Passport with Visa, air tickets, boarding pass constitute your travel documents. Take atleast 3 copies of your passport/visa and air tickets and keep one in your main baggage, one in cabin baggage and leave one at home in India.
Once you've chosen the essentials, you're ready to start packing.
* Start by placing the heavy or bulky items on the bottom of the suitcase, including shoes, alarm clock, hair dryer, and travel iron.
* Protect fragile items by putting them inside socks or other thick clothing and placing them in the center of the case.
* To keep clothing wrinkle-free, place all articles inside plastic bags or wrap them in tissue paper. Rolling your clothes into cylinders, instead of folding them, can also help.
* T-shirts, sweatshirts, and jeans can also be rolled into cylinders and wedged into corners to keep other contents from sliding around.
* Extra plastic bags come in handy when transporting wet bathing suits and soiled clothes.
* A needle and thread, a compact umbrella, and extra hangers can also prove to be useful.
* Pack only things you wouldn't mind losing into luggage that will be checked. Carry-on bags are the place for valuables, travel documents, medications, keys, cameras, cellular phones, cash, travelers checks, credit cards, and photos and inventories of your luggage.
There are two kinds of baggage. Checkin baggage and cabin baggage
* Checkin baggage is your main luggage, which will get into the cargo section of the aircraft.
* Cabin baggage is the small luggage that you will carry with you to the plane and keep either in the overhead locker or under the seat before you. Pls note that you are not allowed to carry any sharp instrument in the cabin baggage such as nail cutter, stapler, hairpins, dry cells (unless in a camera).
Always pack a set of clothes in your cabin baggage for emergency use.
Your travel documents and currency must be in your cabin baggage. Some amount of the money may also be kept in the chekin baggage.
1.Reach the International airport atleast 3 hours prior to departure.
2.Make sure that all the baggage have your identification marks with full address.
3.Ensure that your travel documents are with you in person and not in the check-in baggage.
4.Proceed to the departure lounge, Here you will have to get your check-in baggage x-rayed. Once the same is x-rayed the security officer will put a sticker on the luggage.
5.You will then proceed to the check-in counter and hand over your tickets and the checkin baggage.
6.The baggage will be weighed, accepted and a baggage tag for each piece of checkin luggage given to you .
7.The flight coupons from the ticket will be taken by the airline staff and you will be given your boarding pass along with the baggage tag. The baggage tag will be stickered on to the tag.
8.The boarding pass will enable you board the aircraft and has important information such as terminal number, gate number and seat number.
9.Incase you do not get all the three boarding passes, check with the counter or just follow the instructions in the notes column at the end of this file.
10.You will also be given a embarkation form which you will have to fill.
11.Once you have checked in your baggage, collect the boarding pass, bag tags and embarkation form turn around and say bye to your folks.
12.You will then proceed to the immigration counter.Remember you still have your cabin baggage with you.
13.At the immigration counter you will handover the embarkation form, passport and boarding pass.
14.They will stamp your passport and handover the passport and boarding pass to you.
15.You will then pass through customs where you have nothing to declare unless you are carrying expensive items and plan to bring it back.
16.After customs you will pass through security check for both yourself and your cabin baggage.
17.You will then proceed to the waiting lounge and await announcement of your flight.
18.Once the boarding announcements are made please proceed to the aircraft.
19.Identify your seat or ask the airhostess for help.
20.Once there place your cabin baggage either in the over head locker above you or under the seat in front of you.
21.Put on your seat belt and enjoy the flight.
During transit stops remember the first thing you will have to do is check the terminal and gate no of your connecting flight. While this is mentioned on the boarding pass Pls check with the air hostess or the ground staff about the same. Go across to the gate first and familiarize yourself with the area. Avoid last minute rushing to the gate.
Once you have identified the gate, you can take a stroll in the airport lounges and the duty free shops. Pls be careful of your cabin baggage and travel documents. Do not hand over the same to anybody even if you want go to the loo. Airports are notorious for thefts.
Remember that you will have to carry only the cabin baggage. The checkin baggage will come directly to the final destination.
Once you have finished the immigration, go to the baggage reclaim area for your checkin baggage.
Pickup your luggage from the conveyor belt. Incase your baggage is missing DON’T PANIC. Just walk across to the LOST and FOUND section and lodge a complaint. The baggage tags, which were given to you at the time of checkin, is very important. In case of few pieces of baggage missing, you will have to identify the baggage tag of the same. In the complaint form clearly fill your contact address as the airline will inform you of the status of the baggage.
Incase you do not get all the three boarding passes in BLR and the counter staff instructs you to do the needful at the transit points , then on arrival at the transit point pls proceed to the TRANSFER DESK. The same will be prominently displayed. Here locate the Air India counter and get the necessary boarding pass. Incase you do not have the time, don’t worry, proceed to the boarding gate and they will do the needful.
In case your flight gets delayed and you miss your connecting flight, don’t worry. You are the airline’s liability. They will have to put you in a hotel till the next flight.
You know how the first days in a new time zone can be: You're sleepy all day, but when it's time to sleep, you toss and turn or sleep fitfully. Travelers have traditionally battled this problem with naps, sleeping pills, and self-medication with caffeine and alcohol. There are healthier ways, however, that are just as effective. Read on for more tips about how to handle jet lag.
* Try resetting your watch to the destination's time as soon as you get on the airplane. If it's daytime in your new destination, try to stay awake. Walk around the cabin to keep yourself alert. When it's nighttime in your destination point, try to sleep. Using a sleeping mask and earplugs can help to block out noise and light on the plane.
* Eat before you get on the plane. This way, neither your growling stomach nor dinner-wielding flight attendants will distract you from sleep. (Be sure to tell the attendant ahead of time that you don't need to be awakened for a meal.)
* If you use a blanket, buckle your seat belt over the blanket so the flight attendant will not have to wake you in the event of turbulence.
* Avoid caffeine and alcohol, which can disrupt sleep patterns
* If it's daylight when you arrive but nighttime at home, you may be tempted to sleep. Instead, try going for a walk outside. The benefit here is two-fold: The exercise may revive you. Also, daylight should help convince your body to stop producing sleep-inducing hormones.
* $1 per bag for a bellman carrying luggage
* $1 to $2 for a doorman hailing a taxi
* $1 to $2 a day for a housekeeper (to be left on the dresser at the end of your stay)
* $5 to $25 for a concierge who makes your dinner or show reservations
* $1 to $2 for a parking valet when the car is retrieved
* $1 to $2 for a taxi-cab driver for short routes .
* 15 to 20 percent of the check for a restaurant waiter
* 10 to 15 percent of the check for a room-service waiter (if not already included in check)
* 10 to 15 percent of the tab for a bartender
* $1 per bag for an airport baggage handler
* $1 per coat for a coatroom attendan