Image credit: Leonid Mamchenkov June 2007

Not very long ago I had a passenger who, despite being well on time, kept phoning from the airport to report that he had missed flight after flight.  This was deeply mysterious.  After he had missed three successive flights we realised that he did not know that he had to check in!  He was an absolute novice flyer, but could not bring himself to admit that he did not know what was going on and ask either us or the airport staff for assistance.

Here is what to do if it is your first time.

You will need:

• Your eticket, if you do not have your boarding pass
• A print of your boarding pass if you have checked in online, or at a self-service kiosk at the airport
• Photo-identification (according to local regulations and airline requirements: driver’s licence or national id. or passport for domestic flights, passport for international flights)

Check in online before you leave home

We strongly suggest that you check in online ahead of time.  You can usually reserve your seat and obtain your boarding pass online (our handy links are here http://diytravelexpert.com/airline-check-in/) or at a kiosk at the airport, but you will still need to have your luggage weighed in.

If you have your boarding pass and only carry-on luggage, that’s it – you’re done!  No need to go to the check-in area.  Go straight to security.

Find your check-in area

Unless you are at a terminal that only serves a single airline (such as Heathrow terminal 5 serving BA, or New York JFK terminal 5 that serves Jet Airlines) you must first locate the check-in area serving the airline you are travelling on.

For a flight operating on a code-share, where members of an airline alliance issue tickets on other member’s flights, you may need to check in at the area run by the airline operating the flight.  This information will be on your eticket, usually in the format of a statement saying “Airline A, operated by Airline B”.  Then you should know to go line up at Airline B’s counters.  If they do not state that, then you probably just need to go to your airline’s counter, even if they are not operating the flight.  In other words, Not your problem.

The name of the airline is usually on a board (nowadays on a screen) above the desk.  There are usually further indications of the class of passenger (viz. already checked-in online, first class, business class, frequent-flyer members, etc.).  Make sure that you are in the correct queue so that you do not get directed to queue again, at the back of the next queue.

At the check-in counter

• Your eticket or boarding pass will be verified.
• If you have not checked in online your seat will be assigned.  You may have seat choices, some of which may cost a premium on some airlines.  It sometimes happens that the seat that you have reserved online (or that your travel agent has reserved for you when booking) is reallocated at this time.  If you are lucky you could even be upgraded, as recently happened to me on a long flight within Europe.
• Your luggage destined for the hold will be weighed and taken into care.
• Your boarding pass will be issued unless you have printed it yourself.  A certain airline charges absurdly large amounts if you have not printed your own boarding pass prior to arrival at the airport!  If you are travelling in a group this omission can cost you dearly.  Sometime the boarding pass will be replaced, if you have been re-seated by the airline.
• For international flights your passport will be verified.

Be early

The earlier you check in for your flight the less likely you are to be bumped and the more likely you are to get a seat that you desire, be it leg room, a window seat , an aisle seat, position in relation to the wing, or proximity to toilets.  If you are sufficiently late you will be denied boarding altogether.

The usual latest recommended check-in is an hour prior to departure for domestic flights and two hours for international flights.  However, this may differ according to the airport and the airline concerned.  El Al security is particularly tight and you should plan to be there three hours prior to departure for international flights.  Any international flight to the USA will also have particularly stringent (some say unnecessary) security and the long queues that this causes make it advisable for you to give yourself an extra 30 minutes to an hour.

Luggage limits

You should check with your airline what your luggage weight limit is, the size (for carry-on, cabin luggage), the number of pieces permitted, as well as what can and cannot be carried at the time.

Discreet luggage label

See stay safe at your destination part 1

• Before leaving your home country, get the local emergency numbers at your destination and save them on your mobile phone contacts list.  Also have the list on paper – if your battery is flat and the phone dies you still want access to the numbers.
• Don’t share your travel plans with strangers.  This includes keeping it off Facebook and other online places that are leaky about information.
• Keep your passport with you at all times.  While this increases the risk of it being stolen, it may help you if you have a sudden medical emergency, or police start shouting at you in a language you do not understand.
• Leave copies of your passport with someone back at home.  There is some dissent within our team on this one, though this is the generally accepted advice.  The idea is that this would help you get a new passport if your one is lost, stolen or damaged.  Will a simple photocopy be sufficient for re-issue of a passport – it seems doubtful.  (Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments!)
• Leave behind a copy of your medical and insurance papers with someone trusted.  They can then assist you with claiming if necessary.
• The best place for booking adventure activities such as sky-diving and bungee jumping is through the local tourist information offices.  This is to make certain that you are using reputable companies who stick to the safety regulations.
• Reputable hotels frequently have information on tours available from reliable organisers, if you have not booked these prior to leaving home.
• It may be wise not to wear patriotic apparel or to festoon your gear with your country flag.  You may encounter someone who is bitter or resentful toward your country.  Ill-feeling can last hundreds of years in some regions.

The following tips include information from “Don’t Panic” by Helmke Hennig and Frances le Clus.

• Do not have your home address, hotel’s name that you are staying at, or your telephone number anywhere visible on your luggage.  You can get luggage tags that close, meaning that a casual inspection will not reveal who you are, where you are from, or your destination.
• If you accept a free drink or meal offered anywhere, do so very cautiously, as there are usually strings attached.  This is specifically true of certain types of bars in the Far East.  You may wake up naked, beaten and robbed, or at the least you may end up paying many times the going rate for a drink that you did not really want in the first place.
• Sometimes our best protection is our instincts.  If a situation feels wrong, move away as quickly as possible.

Embarkation

Depending on the efficiency of both the cruise company and the port authorities, this can take anywhere from an hour to three hours.  If you are going out of the sovereign territory of the country you are departing from, you will need your passport.  Where your final destination is a different county, you will need to provide proof of return at the passport control departure point.

Baggage

Unless you have a spacious stateroom, we recommend taking one compact suitcase.  Space is usually at a premium in cabins and you would want it to take up as little room as possible.  At embarkation, your luggage will be checked in and you will see it again once on board.  It will be outside your door, usually within an hour of being on board.

On board account activation

Once on board, before you can buy anything (even a drink of water on some ships), you will need to have activated your account.  On most cruises, you will be given a key card to your room that is also linked to your account.  You will use this card for all transaction on board.  They will require a minimum deposit to activate and should you run out, it can be topped up with cash or linked to your credit card.  Our suggestion is cash, as a credit card authorisation will be taken and then the actual amount taken at the end of the cruise.  The initial authority, though, will take several weeks too reflect back on your account, depending which bank you’re with.

Emergency drill

This is performed on all ships and in most cases on the first or second day of the cruise.  There will be a lifejacket in your cabin which will indicate which muster station you need to report too.  A sign of good staff knowledge of emergencies, is that any staff member should be able to help direct you.  It will be announced that it is just a drill and not a genuine emergency.  It is compulsory for all passengers to attend.  After all, should the unthinkable come to pass, better to be prepared.

During this drill, you may also be shown what to do in a case of ‘man overboard!’.  Our best advice on this – don’t be the man or woman overboard!

On board entertainment

Many cruises offer a specific program that you can follow to the letter if you wish to be occupied most of the day and night.  Depending of the nature of the cruise, the entertainment may be repeated on a weekly cycle.  If you are on a short cruise – no problem.

Such down-to-earth activities such as walking the promenade decks can be quite lovely at sunset or when coming into port and will provide an outlet for the energy gained from the high intakes of delicious food, common to cruises.

On board a cruise recently, we entertained ourselves by obtaining a game of Scrabble from the reception at a deposit of US15 which was refunded on return of the game.

Disembarkation

This usually takes a lot quicker than embarkation!  You will be given a coloured label for your baggage and be directed to a certain area of the ship in groups, before disembarking.  Your baggage will need to be ready outside your door, with labels attached, the night before disembarkation.