[nabs-l] Christmas travel tips

Tue Dec 18 01:03:12 UTC 2012

Some people take Greyhound, but I've found it to be too 
expenssive to go between states, but I take planes between states 
because it's not so ... I don't know a good word for it.  Tiring?  
Exhautive?  I'll check out the list archives, and thanks for the 
app info.  I'll download this app.  I it free?
Beth

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:25:53 -0700
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Christmas travel tips

I would encourage anyone who has airport questions to check out 
the
list archives where this topic has been discussed several times. 
I
also recently found an iPhone app called FlySmart which is very
helpful and almost fully accessible. You can use it to find the 
gate
where your flight is leaving from and flight status info (whether 
or
not it is delayed) as well as a list of shops and restaurants in 
the
concourse where your gate is located. They also have airport maps
which I assume are not accessible, but the restaurant listings 
are
straightforward and very helpful especially if going to a less
familiar airport. I find the toughest part of airport navigation 
is
finding where to check in. I get around this by either printing 
my
boarding pass at home, if I am not checking any bags, or using
curbside checkpoints at the curb in front of the terminal 
entrance if
I am checking bags. Some airlines do not have curbside check-in, 
but
most do and a cab or shuttle driver should know where they are. 
If you
are walking or taking a bus to the airport, you may need to ask a 
few
people for directions to curbside since some people won't know 
what
you are talking about and will try to take you inside to check 
in, but
persistence pays off. Anyway, once you have your boarding pass 
you can
get directions to security and then to the gate, or get 
assistance,
whichever you prefer.
As for buses, Beth, I'm not sure if you are asking about local 
transit
or buses to get between cities. One resource that's great for 
planning
a local transit route is Google Maps. You can go to
maps.google.com
click "get directions" and type in your starting and ending 
addresses.
You will get driving directions, but then click "by public 
transit"
and tell it when you want to leave. If a city bus is available 
Google
Maps will give you the scheduling and route information.
Best,
Arielle

On 12/16/12, Kirt <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
 Beth I think people overcomplicate airports sometimes. For me, 
knowing that
 general layout of an airport beforehand is good
 But I think it 
can be
 harmful to get so bogged down in a little details that don't 
really matter.
 As long as I know where IM, and as long as I know where my plane 
is leaving
 from, I don't really have too much trouble asking directions to 
places along
 the way
 Breaking it up into smaller steps is very good, in my 
experience,
 when you're asking for directions from people. For example, 
let's say you
 are in terminal a and you were looking for gate C7. It probably 
wouldn't be
 a good idea to ask random strangers where gate C7 is. You could, 
however,
 ask about how you get from concourse to concourse, and that's 
where it's a
 little bit helpful to have a general layout of the airport in 
your head
 before. That way you kind of know if you have to take a train, 
or if you can
 walk between the terminals, or what. But anyways, getting back 
to my
 example. You ask someone how to move between concourses instead 
of asking
 where gate C7 is. That way, oh well – intentioned stranger is a 
lot less
 likely to follow you around all over the place. Anyways, now you 
are on the
 train
 Or the hallway between concourses, however your specific 
airport is
 set up. You can now either ask where Concourse C is, or maybe it 
would be a
 better idea to just walk to the next concourse and see which one 
it is
 That
 way you can kind of figure out a pattern. If you are taking a 
train between
 concourses instead of walking, which you have to do sometimes, 
it will
 usually announced every time it stops what terminal you are at 
and what
 airlines arrive and depart from there. So you find the right 
terminal. The
 terminal can be arranged in a circle, with gates radiating off 
of it like
 spokes from a wheel. Alternatively, your terminal might be 
arranged like a
 really long hallway, with the gates on either side. You can 
either walk
 around, and ask people questions like what gate you are at and 
what the next
 gate is on either side, or you can just ask somebody to explain 
the layout
 of the place
 I prefer the former option, but that's just me. 
Anyways, when
 you figured out how your terminal is set up, it's usually not 
that hard to
 find the specific gate you need. You can just ask people what 
gate you are
 at as needed. Anyways, once you are there, just wait for your 
flight and
 enjoy! If you have the time, why not go explore and figure out 
what else is
 around you
 I usually like to find the closest fast food 
restaurant if I
 have a chance. :-) I haven't really talked about security, but 
the same
 principles apply
 If you just ask people where the security 
checkpoint is,
 once you know you are in your right terminal, you should be 
fine. It's all
 about breaking it up into baby steps, as much as possible, when 
you are
 asking for directions
 It's usually best to ask people to give 
you
 directions to things that they can see, whenever that's 
possible. For
 example, don't ask for the security checkpoint in terminal D 
when you are in
 terminal a. Instead ask where you go to move between terminals, 
then from
 there find your right terminal, and only once you are there ask 
for the
 security checkpoint in that specific concourse. Oh, and the 
airport people
 often ask you if you need assistance, and they will just drop 
you off where
 you need to go. My dad saw Dr. Maurer Getting around our local 
airport this
 way, so I don't think there is any shame in it at all. I, 
personally, only
 do that as a last resort if I am running very late
 But whatever 
works best
 for you is totally Fine with me
 If you prefer to accept the 
assistance from
 airport staff, more power to you. I just like doing it 
independently because
 I know I am capable And I enjoy the chance to explore. Anyways, 
I hope that
 helped, and didn't just make you more confused. :-)

 Sent from my iPhone

 On Dec 16, 2012, at 4:41 PM, Beth Taurasi 
<denverqueen1107 at comcast.net
 wrote:

 Hi, all.
 I thought it woul be a good idea to ask what travel tips would 
be good for
 Chritmas vacation and after.  Flying, busses, and so on should 
be covered
 in all the tips.  I'm flying actually, and looking forward to 
it.
 Thanks.
 Beth

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