After over 17 hours of travel, I arrived in New Delhi, India. This was my first international flight. It was also my first domestic flight in 12 years.
My flights were Cleveland to Newark; Newark to New Delhi. I had a late afternoon flight out of Cleveland which gave me about 1 1/2 hours before the flight to Delhi. The weather in Cleveland was just starting to get bad so my flight wasn't delayed by much. The international flight was very smooth and was an hour early arriving at the gate.
The international flight was completely booked. At the gate, we were told that the only carryon we could take on the place was the one that can fit under the seat. Many people including me, checked in a bag at the gate. Make sure to travel with snacks in your bag in case you don't like the food offered on the plane. It's a long flight to go hungry. You have a choice of meat or vegetarian but that's it. The meal is a mystery until they hand it to you.
Originally I thought having a window seat would be nice for the international flight. I liked the idea of looking out the window. I ended up with an isle seat which turned out to be better. The crew said to keep the window shades closed so people could sleep and watch movies. My isle seat allowed me to stretch my legs out and it was easier to get to the bathroom.
The crew will ask you to fill out your customs paperwork before the plane lands. You'll need a pen, your passport and trip itinerary. There were lanes for Indian nationals and people of Indian origin. There were plenty of gates for foreigners too. Customs was very organized. The airport is very clean. Mini said the international section of the airport is fairly new.k
When we left I saw the largest parking garage that I have ever seen. Driving is like in England...steering wheel on the right, driving on the left side of the road. The hotel is about a block from the American Embassy. Very close to the British embassy.
Many of you fly often and some have made the trip to India several times. Some of you have never traveled outside of the U.S. For the next week I'll write about my experience in India as well as what I learn at the conference. I hope you all enjoy the blog.
My flights were Cleveland to Newark; Newark to New Delhi. I had a late afternoon flight out of Cleveland which gave me about 1 1/2 hours before the flight to Delhi. The weather in Cleveland was just starting to get bad so my flight wasn't delayed by much. The international flight was very smooth and was an hour early arriving at the gate.
The international flight was completely booked. At the gate, we were told that the only carryon we could take on the place was the one that can fit under the seat. Many people including me, checked in a bag at the gate. Make sure to travel with snacks in your bag in case you don't like the food offered on the plane. It's a long flight to go hungry. You have a choice of meat or vegetarian but that's it. The meal is a mystery until they hand it to you.
Originally I thought having a window seat would be nice for the international flight. I liked the idea of looking out the window. I ended up with an isle seat which turned out to be better. The crew said to keep the window shades closed so people could sleep and watch movies. My isle seat allowed me to stretch my legs out and it was easier to get to the bathroom.
The crew will ask you to fill out your customs paperwork before the plane lands. You'll need a pen, your passport and trip itinerary. There were lanes for Indian nationals and people of Indian origin. There were plenty of gates for foreigners too. Customs was very organized. The airport is very clean. Mini said the international section of the airport is fairly new.k
When we left I saw the largest parking garage that I have ever seen. Driving is like in England...steering wheel on the right, driving on the left side of the road. The hotel is about a block from the American Embassy. Very close to the British embassy.
Many of you fly often and some have made the trip to India several times. Some of you have never traveled outside of the U.S. For the next week I'll write about my experience in India as well as what I learn at the conference. I hope you all enjoy the blog.
my hero! Go Karla!!
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