The New Travel Thread: Now with write ups in the OP

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by Jax Teller, Apr 8, 2015.

  1. GoodForAnother

    GoodForAnother a cracked polystyrene man
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    we were both able to renew global entry without an interview so I was happy about that. had a friend fly to Nashville to get hers done in time for a trip after waiting months
     
  2. BayouMafia

    BayouMafia Thought Leader in Posting
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    Global Entry is great and all but if you take a flight to/from another city in order to do it then you’ve negated dozens of trips worth of convenience minutes saved by having it.

    Especially since at many airports Mobile Passport Control is just as fast and sometimes faster.
     
  3. GoodForAnother

    GoodForAnother a cracked polystyrene man
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    that’s pretty much what I said but she also made it into a trip and went to Robert’s Western World, so, worth it
     
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  4. EMAW FC

    EMAW FC Proud Smucker
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    I remember when K-State played @ Auburn when I was in college and GFA and I went with some friends.

    An Auburn fan at a tailgate asked us if Kansas was a free state during the war.
    Loaded question - do we answer correctly or do we lie so this man will let us go
     
  5. GoodForAnother

    GoodForAnother a cracked polystyrene man
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    I think it was something like

    Guy: hey Kansas was a neutral state during the war right

    Us: uh yeah

    Guy: well alright
     
  6. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
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    Agree. They all die. But no one knows someone else's situation, so it's pretty dumb to just tell someone you don't know to "have the grandparents watch them" and being all indignant while doing it.

    I'm super jealous of my friends that can drop their kids off at grandma's for a few days and head to Vegas or a quick trip to the Caribbean.
     
  7. Where Eagles Dare

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    What an odd question to ask someone :laugh:
     
  8. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
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    I've tried a few times to find an appointment for GE but every time I did it I can't find anything available. I thought I at least registered and did the pre-screening & after waiting close to 2 hours to get through customs in Atlanta we tried to do the interview there, but apparently neither my wife nor I did whatever pre-screening there is.

    Wish it was a bit easier. Our last arrival was the only bad experience we've had flying back to Atlanta
     
  9. Simon Templar

    Simon Templar Well-Known Member
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    Kansas was a free state you fucking southern idiot. Wish Sherman would have burned way more than just his way to the coast.
     
  10. Simon Templar

    Simon Templar Well-Known Member
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    GE is great coming back from a quick trip to Canada but other than that has been pretty worthless
     
  11. Where Eagles Dare

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    I'm not southern, you ignorant prick. I'm mid Atlantic
     
  12. Where Eagles Dare

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    Certain airports have a reputation of being pretty bad. LAX sucked coming back from Thailand. I've heard Miami is pretty awful and I've avoid a few connections there.
     
  13. Simon Templar

    Simon Templar Well-Known Member
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    Somehow not knowing that and being able to not fall back on poor southern education makes it even more damning.
     
  14. Simon Templar

    Simon Templar Well-Known Member
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    ORD is always hit or miss
     
  15. Where Eagles Dare

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    I was thrown off b/c GFA is a former slave holder
     
  16. Simon Templar

    Simon Templar Well-Known Member
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    Well that makes sense
     
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  17. COVIDiskilingme79

    COVIDiskilingme79 Well-Known Member
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    I can't imagine flying international anymore without GE. Several times I've been able to cut through customs and make an earlier connection. Especially now with the GE app, I just walk around the line and show the guy my phone and just keep going.
     
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  18. Upton^2

    Upton^2 blocked just a park away, but I can't really say
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    Planning a Munich->Salzburg->Vienna trip. Any recommendations/must-dos?
     
  19. AptosDuck

    AptosDuck Pedantic Hausfrau
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    The view of the Hohenfestung from the Mirabellgarten is pretty iconic. The view from Maria Plain is spectacular in the right weather but its rarely the right weather. Monchsweg is a fun hike between the Festung and some famous beer garden I can't remember the name of edit Augustiner Braustubl.

    Ate at Elefant in town, recall it was a good meal. Also ate at Barenwirt, pretty good food, but the memorable thing there was the little girl at the next table who was rocking on her stool and fell backwards on her head and screamed bloody murder for several minutes
     
    #32769 AptosDuck, Dec 28, 2024
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2024
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  20. Name P. Redacted

    Name P. Redacted I have no money and I'm also gay
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    This is also what you say every time
     
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  21. Where Eagles Dare

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    Cool. Glad we've establish a cycle when people tell me to leave my kids with their grandparents
     
  22. Name P. Redacted

    Name P. Redacted I have no money and I'm also gay
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    Kid*
     
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  23. Funshot Residue

    Funshot Residue Mammoth Stabber
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    For the record, I insinuated you were the kid that needed watching. I am legit sorry about your parents, that was inappropriate. I'll drop the whole thing, so carry on.
     
  24. Where Eagles Dare

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    Thank you
     
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  25. Lawnole23

    Lawnole23 FSU Seminoles 2020 National Champions
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    GE definitely worth it especially if traveling with kids. Miami and New York it saved me a ton of time.
     
  26. GoodForAnother

    GoodForAnother a cracked polystyrene man
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    GE has saved us a minimum of 4 hours of time over the 9 or so trips we’ve had with it. Sometimes you come back and there’s no line, sometimes you come back and three huge planes just landed and it’s a shitshow. Also heavily airport dependent
     
  27. mal630

    mal630 Well-Known Member
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    Getting ready to book London hotel soon for my trip in a few months. Looking at The Clermont Charing Cross, it's pretty much at the intersection of Covent Garden, Mayfair and Soho. Should that be a good area? Seems to be near a lot of the bars/restaurants we were looking at and close to public transport stations.
     
  28. Randy Dangus

    Randy Dangus Invigorated after sunning my butthole
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    Pretty good location IMO. We stay on the south bank near Tower of London a few miles east, lots to do in that area. Close to the Tate Modern and Borough market. Hyde park in the other direction from you, natural history museum, Harrods. Might check to see if there are any shows at Royal Albert Hall. London is easy AF to walk around and the tube is great, you’ll do well there.
     
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  29. WC

    WC Bad Company, ‘til the day I die.
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    Have had big time savings with GE, but the in-laws used mobile passport control coming into CLT from Munich in October and they were only ~15 minutes behind us despite a huge general entry line.

    If a credit card covers it, it’s an easy call.
     
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  30. Fran Tarkenton

    Fran Tarkenton Old Enough to not know whats Chappell Roan
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    its OK location. Charing Cross is quite busy with commuters and that section of road is all chain restaurants. Not a quintessential vibe. Try to stay a little north of there if you can, if thats the area you want to be in. The area b/w Westminster, Buckingham and Trafalgar is tourist hell and suffocating.

    Look for inside the red, the area b/w Bond St and Soho, sorta where the Beatles' apple studio was is the sweetspot.

    [​IMG]


    One Hotel I can vouch for is this one, really fun rooftop: https://www.treehousehotels.com/london/eat-drink/madera
     
    #32780 Fran Tarkenton, Dec 29, 2024
    Last edited: Dec 29, 2024
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  31. DuffandMuff

    DuffandMuff Well-Known Member
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    Global Entry is a must have if you live in San Diego and plan on crossing the border at all. You could waste an entire day trying to drive back into the US. The pedestrian crossing has also become a multi hour wait without GE.
     
  32. mal630

    mal630 Well-Known Member
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    Thanks for the info. Is there another area we should be staying? I picked the area I did mainly cause it was near pubs that were recommended and it was close to Gymkhana and some other restaurants.
     
  33. Fran Tarkenton

    Fran Tarkenton Old Enough to not know whats Chappell Roan
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    Nah not at all, if this is your first time to London its the best area to start out. Central, Walk to most spots, and ample tube options to the rest. Hotel prices are the primary deterrent.

    Yea you can find some awesome restaurants, love this place https://www.kilnsoho.com/. Hard to explain but like the bottom area of that map just gets very chain-y, tourist-y. Ive been to charing cross several dozen times so just happened to be familiar. You're doing the right thing by asking questions, no different than NYC where you can accidentally run into an area like that.
     
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  34. DuffandMuff

    DuffandMuff Well-Known Member
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    Went to Kiln last year. Loved it. Had so many first time items for myself there. Incredible flavors.
     
    #32784 DuffandMuff, Dec 29, 2024
    Last edited: Dec 29, 2024
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  35. Upton^2

    Upton^2 blocked just a park away, but I can't really say
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    we stayed at the Kimpton Fitzroy last night and was a great home base. Overlooks Russell Square
     
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  36. GoodForAnother

    GoodForAnother a cracked polystyrene man
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  37. GoodForAnother

    GoodForAnother a cracked polystyrene man
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  38. GoodForAnother

    GoodForAnother a cracked polystyrene man
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    Americas premium airline
     
  39. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
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    Ha, they'll grant them 25,000 sky pesos to compensate
     
  40. spagett

    spagett Got ya, spooked ya
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    Saw this happen to a guy that paid 10k for first class from Munich to DC after they changed planes

    He was a lot calmer than I expected, but if you pay that much for first class you're either an idiot or rich enough to suck it up
     
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  41. Tommy Jefferson

    Tommy Jefferson Well-Known Member
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    Rich enough to suck it up? Come on, nobody knows the wealthy to be patient
     
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  42. WhiskeyDelta

    WhiskeyDelta Well-Known Member
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    Got on my Delta plane today, got to get off my delta plane an hour later, were told it’d be at least an hour, probably two, so people scatter to the four winds. 45 min later they start reboarding, takes another hour to round up the strays (including a family who would have missed the flight and their giant “carry-on” suitcases that don’t fit, and one woman who apparently waited for her takeout to be ready as she came back with a giant clamshell box right before they closed the doors), sat another half hour, and finally took off, only to find out my wife’s headphone port didn’t work. 767-400ER is a bit shit.
     
  43. GoodForAnother

    GoodForAnother a cracked polystyrene man
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    my beloved Samsonite carry on and dear friend of ten years died on my last trip. anyone have recommendations on carry on? I’ve looked at the Samsonite hard shell (basically what I had) and also the travelpro. Travelpro seems to be really well rated and has a lifetime warranty which is nice
     
  44. Where Eagles Dare

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    IDK how they rate, but my wife hopped on the Away Co bags when they originally came out years ago and the few we have are rock solid.
     
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  45. Where Eagles Dare

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    There are a few psychos ITT that can recommend some 2 wheel bags with zero mobility you can drag everywhere
     
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  46. GoodForAnother

    GoodForAnother a cracked polystyrene man
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    no I can’t do that because my wife bought one and I said it looked like a typical overpriced white chick Instagram product and I’ll look stupid if I get one now
     
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  47. Where Eagles Dare

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    You'll look stupid no matter what you get. hth
     
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  48. Where Eagles Dare

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    But I get it. Gotta stand your ground. Line has been drawn in the sand and can't go over it
     
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  49. spagett

    spagett Got ya, spooked ya
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    I fly through Dulles a lot on tiny ERJ 145s and have to wait on the tarmac to retrieve my bags that I'm forced to check

    Last time I saw a dude drop 3 bags that missed the conveyer belt. His coworkers were laughing at him. I was too, because they weren't mine, but yea... Not buying any expensive luggage for that reason
     
  50. herb.burdette

    herb.burdette Meet me at the corner of 8th and Worthington
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    I was on a Delta round trip to Boston that was oversold earlier this year. I needed to be there and return on specific dates, but they offered $1000 on the way out and $750 on the way back, on a ticket that I paid $700 on.