canpass which will make your trip through Canadian customs much faster, as you get to bypass the regular lineup. There is another program called Nexus, which is currently being trialled at Vancouver airport. Nexus is a joint program between Canadian and US customs authorities to allow travellers from either country to fast-track.
3. If you are flying on a short trip, do not check any luggage.

My friend uses Canpass and loves it. He says that he now avoids the big lineup at customs, and that he does not get stopped any more than usual. I am going to try it out and let you know what I think…

Airports used to be a relaxed place to spend some time before you travel or while you transit…. but due to recent events they are fast becoming some of the most miserable places to spend a few precious hours of your life…. Here are six tips to help you take the stress out of airports.

1. Firstly, take advantage of early check-in. nowadays most airlines will let you check in to your flight online 24hrs before you fly. This can get you a better seat and will speed up your process at the airport.
2. Check in everything that you can unless you really need the item during the flight - I have seen so many people carrying large bags all around airport, what for? Airports are big places which typically require a lot of walking- you will often have to carry you bag for a while, so make it as light as possible. Ideally in many cases I don’t have any carry-on bags at all. Whenever you are passing through an airport, try to wear a coat with pockets, you can carry small things in it (I usually have a book), and it will also make your life a lot easier passing through the security check.
3. When you pass through the security screening, you then only have to take your items from your pants pockets and put them into your coat. Do not forget to take your watch off as that may also set off the metal detector. I constantly see people waiting in line for 10 minutes in order to start emptying their pockets when they arrive at the front and they are surprised when they have to pass back through the detector three or four times because they forget to take everything out.
4. Another tip about the security screening- try to wear the right type of shoes- this usually means shoes with soles that have been glued- not nailed, or shoes that do not have large metal lace hooks- both of which can set off the metal detector. Many airports now ask everybody to remove their shoes.
5. If you have lounge access- use it. As a minimum you can use the lounge to get free bottles of water. If you do not have lounge access try to find a comfortable corner of the airport to relax. I have a Priority Pass, which gives me lounge access in almost any airport. As a frequent traveler it has been very worthwhile.
6. Lastly, remember that you do not need to be the first one on the plane… as long are in the waiting area at the right time, the plane is not going to leave without you - if the airline cannot find you they actually have to unpack your luggage from the plane. They do not want to do this so they give people a good chance to arrive before they would not let you on. It never ceases to amaze me that many people will wait in line eagerly to get to their seat as soon as possible- then have to wait for everybody else.

I hope these few ideas help your next airport visit.

Of course when you go on any trip you will be needing money. So, what is the best way to get money in a foreign country? As is the case with many things the answer is, it depends.
 
The first thing to consider is the country itself, you can pay for things with credit cards in most first world countries, but developing countries are not quite as simple- usually major hotels will take your credit card, but you may be out of luck in other places like restaurants, etc… If you do have a large amount of cash, you can usually leave it a safe in your hotel, either in your room or in the lobby.

The simplest and most convenient option that I use is to bring cash and change it at the airport when you arrive. The main problem with this is that the rates are not always good, and you also usually have to pay a service fee. I do recommend this to get some small amount of local currency just to get you started- for lunch, taxis etc… When you have to change a relatively large amount of money however, you really have to look around for the best rate. On a recent trip to Scotland for example, I changed 500 USD at the airport for 242 pounds, then a few days later exchanged the same amount again in a store for 252 pounds- that’s a 10 pound or 20 dollar difference- which is the price of a nice lunch.

Another option if you are a person who likes to carry cash, is to take money out directly from a bank (ATM) machine. This is possible in many places by checking the back of your debit card to make sure that one of the networks is listed on your card and also on the machine you are withdrawing money from (examples of these are cirrus or plus)- your bank will sometimes charge a fee for this, but the exchange rate is usually pretty good. DO watch out for suspicious people around ATM machines- I have had my bank account accessed in the UK after I had used a particular machine, I had not noticed anything unusual at the time but a few days later I checked my account and had $2,000 withdrawn over the period of five hours. Somehow they managed to copy my card and pin number from a particular machine.

 A third option is to pay for everything on your credit card, you will not need to pay a separate fee, however, the exchange rate they give will include a small percentage exchange  (usually 2-3%)- this is probably around the same rate as you would get from your bank?

I usually tend to use a combination of the above ideas- varying the amount of cash I carry depending on the country I’m visiting- the less I think I will be able to use my credit card, the more cash I will carry. But I always carry some cash because you never know when you will need it.

If you are traveling to a new country may be risky for any reason I would add one last item: keep a note with the address and phone number of your nearest embassy/consulate in a safe place- this can save you a lot of hassle if your documents are lost or stolen.