Izzlet #1 is leaving the nest on 17th Dec…I fully admit I’m nervous. Sure, she’s almost 19 and fully capable of taking care of herself, but in my mind, she’s still that tottering toddler (just don’t tell her that). I think I’ve thought of everything I need to clue her in on in terms of her flights…she’ll be flying into Philadelphia from Syracuse (lake effect snow permitting…), and then she only has about 1 1/2 hours until her flight to Paris leaves. Good grief…I’m more nervous for HER to fly overseas than I was for ME to do it We’ve looked at the layout of Philadelphia International, so she knows where she’ll be flying in to, and where she needs to be to fly out. She knows where the shuttle is, but of course I couldn’t tell if it went all the way from Terminal F to Terminal A West. Oy…I need to know this stuff. She’ll know how to check in and all that from her check in in Syracuse, so I think that will go alright. And I’ve told her to ASK QUESTIONS if she needs to…and she will. She’s good for that.
So, what am I forgetting? I’m sure she’ll be fine once she hits Philly…but I won’t be there to walk her through it, and so I’m not totally convinced.
Make sure she knows to allow a LOT of time to get through international security (especially coming back to the US) and to never make jokes about having weapons or contraband. Security personnel are generally bored to tears, and welcome an occassion to treat someone to the full rigours of intense personal inspection.
I don’t think there’s anything else you can fix. She will do it just fine.
I first flew alone, D.C. to Paris, when I was 16 and almost too shy to talk to anyone, but it was fun and sort of thrilling.
On that flight I was seated next to a man from California who asked me whether Maryland was in Virginia or North Carolina.
Philly is not my favorite airport. The right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. You need to pay close attention to the video monitors in the terminal because flights seem to be changing location all the time. We left and returned from Europe through Philly, and it was a problem both ways. Passengers can become a little irrate in the middle of the night when they are jerked around in and out of planes before they even leave the ground. My wife says that she is not going to go back to that hellhole again, and my brother had similar problems there just recently.
I hope that the weather on Dec. 17 is clear with a 50 degree temperature. That ought to simplify matters, as you don’t want to camp out in the Phiily terminal due to back weather. No, you don’t. That’s why I’m not flying through Denver this Thursday. If it’s snowing in Phoenix, I am going to be upset. The only problem that I have heard about Phoenix is occassionally in the summertime the tarmack gets so hot and soft that the planes can’t taxi over it. You don’t want to be there then, either.
Anyway, Izz, I hope that you daughter has a safe and enjoyable trip to Paris.
Almost nineteen in Paris.one of the greatest citys in the world…probably the most beautiful place in Europe..after Dublin I hasten to add…
Nineteen, Paris..it cannot get any better.
Wow, Denny…you’re starting to sound a wee bit like me. That’s scarier than her getting through the Philadelphia airport!
She’s not going for a holiday in Paris. She’s just flying into Paris. As soon as she lands, she’ll be picked up and whisked to the house where she will be an Au Pair for the next 3 months. So, really, it’s the Philadelphia airport that gives me the MOST concern. See?
You forget, Hampster, only Mr Izz gets the exclusive rights to iPhone ownership here at Casa Izz. The rest of us don’t even get cheap imitations to play around with.
We’ve actually purchased an unlocked mobile for her, that way she can buy a European sim card and plug it into the phone when she gets there. She’ll even be able to get one with international calling, which is good. That’s what we did in Ireland…we borrowed avanutria’s mobile, got a sim card from O2, and used that to call home to make sure the Izzlets at home were behaving.
Get her some euros from the bank so she has some pocket money in case her pickup in Paris is delayed a bit and she wants something to eat.
I’m assuming that she’s got appropriate entry clearance - not sure if anything special is needed for a 3 month au pair trip. if she’s got a visa or anything, have her hand her passport to the immigration guy with it open to the page with the visa.
Remember anything electrical will have the wrong plug. If it were me, I wouldn’t bother bringing things like hair dryers, but would buy a cheap one when I got there. It’s up to her whether she’d rather do this or mess with adapter plugs. Remember there are two kinds of adapters - the cheap ones only change the plus SHAPE and not the voltage. The more expensive converters will change both the voltage and the shape.
Make sure she’s got my contact info in case she feels like taking the Eurostar to London for the weekend
There are five Ravelry groups with “Paris” as a search term - she might make some friends that way, and get some local advice before she goes!
I really can’t even imagine that. Just goes to show that I live in a very small world…
19 and in Paris??? No thanks. The Paris thing might be ok, but 19 and have to do it all again??? nah- youth ain’t all it’s cracked up to be, aside from the absence of aches and pains.
Maybe you’re right about the 19 part. Although, it might be nice to be 19 and know what I know now At least I know that my daughter will behave much better than I would have at 19
Ooo! I didn’t know about this! I’ll let her know, most definitely. Thanks, ava!
And she does have your contact info, I think. I know she has your email address, and she’s bringing over Mr Izz’s old laptop (which should work for what she needs it for). So, if she gets a spare weekend, she said she definitely wants to get in touch with you. Her main goal is to find as many yarn shops in Europe as possible
I tried to do a little international flying today, but as fate would have it, I never got out of town. You know the routine: got up a 3 am, drove to the airport at 4, boarded the plane at 5:30, sat on the plane for three hours while they tried to fix the cargo door. After the flight was finally cancelled (flying in a part from Phoenix), we waiting in line for another hour and a half trying to make other flight arrangements. One option was going through Philly or Detroit, arriving at our destination late at night, but my wife said, “No way”. So we are going to try it again tomorrow, same time, same airline, US Air. If the mechanic starts pounding on the cargo door again tomorrow morning, I am going to be upset.
So, I went to confirm her flight and print out all of the information, and the site where I am supposed to do this says that the flight does not exist (it did before…I was able to access it easily with the code), and that it might have been cancelled
When you cross the Mexican border by cab, I don’t know if that qualifies as international flying, or not, but the two hour bumper to bumper traffic jam at the border coming back was no picnic. It always is a really good feeling to be back in the USA after spending time in another country. I can tell you, though, that the airport in El Paso, Texas is a real gem, if you like Art Nouveau: hand painted murals on the walls and ceilings, art objects in cases, Mexican tile everywhere, and beautiful metalwork in hand railings throughout the building. By contrast, the brand new airport at Indianapolis is beautiful in a more modern way, using stainless steel and glass. For my taste, though, I’ll take the ambiance of the El Paso airport anyday. The burritos are better, too.
However, I can’t sing the praises of US Air quite so loudly. Why do I always get a scheduled flight that has mechanical problems just before I board the aircraft? It happened going, and it happened coming back. First, the cargo door wouldn’t lock, and then the air circulation system wouldn’t work. I’m glad that something does work, or we all would be in big trouble. I did make it back home at 3:45 this morning, so I guess I can’t complain too loudly. I can be thankful that I don’t have to fly more frequently. I’ll just chuck those frequent-flyer miles, thank you.
Izzy, contact the airline and ask. Our flight to Houston was cancelled (but not the flight back!) which I discovered by chance last week. An email to the airline sorted it out, and they reinstated it.
They have, however, ignored my email asking how half of a flight could be “cancelled in error” (their term) without the customer being notified.
We’ve looked at the layout of Philadelphia International, so she knows where she’ll be flying in to, and where she needs to be to fly out. She knows where the shuttle is, but of course I couldn’t tell if it went all the way from Terminal F to Terminal A West. Oy…I need to know this stuff. She’ll know how to check in and all that from her check in in Syracuse, so I think that will go alright. And I’ve told her to ASK QUESTIONS if she needs to…and she will. She’s good for that.
Do I understand this 
Just goes to show that I live in a very small world…
