Arriving in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur International Airport is located about 75km from the city centre - quite a haul as international airports go. The airport itself has three times won 'World Airport of the Year' in the definitive annual Skytrax poll.

There are two main ways to get from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to downtown Kuala Lumpur: train or taxi.

A train will set you back about 35 Malaysian ringgit, about AUD$14, and the express service takes you all the way to KL Sentral station in about 35 minutes with no stops. See the KLIA Ekspress website for more information.

Once you get off at KL Sentral you'll then either need to connect onto public transport or take a taxi to your final destination in the city.

A taxi will cost you roughly double the train but will, of course, take you right to where you want to go.

Taxi tariffs from the airport to the city centre are fixed according to 'zones'. It currently costs about 70 MYR (AUD$30) for a taxi right to your destination. As soon as you pass through customs you'll find a desk selling tickets for the taxis. Pre-purchase your taxi ticket here. Make sure you get the 'budget' option ticket as they have a tendancy to automatically sell you the 'luxury' option if you're not paying attention (which costs more than double!)

The taxi ride will take about an hour to cover the 70km, all depending on the state of traffic as you get into the centre of KL. Taxis in KL are safe and you should have no issues from the airport. Tipping is not required.

Welcome to South Africa

"Welcome to South Africa" the sign says when you get off the flight in Johannesburg. And gee it's great to be here!

About halfway through the flight from Sydney it suddenly occurred to me that I didn't have any clue if we needed visas to enter South Africa. Funny how after nearly 10 years working in student exchanges you can end up on a plane going somewhere and suddenly have that sinking feeling that you haven't covered all the bases!

Fortunately, Marine was the prepared one and had checked that in advance (despite those few moments of mild panic where one is suddenly not sure if they actually did do it or not!) and when we got off the plane in Jo'burg we were pleasantly surprised by just how painless immigration was: no landing card to fill out, no photo taken, no worries at all!

We overnighted at the Southern Sun OR Tambo airport hotel and it got full marks from both of us - 2 minutes from the terminals in a shuttle bus, great rooms, free wine and cheese in the evenings (woo hoooo!), and really great buffet meals in the restaurant. And at way less than half the cost of the Intercontinental hotel (the only other hotel at the airport itself), there is no reason to stay anywhere else if you're transiting here.

We're now back at the airport waiting for our flight to Nairobi as we go on with our 4 day odyssey to reach Mt Kilimanjaro's lower slopes.
Sydney-Jo'burg
Overnight stay
Jo'burg-Nairobi
Overnight stay
6 hour bus to Arusha, Tanzania
2 hour car to Marangu
Overnight
Then finally driving out to start the climb.

There were seating dramas with our flight today: despite having made a seating request with our travel agent, and having Gold Star Alliance frequent flyer status, we were seated apart, in crap seats, for a 5 hour trip.

Not happy Jan.

South African Airways were very nice (after telling a little white lie about it being our honeymoon :) and managed to move our seats so we were together.

I always say that there are 3 places where people don't act in their normal way: in supermarket queues, in heavy traffic, and at airports. Law of the jungle applies - do whatever you must to survive!

Seriously though, we're stoked to be here - our first real time off in 6 very busy months and a seriously cool holiday.

Paris' Charles de Gaulle International Airport

Paris is one of the world's great cities and you are certain to love it.

This is a fortunate fact because Paris' Charles de Gaulle international airport, I am deeply afraid to say, is definitely the western world's worst airport.

A confusing circular mess of escalators, 'satellite' arrival/departure areas, spaces far too small for the number of passengers and cranky staff make it a place that is meant to be escaped as quickly as possible.Which, unfortunately, is difficult given the frighten lack of planning that has made it that mess that it is.

That said - don't stress! It's not like someone is going to steal your bags or that you'll get lost in the terminal and deported back to Australia - you'll be totally fine and Paris is just outside the airport doors. But be prepared to be patient!

Arriving at Paris Charles de Gaulle

Don't despair - Paris gets much better once you get out of the airport. I have sometimes believed that customs/immigration at Charles de Gaulle aren't that tough because anyone capable of finding their way out of the airport is intelligent enough to respect the country they're in.

1. When you arrive at CDG from an international flight outside the EU you'll most likely arrive at one of the satellite 'terminals'. After disembarking you'll have to take a long moving walkway to the main terminal, where you'll find youself in a most likely long, cramped queue for a small number of immigration booths. There is no magic solution here but to be patient. Listen carefully because on occasions they do call Australian citizens into the special queues for EU citizens (I guess Aussies aren't considered a risk to the French) but this is pretty rare.Sometimes the international queues at immigration actually move quicker than the queue for EU citizens. Go figure.
2. After immigration you'll take one or more escalators that criss-cross the centre of the the circular terminal. Some architect probably thought these were cutting edge and clever. In fact they are have come to represent just how impractical the airport can be.
3. Find your baggage retrieval belt (good luck) and wait amongst the throng of people for your bags. It will most likely be very crowded here. Grab your bags and pass through customs (which is almost non-existant in France - there is no specific form/paperwork you have to submit to customs and I've never been stopped there. Goodness knows what customs officials actually do all day...)
4. Congratulations - you have passed the first test!

The second challenge: Getting to Paris

The next step is to get from Charles de Gaulle to Paris itself.

Once you pass through Customs and into the main terminal, you are looking for the train to Paris. This might be indicated by:

• 'Paris by train'
• RER
• or 'CGDVal'

Normally you will need to take a lift down to a lower level in order to take the 'CDGVal' (an automatic shuttle train) to 'RER' station - it may also be marked as 'Paris by train'. The RER is one of Paris' trains.

Once you arrive at the station you'll need to buy a ticket to Paris (this costs up to about 10 euros one way) then take the RER line B to Paris. There is no central station in Paris, so the stations in the middle of Paris (close to Notre Dame catherdral) are Chatelet-Les Halles and St Michel. Depending on where you are trying to get to in Paris (make sure you have a map with you) it might be best to get out at Gare du Nord (the 'North train station') and change for a metro.

There are two types of trains to Paris - express trains and all stations, usually running about each 10-15 minutes.

Your ticket from Charles de Gaulle to Paris allows you unlimited changes within the Paris metropolitan metro/RER system until you exit a station, so it is really an excellent way to get anywhere in the city.

Paris Metro Map

Taxis - not the best option

Unless you have an absolute mountain of luggage, it is generally not advisable to take a taxi from CDG to the centre of Paris. A taxi will cost a minimum of about 60 euros to the city (or more, depending on where you're going) and Paris is notorious for having long delays on the 'peripherique' - the ring road around the city.

The exception to this rule is if you are arriving early in the morning or later in the evening on a weekend, otherwise you'll often find yourself waiting longer in a cab than you would have waited on the train (of course the train doesn't drop you off at the door).

Departing from Paris

When departing from Paris by plane there is just one piece of advice to follow: be early!

Delays on the metro and RER systems in Paris occur regularly, traffic on weekdays on the ring road can be very heavy and due to the poor design, Charles de Gaulle airport's terminals get choked with people at the check-in counters.

Check-in counters generally open 3 hours before an international flight (for long haul) and it's best to be there just before they open to avoid delays.

Before leaving to go to the airport, a few things you should check are:

1. Your departure airport - Paris has two: CDG in the north-east and Orly in the south-west. Very few international flights leave from Orly, but you should still check your ticket to be sure.
2. Check your departure terminal: Charles de Gaulle has several terminals that aren't particularly close to one another. Check before getting on the train what terminal you need to disembark at.
3. Be early!!

Outgoing security screening takes place after immigration once you have taken the long moving walkway out to the satellites. Be early through security as well as it doesn't move quickly and there are often delays of 20 minutes or more to get through any time sooner than 1-1.5 hours before departure.

There is very little to do at Charles de Gaulle - there are few shops and restaurants and little or no sort of distractions. It was built as a functional airport which, ironically enough, isn't particularly functional. If you want to buy books and magazines, it's generally best to do this in advance in Paris.

Orly Airport - a few brief words

Paris' Antony-Orly airport is located in the south-west of the city, also on the RER line B.The airport serves mostly domestic flights and flights within Europe. There is a very long bus that connects Orly and Charles de Gaulle if you need to take it (not a free bus), although the train is probably the more convenient way to connect between the two airports if you have to.

To get to Orly, take the RER line B to station 'Antony' and then take the automatic shuttle train 'Orly-VAL' to either the East or West terminal depending on where you are flying out of. The terminals are closer at Orly than at CDG, so if you stuff it up it tends to be less serious. Orly also can get quite busy in peaks times but lacks the general chaos of Charles de Gaulle. If you have the choice of flying into Orly from elsewhere in Europe, and it's less expensive, it can be a less stressful option of arriving in Paris.

The International Airport: Check-in, Security, Customs and Immigration

Regular travellers know the routine well.

Arrive airport....Check in....Pass Immigration....Pass Security....Wait....Fly.....

.....Arrive overseas....Pass Immigration....Collect bags....Pass Customs....Freedom!

On a good day, these steps can be quick and painless, leaving you thinking "Wow, that was fast". And then there is that 1-trip-in-10 extended nightmare, taking hours through no fault of your own.

So here are some tips on how to try and make it as painless as possible.

Checking-in

Unfortunately there is no silver bullet for checking in for a long-haul flight. You've gotta do it! But, to make it easier, try some of the following:

1. Check-in online - most international airlines now allow you to check-in online and, if you are able to, make sure you use this facility! Checking in online allows you to choose your own seat and will save you time at the airport. If your airline doesn't have online check-in, and you don't have a seat allocated on your itinerary, give the airline a call before you fly and ask for the type of seat you want (aisle/window) so that it is allocated in advance.
2. Be early! - most check-in counters for international flights open 3 hours prior to departure. Unless you have the luck of being able to check in at the business class counter, getting to the airport 3 hours (or even a little more) in advance means you'll be the first checked in. Your check-in agent is less likely to be tired and stressed, so you'll get better service.
   
3. Don't ask for upgrades - sorry folks, it just doesn't work. Asking for an upgrade will only do one thing: piss off your check-in agent. A friend of ours in the airline business has these words of advice "Don't do it. It's annoying, greedy and won't impress anyone - especially the person responsible for choosing your seat on your flight".
4. Have bag tags on and make sure your bags aren't overweight - nothing sucks more than being told to repack your bag at the airport because you've got too much stuff. Your bags also need to be identified - so whack a bag-tag on them before you leave for the airport.

Security

Security at airports is taken very seriously. People joking about having bombs or being terrorists are promptly whisked away to windowless rooms to face hours of interrogation. Airports are not places for jokes or humour....especially ones made in poor taste.

On international flights you are no longer allowed to bring lots of liquids on board. Any liquid or gel (moisturiser, toothpaste, etc) must be in a 100ml container or smaller. All of your liquids/gels must then be put into a transparent bag (like a sandwich bag) that is no bigger than 10cm x 10cm (this is what they say - we've often carried slightly larger sandwich bags - say 20cm x 20cm - and it has been fine, but always best to stick to the rules).

Our tips for passing security:

1. Pack all your liquids/gels in a sandwich bag in advance and have them in your carry-on ready to show at security
2. Don't wear lots of jewellery, big belts or big shoes for your flight - you'll probably need to remove them all to be scanned at security
3. Don't joke around or make a fuss at security. The goal is just to get through as quickly as possible.
4. Take any laptop computers out of your hand baggage - it needs to be scanned separately at security

Immigration

Passing immigration is usually straight forward. You can't make queues any shorter, but there are a few things you can do to make it easier once you do get to the front of the line.

1. Before you go - make sure you have checked if you need a visa or what paperwork you might need with you in order to clear immigration. Sometimes countries will require proof of your return airfare or your accommodation in order for you to clear immigration.
2. Have copies of the relevant paperwork with you - make sure you've got copies of your flight itineraries and accommodation details on hand (i.e. in your carry-on luggage) so that you've got them with you at immigration.
3. Complete all the paperwork before you join the queue - fill out your arrival forms on the plane before you touch down, that will save any unnecessary waiting at immigration.
4. Don't joke, don't be too friendly, just answer the question - passing immigration isn't about being friendly and nice, there is no need to be overly chatty to your immigration officer - just answer their questions and keep it simple. Some years ago a friend of AIM Overseas got into trouble in the USA because she was overly talkative to the immigration officer and ended up saying something she shouldn't have. That's a long story, and we aren't making out that you should be worried about going through immigration (you shouldn't), just make sure you've got your paperwork in order and keep it simple.

Customs

Last stop after you've passed immigration and collected your bags in customs.

Usually customs requires you to complete a declaration about what items you are bringing into a country. For the average traveller this might involve declaring some food or alcohol, but not much else.

Before making your way to customs you should make sure that you have thrown away any food you may have taken from the plane, as well as any fresh fruit and vegetables, the vast majority of which are prohibited from being brought into foreign countries for quarantine purposes.

You must fill out a customs declaration and if in doubt, declare it!

Customs officials vary in their severity around the world - in some cases they issue on-the-spot fines for failing to declare restricted items, so we always declare anything we're not sure about.

In some countries (Australia included) they X-ray all incoming bags before you are allowed to walk out of the terminal, in others you can pick your bag off a carousel and basically walk through without answering any questions or declaration at all. Just be honest, declare anything you have that you're not sure about and you will always be fine.