Traveling

[Jon Harrison]

Thanks everyone for all your feedback!! I fly out in 15 day so I will let you know how it goes. Sounds like the best thing for me to do is prepare for the worst and hope for the best! Given the inconsistency TSA and many other factors – show up early and say my prayers 🙂

Thanks!

Jon

Thanks,
Jon

[Jon Harrison]

Hi Everyone,

Finally back from my trip and I thought I would take the time to tell you how my experience at the airport went. For my flight out everything went great. I shipped my tripod, extra battery, extra memory card and mics to the hotel. Going through TSA was just like it has been since 9/11. I had 2 bags, my camera bag, which contained my camera, battery, memory card manuals, and my backpack, which basically had my laptop, headphones and schedule etc. I asked the TSA officer if I should take my camera out of the bag just like my laptop – he said “no, it looks professional so you should be good”….whatever that means? Everything scanned no problem and I was through security and on my flight in no time.

For the trip back I wasn’t able to ship my mics or the extra battery so I was forced to put those in my camera bag as well. For my tripod I had asked the taxi drive to swing by the UPS store and he decided to just take me to the airport while telling me over and over there was a UPS in the airport – which there was not. So, when I checked my luggage I asked to have my tripod check or if I could possible carry it on – I was told to just try and carry it on and they would ask me to check it if they has concerns. I was a bit concerned going through TSA knowing I had 2 mics and 2 batteries that probably looked suspicious. Sweating like I was a drug mule or something I went through security just like before. I was gathering my shoes and belt when the alarm went off and the line came to an abrupt stop. A TSA agent came walking over to me, I’m sure the look on my face was priceless. She holds up a bottle of water and asks if I would like to leave the line and drink it. Don’t think so, and so I went on my marry way and waited for my flight……4 gates and 3 hours later I was in line to board. When it came my turn I asked to check my tripod and was handed a pink slip to fill out – At this point I was ready to cut my losses and hope that the tripod made it through. I gave it to the baggage guy at the door and found my seat. When I arrived and departed the airplane my tripod was sitting right outside the door like it had been waiting there the whole time.

Over all I was very pleased by everything. Oh, I was flying Delta in case you were wondering.

Thanks again everyone for all your feedback. That was the first of many flights and I already feel like a veteran 🙂

Thanks,
Jon

[Nick Griffin]

[Jon Harrison] “he decided to just take me to the airport while telling me over and over there was a UPS in the airport – which there was not.”

In my experience cab drivers often lie when it benefits them. Probably not all, but many. This guy obviously decided that waiting for you outside a UPS store was not as profitable for him, even with the “meter running,” as using the same amount of time to find another fare.

My wife and I once had a cab drop us at a museum in Europe on a Monday. The cab driver had lied when we asked at the start to make sure that it would be open. It wasn’t and he was long gone before we knew it.

You can often have the business center in major hotels send things for you, BUT they typically charge a premium well above what the UPS or FedEx cost is. So for your next trip go online beforehand and look-up where the UPS or FedEx stores are relative to where you are staying.

Far more often I establish with the place I’m going to shoot that I can send them my big stuff via FedEx. Then, at the same time I’m shipping, I also create pre-paid return airbills and ask the office or factory where I’m shooting where and when they usually have FedEx pick-up. I’ve yet to have anyone turn me down, although a few times I’ve had to call in the pick-up myself because they don’t have a regular pick-up.

Glad it all worked out for you, though!