jlb3

I know some are going to LOL at this question, but here it goes –

I’ve never been on an international flight before. I’ve only ever been to Canada twice, and it was driving. In January I’m flying to Cancun from DCA (with layovers in MIA there and DFW back).

Am I supposed to do anything? How much earlier am I supposed to get to the airport? I have to go through customs or something, right? How long does that take?

This is very nerve racking and one reason why I dislike leaving the US. Thanks.

unvested

It used to be that you for domestic flights you did not have to show ID and they sometimes did not even check your boarding pass (I've had to run off a plane once when they announced the destination - i got on at the wrong gate).

Today there is not much difference between domestic and international. Just make sure you've got a passport, get to the airport as you normally do and relax :-)

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

You do have a passport, right?

Aldoman

Customs in Mexico are just a little different than in the US, but nothing complicated. You get a form where you declare if you have anything out of the ordinary (food, more than 10k USD in cash, etc.) and fill it out, the form is available in english. When you land, you'll get your luggage and then go through a small counter where you hand in your declaration and have a little chat in case you declare something, after that you press a button, if you get a green light you go through without being inspected, red light, inspection. I've gotten a green light 95% of the times... and once I went above my alcohol allowance but they let me through because it wasn't that much and I declared it before... most of the times they are nice guys..

I'm a Mexican national so I don't know how immigration is for foreigners (for us, they just stamp our passport and let us go through without a hassle) but I don't think it will be a problem at all, CUN is a major tourist destination and they know how to handle even the least experienced travelers. Enjoy your time in CUN, it's just awesome!!!

As for the procedure in your US airport... your first flight will be a domestic one, so you won't see or feel anything different... even in the flight to CUN... same thing as domestic. Just that for the flight to CUN they will ask to see your passport.

As for customs back when you return home, I've never had any trouble, just declare anything that appears in the form. Can somebody else confirm that customs work differently depending on the airport? I recall that at LAX they x-rayed every single baggage in front of me where as in IAH and DFW you only get randomly selected for secondary inspection...

warakorn

just flew TXL-CDG last week; this is an international flight;
no check of ID cards; no immigration checks; nothing!
I just arrived 45 min before the flight at the airport; I would not worry at all.

TTM

I fly internationally all the time. If you are used to flying in the US you will be OK, since we tend to have the most peculiar security measures.
I would recommend a few things:
- Have a paper copy of itinerary and all accommodations
- Have a color copy of passport and visas
- Tell your bank where you are headed, buy international data if you need

Annalisa12

Hope nobody laughs at you for just asking a few regular questions.

I bet you are so excited for your first trip. I remember my first trip. My travel agent told me the airport code for Vancouver and said to look at the luggage tag the agent puts on my luggage to make sure it says YVR (Vancouver). I did look and I still look at the luggage tag before my bag disappears down the conveyor belt.

Have a great trip.

Q54701

additional tip - make sure your cell phone is not in data mode when you land in a foreign country. Leave cell service on but data off so you don't incur ridiculous charges

jlb3

Yes, I do have a passport of course! I just paid to renew it for another 10 years . . . after my old one went totally unused for 10 years.

I'm aware of the cell phone issue. Same as in Canada. I get wifi at the resort, so that's a plus.

So this all doesn't seem so bad. I don't plan to bring anything back with me so I shouldn't have anything to declare. I usually get to the airport about 75 mins in advance - I guess I just got spooked by all these airport/TSA announcements that if you're taking an international flight you need to get to the airport 3-4 hours in advance.

nux

Make sure you check the recommended and minimum times for the airline/itinerary you are flying. The times do differ depending on the operating carrier, origin airport and destination.

The following is for AA:

http://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInforma...false&from=Nav
http://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInforma...false&from=Nav

Recommended time is 180 minutes before flight departure, and checkin closes 60 minutes before departure.

airmotive

Advice?
Have a pen in your pocket when you board the plane.
(for filling out the customs form)
Make sure it's a cheap pen, because everyone else who doesn't have a pen will want to borrow it.

Don't use the currency exchange kiosks at the airport. (total ripoff) Look up the exchange rate (currently ~14 pesos to the dollar) and withdraw however much cash you think you might need from an ATM.

Call your credit card company(s) and tell them you'll be making charges in Mexico during XXX dates.

MSPeconomist

For experienced travelers, especially elites with PreCheck who can avoid lines, I think getting to the airport three hours early is excessive, but people need to be aware that, in contradiction to the advice given in a post earlier in this thread, most USA carriers have earlier check in and bag drop firm deadlines for international flights.

lhrsfo

Yes but it's Schengen.

lhrsfo

Really, for most places, check in times won't differ significantly for domestic or international. It's only different big time for flights to the USA because of all the snooping and bureaucracy.

gfunkdave

You flew within the Schengen area, so there were no immigration checks.