[by Kevin Lock]
© Kevin Lock
When traveling abroad, I suggest that you do your homework. Don’t assume the airline or anyone else will do it for you. I recently spent a month traveling via Jet Blue’s “All You Can Jet” promotion. I was on the road photographing places that I had never been. I visited 4 countries and spent time in 11 cities. I would have visited 5 countries if I had done my homework. The last country on my itinerary was Bermuda. When I landed and attempted to pass thru the Bermudian Customs and Immigration, I was pulled into secondary. There I was informed that I could not enter their country without a reservation (hotel). After my 3 and a half hour visit to the Bermuda International Airport, I was put on a flight back to the lovely United States. Lucky for me US Customs did not require a reservation.
Kevin Lock is a National Board Member of the ASMP. When not being allowed into small countries he finds himself taking pictures out of airport windows. Kevin is currently spending time thoroughly researching his next trip abroad.
By Kevin Lock
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Posted: November 12th, 2010
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1 comment
One good thing about the bad economy is that there are bargains when it comes to airfares. Even without a lot of notice, one can find a good priced ticket to most destinations. However, that bargain can quickly add up to a lot of money when paying for check on baggage. Many photographers need to travel with 2-4 bags of equipment with each bag costing more on a steep sliding scale.
However, many times it ends up being cheaper to purchase an extra ticket. This not only gives you an empty seat next to you, it also gives you two extra bags to check on. I am a Continental Elite member, so I can fly with two checked bags, each up to 70 lbs. for no additional money. But, if I had two additional bags, (4 total) I would pay extra for each bag on each leg of the trip. This can quickly add up. For example, anything over the two bags would cost me $80 each additional bag, each leg. So those two extra bags would come to $320 for a roundtrip. So, if my ticket cost me only $198 then I’m better off by buying an extra ticket than I am paying for excess baggage. It’s perfectly legal – musicians do it all the time because they don’t want to check in their instruments and buy the extra seat for that purpose.
So, do the math when planning your itinerary – you may end up with a savings plus more mileage in your frequent flier account.
By Gail Mooney
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Posted: May 19th, 2009
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4 comments
