We talk about travel as though it’s effortless. To get to Rome from Philadelphia you just take a flight and that’s that. But it’s not. In most cases there are multiple steps involved. Case in point. I left Tivoli, IT on Wednesday to get to Philadelphia, PA, USA, which is where I am now. It took five separate steps and you have to know that going in. It usually works out, but some caveats coming.
Wednesday morning I took the 10:23 train (step 1) from Tivoli to Rome, which is where the airport is, about a 35 minute ride; obvious. But first I had to get TO the airport and that happened via the train station at Roma Tiburtina train transfer. There is no DIRECT way to get to the airport unless you drive. From Tiburtina station I had to take another train (step 2), took about 50 minutes and that got me to Rome Fiumicino airport. That’s an easy ride and I arrived about 90 minutes before takeoff, very tight for an international flight. Why? Because going through check-in and security can be cumbersome and in many cases, including this one, I had to go through two security checkpoints. Even so, I made the flight (step 3) and in about nine hours I was in Boston, ready for step #4. The timing worked out well since the flight was almost equal to the time zone change, so I started my journey Wednesday morning and finished it the same Wednesday 3,000 miles away.
Another flight from Boston to Philadelphia (step 4) and again, tight on timing with a 90 minute window, but still caused me to be anxious. Like security check-ins, you must leave time for immigration and passport control. The lines can be long and it can, in some cases, take an hour to get through passport control. US immigration is painfully aware of our exposure and they are diligent in their efforts. NOTE: There is a mobile app called Mobile Passport which is sanctioned by the US government and immigration and it can save time. Even better, I used my Global Pass for the first time and instead of a long 30 minute serpentine line, I was able to step to the Global Pass machines and be done in less that five minutes. Sweet!
The Jet Blue flight from Boston was smooth and got me into Philly at the scheduled time. And finally, step #5, renting a car to get to my destination. It was remarkably easy to navigate these steps, but it is remarkably stressful until you get comfortable doing it. Like everything else, it’s about practice, leaving enough time, and not getting nervous. They recommend getting to the airport two hours early before your flight, and allow even more time for international travel. It’s good advice and with free Wifi, lots of eating places and ways to keep busy at the gate, you are better off having more time than being stressed.
My goal with Travel Younger is to help everyone get used to being comfortable with these steps. In many cases these international flights can take 24 full hours from beginning to end, and this one took very close to that. The end result is worth it and the experiences and lessons are life changing.
On May 8 I get to do these five steps again, only in reverse! #rome, #boston,#philadelphia, #international #flights, #passportcontrol, #immigration
