Here's a Helpful Travel Tip!

 

I just returned from a 2-week program in Europe. On my departing flight, we had an hour and a half mechanical delay, causing my 2+ hour layover in Philly to be reduced to about 20 minutes, with me running almost a mile through the airport to catch my connection. As you might have guessed, I made the flight…but my luggage didn't. Arriving in Paris Sunday morning, my first warm-up of my rusty French was navigating the lost luggage counter at Charles de Gaulle. Sure enough, my suitcase was still in Philadelphia. I had planned on a 36-hour stop-over in Paris before taking the train to Koblenz, Germany, but at the lost baggage counter, the woman advised me that they wouldn't have time to deliver my bag to me in Paris before I needed to leave for my train, “we’ll just have it flown directly to Frankfort, where they’ll transfer it to your hotel,” she said, “it’ll get there before you do!” Sure…
 
Fast forward to 3 days later. I still don’t have any luggage. It’s February in Europe. I’m cold as I had packed my coat in my suitcase. However, luckily, I had followed the number 1 rule of checking bags.

• ALWAYS make sure you have your essentials in your carry-on bag!
• A change of clothes (unfortunately, I had only packed one change, not planning on being without luggage for 4 days!)
• All necessary medicines (for me, this means asthma & allergy medications, plus a small sampling of OTC medications – ibuprofen, Sudafed, cough drops, etc.)
• Toiletries – toothbrush, toothpaste, contact lens solution, prescription glasses, deodorant. I knew I would get soap, shampoo and lotion at the hotel, so I didn’t worry about these in my carry-on.
• A charger and a plug converter for my essential electronics (cell phone, iPad)

 
Having these items turned having delayed luggage from a disaster into an inconvenience. Had my luggage turned up on Monday, as advised, I wouldn't have had any issues at all. And, honestly, not having to deal with a big suitcase on the Paris metro was great! However, I had business meetings on Wednesday, and it was REALLY COLD in Germany, so I did end up purchasing a business outfit and a coat (on clearance for 20€ at H&M!). Since my luggage was delayed over 24 hours, US Airways assured me that I could be reimbursed for purchasing some essentials.
 
My suitcase finally made an appearance on Wednesday evening around 6 p.m. I’d been without it since I checked in for my flight at 8 a.m. the previous Saturday. Whenever possible, I travel with ONLY A CARRY-ON (even to Europe, if I’m going for pleasure), but for my work trip, I needed business clothes and other items that pushed me over into a regular sized suitcase.
 
In retrospect, I do wish I’d put just one more pair of underwear in my back pack! But other than that, I was just inconvenienced. I still had a great time in Paris; the Sunday weather was gorgeous, luckily since I just had a hoodie. And now I have a really good story to tell to back up my travel tip!

Dear Friends,                                                                      February 19, 2014

I hope you are all well!  This week, I’d like to remind you that we offer a double your money-back guarantee on all of our ISE discounts.  If a student tries to get a discount that is posted on the ISE website and is not granted the discount, ISE will pay the student twice the amount of the discount they were supposed to receive.  This way we can help ensure that all of our students get the special rates they deserve.

We also have an exciting new development with regards to the physical ISE Card.  As you are all aware, we currently have a sheet-fed and a PVC version of the ISE Card, however, we have now developed a mobile ISE Card which can be e-mailed directly to students and can be displayed on a student’s mobile device for discounts.  So convenient!  The other benefit is that you will save on the cost of shipping as the cards are all virtual.  For additional information about these mobile cards, please feel free to contact ISE Travel.

A benefit that you may not be aware of is that all ISE Cards automatically come with savings of up to 70% on international calls.   Students can choose the calling package that suits them the best at:  www.isecard.ekit.com  When they recharge, they will also receive a $5.00 USD bonus.  This benefit is great for students who want to call home without spending a lot of money, and provides a large number of options to fit any budget. 

Of course, we are always conscious about what is going on in the world, and to try to help those who are less fortunate, ISE has closely tied itself to UNICEF by making regular contributions.  To encourage students to participate, ISE also offers to triple any quantity that a student chooses to donate to UNICEF.  Therefore, if a student were to choose to donate $5.00, ISE would donate an additional $15.00.   We hope to let you know about this opportunity too in case you might be interested in participating and making the most of your donation through the help of ISE!

Have a nice day!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!  May the year of the Horse be a Wonderful one for all!

Here's a travel tip from ISE Cards.  When I travel, especially overseas, a very important factor to me is the seat that I get. I generally have to get up and use the bathroom several times, so I always try to book an aisle seat for easier access and to not disturb my row-mates. I've put together a list of helpful tips to insure getting the seat that you want!

1.    Before booking, check the seat availability. Generally, you can check to see which seats are available on a certain flight even before you book. I will often times take a slightly earlier or later flight, or consider a different connection city to get the seats that I want.
2    Many airlines hold about 20-25% of their seats back, so check again a week prior to departing, and then daily, up until check in 24 hours prior. I always ask again at the gate too because if there’s space in first or business class, elite passengers will get bumped up, leaving prime seats in economy class. 
3·   Many airlines won’t let you book emergency row seats until day of, as well, so check for those at the airport.
4·   Check websites like www.seatguru.com to see whether the seat you’re choosing is next to the toilet or doesn't recline or have in-seat entertainment. If you’re booking early and have a choice, a site like this can be invaluable!
5·   Double check your seat assignment a week or so prior to departure to make sure your flight equipment hasn't been changed. I've booked an aisle seat only to discover my new seat assignment is now a middle seat!
6·   Remember that seat assignments are not guaranteed. Sometimes airlines have to move people around to accommodate special needs or families with small children, but planning ahead and double checking can help save you from surprises upon arrival!
7·   Consider getting an airline credit card. Some airlines give priority to card holders, so just having the card can be worth it (Most times you don’t even have to use it!).

Enjoy a great year of travel in 2014!  And don't forget to get your ISE Card!

Useful Travel Tip - Hotel Key Cards

Came across this useful info for frequent travellers. 

Are you travelling? Grab a refrigerator magnet on your way out the door!

Always  take a small magnet on your  vacation , they come in handy at the end of every stop.

HOTEL  KEY CARDS  

Ever  wonder what is on your magnetic key card?
Answer:
a.  Customer's name
b.  Customer's partial home address
c.  Hotel room number
d.  Check-in date and out dates
e. Customer's  credit card number and expiration date!

When you turn them in to the front desk, your personal information is there for  any employee to access by simply scanning the card in the hotel scanner.  An  employee can take a hand full of cards home and using a scanning device access the information onto a laptop computer and go shopping at your  expense. 

Simply put, hotels do not erase the information on these cards until an employee  reissues the card to the next hotel guest. At that time, the new guest's  information is electronically 'overwritten' on the card and the previous  guest's information is erased in the overwriting  process.

But  until the card is rewritten for the next guest, it usually is kept in a  drawer at the front desk with YOUR INFORMATION ON IT!

The  bottom line is: Keep the cards, take them home with you, or destroy them.  NEVER leave them behind in the room or room wastebasket, and NEVER turn them  into the front desk when you check out of a room. They will not charge you  for the card (it's illegal) and you'll be sure you are not leaving a lot of  valuable personal information on it that could be easily lifted off with any  simple scanning device card reader.

For the  same reason, if you arrive at the airport and discover you still have the  card key in your pocket, do not toss it in an airport trash basket. Take it  home and destroy it by cutting it up, especially through the electronic  information strip!

If you  have a small magnet, pass it across the magnetic strip several times. Then  try it in the door, it will not work. It erases everything on the  card.  Hope this proves useful!

Information  courtesy of:  Metropolitan Police Service.

Tourism In Action Challenge

17 Oct 2013 Yesterday 19 Singapore schools comprising of 34 teams participated in the Tourism in Action Challenge organized by Ngee Ann Polytechnic School of Business.  Teams were tasked to plan an itinerary based on eco-tourism theme.  It was grueling session as teams were given very short deadline to finish the project and present to judges.  ISE Travel is proud to be a supporter of this wonderful and meaningful event.  Well done future tour planners!

Internet Link – How Facebook Can Ruin Study Abroad
 
I recently came across an article by Robert Huesca in the “Chronicle of Higher Education” that compares studying abroad 20-30 years ago, when the main method of communication was “snail mail” to studying abroad today, where students can be connected 24/7 to their friends and family back home via social media. 

The article reminded me of my first study abroad experience in 1979 in rural USA. I bought stamps by the dozen and waited anxiously by the mailbox everyday hoping for letters or postcards from my friends.  During my year in USA, my mom and I would split the cost of a 15-minute, long-distance call every other week. 

Now, when I travel abroad, I barely even have to tell people that I’m traveling internationally. I have Facebook, email and IM on my cell phone (my main means of communication these days anyway) and, other than the extended international flights and the horrific time difference, I hardly lose contact with any of my friends and family at all. 

It barely even costs any extra; on my last international voyage in June, I paid an extra $15 for the international data I used during the 17-day trip.  However, I definitely don’t feel as connected or even need to try nearly as hard to communicate when I have a translation app on my phone and I can Babelfish translate almost anything I want to say. Social media is great for keeping in contact with the friends I’ve made during my international travels, but it is also removing a key element from the study abroad experience. 

To read the full article, click on the title linked above