Noteworthy Travel News: O'Hare Goes Paperless at Customs

Tell me if this has every happened to you. You disembark from a plane after a painfully long international flight, your legs are still gaining the feeling back after being cramped in a tiny seat for hours, and all you want to do is get your bag and go home--or to your hotel if you're just getting to your destination. And then you come upon the longest line you've ever seen just to get into the country. There is no way the wait will take less than an hour, and you are forced to shuffle slowly behind the mass of people in front of you. And it is inevitable that more than one of those travelers in front of you will have filled out their customer declaration form incorrectly or lost it all together, causing even more of a delay.

Well no more!

That scenario will hopefully become something of the past at O'Hare International Airport thanks to the introduction of a paperless customs system. The airport is the first in the U.S. to go paperless in an effort to cut down on wait times. Instead of filling out forms before landing, passengers with U.S. passports will scan their documents and answer questions at self-service kiosks before seeing a customs agent. This allows arriving passengers to skip filling out the form in favor of answering questions on the kiosk. When done, a receipt is printed and passengers present their passport, travel information and the receipt to the agent, who should take about 15 seconds to review it all, a fourth of the time it usually takes, according to O'Hare representatives.

O'Hare took a page from Vancouver International Airport, which established a similar system over a year ago. It also just launched the first Automated Passport Control kiosk program with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency. Those Canadians are certainly on top of things. Heck, Vancouver was recently named the best airport in North America by Skytrax, a passenger survey.

O'Hare will install 32 kiosks and the system is expected to up and running by July 1, just in time for the height of the summer travel season, which has seen wait times last several hours in the past. Officials had been looking for ways to reduce delays, especially considering four more international carriers will start to serve O'Hare in the summer.

Read the article here.

It's October, Where Shall We Go?

Fall has arrived--yes, it's official now even though the first day of autumn was two weeks ago. It's October now, the weather is actually starting to cool down, and I'm leaving my apartment with a scarf, jacket, and boots every morning. Not that I'm complaining, I love my stylish, fall jackets and my adorable knee-high boots. But the question on my mind is, where should one travel this time of year?

It's difficult because of work and school to find time to go anywhere, but if one has a couple sick days stored up, Bing.com has a list of destinations that seem pretty sweet. I don't agree with every location on the list, and in fact some I would skip all together no matter what time of year it is. But there were a couple that intrigued me--because I had never been there--and some that definitely made me want to pack my bags and head to the airport.

The first one I was interested by was Maine. I have never ventured to the northern-most area of New England, but I have always heard good things. I have a friend who lives in Maine, and according to her it is unbelievably beautiful. And in the fall, I'm sure, the colors are breathtaking. And who wouldn't want to see a moose just wandering through the woods? The best way to get there, according to the article, is to fly through Boston--which I get the privilege of visiting this week (future post about the trip to come). Apparently airfare is pretty cheap right now, so why not hit up the picturesque landscapes of Maine.

Heading over to the West Coast, Napa and Sonoma made the list, and I have no objections to this at all. Um, hello, it's wine country! And fall is harvest time. Tourists will have the chance to participate in special activities as the grapes are being brought in from the vineyards such as grape stomping, wine-education courses, dinners and tastings. Being a wine lover myself, this would be an ideal trip to take with either my boyfriend or some girlfriends.

Venturing across the pond...ROMA!! When I saw this on the list, I nearly leaped out of my chair. For those who don't know--and I'm actually not sure I've ever mentioned it in this blog--I lived in Rome for four months three years ago. I was even there during the mild autumn months, and I can tell you all from personal experience it is worth the visit. This time of year is known as ottobrate romane--Rome's beautiful October days. Also, the wine will be spilling in from the vineyards, and the ripe olives falling from the tree branches. For all you chocolate lovers out there, like me, truffles are also a popular item in Italy at this time, appearing in dishes everywhere. Bring in fall "stile italiano."

Apparently Puerto Vallarta is a great place to visit this time of year. I, for one, am all for a Mexican getaway. The summer rains will have faded by this time, and the weather is temperate. In November there are a number of festivals going on in the city. Who wouldn't want to spend an autumn weekend on the beach? In a tropical enviornment? I wouldn't object to that.

Now, there were a couple places on the list I said I did not agree with, so I am going to replace those suggestions with a couple of my own...just for fun:

• Denver, Colorado--yes I hold a bias, but it is still beautiful in the fall, especially if you head to the mountains.
• Vancouver, British Columbia--Canada is known for it's gorgeous fall scenery.
• Redlands, California--come on, the Redwoods have to be worth seeing in the fall.

Anywhere you think would be a good destination to go during fall???

Killing Time in the Vancouver Airport

I had the unfortunate luck of having a delayed flight out of Vancouver a few days ago. I had just spent a relaxing weekend in Whistler--as my previous entry talks about--and I was heading back to reality in Chicago when I looked at the screen and saw a two hour delay next to my flight number. To make matters worse, being the worrier I am--and my mom being ten times worse--I was already at the airport two hours early for the orginal scheduled departure. I had over 4 hours to wait. Thankfully, I had a good book to read as well as my journal to write in.

But it can be a bit tedious reading for hours on end, and my eyes can start to hurt after looking at tiny type for too long. So the first thing I did--since it was early--was grab a coffee and a damn good cinammon roll. I usually don't indulge on such fattening and sweet food for breakfast, but I felt I deserved something delecatable to help me get through my long wait in a practically empty airport. I ventured over to the gate and took a seat. I decided to take the time to write more about my weekend and pulled out my journal. As I was penning away in earnst, more and more people began showing up, delivering the same sigh of annoyance as they saw the bright red DELAYED sign flashing. I was able to get in touch with my boyfriend to find out that the delay was weather related and it was pouring down rain in Chicago. With this information, I was able to start up a couple conversations with people who were curious about this inconvenience. Many people were only flying to Chicago to make connections to their final destination cities, so the airport became a frenzy of paniced people worrying about getting home. I felt bad, because thankfully Chicago was as far as I had to go, so it was just annoying for me to have to wait longer to get home. Whereas other people could have been stranded or stuck in other cities overnight.

To break away from the hectic ticketing area and all the families rushing around trying to find other flights, I wandered over to the duty free shops, hoping to find some good stuff to purchase. But usually the stuff they sell is really expensive. Plus, I had no room to put anything in my already overstuffed carryon. But shopping certainly killed some more time, and I was able to explore more of the airport. If you have ever been to Vancouver you know, the airport is amazing. It's massive, first of all, and the Native American decor is beautiful. I loved all the wood carvings and paintings of native tribes, it was very indicative of the culture they have in Vancouver. As most know, the 2010 winter olympic games are going to be held there, and I love how they are bringing in regional tradition with all the Native American characters and legends.

In my efforts to pass the time, my stomach began to grumble. Clearly that cinammon roll was not enough to suffice me for the full four hours. So I went in search of something more fullfilling. I found it in Tim Hortons, a coffee chain throughout Canada. They not only have a range of pastries, bagels, and coffee, but they also have a number of sandwiches, paninis, and salads. I opted for a yummy looking chicken salad sandwich and an ice tea. I felt I needed to be a little healthier with my lunch selection, seeing as my breakfast had been a sugarfest. After purchasing a snack for the four hour plane ride--yeah, on top of the delay, the flight still takes that long--I headed back over to the gate to find a seat and enjoy my airport meal. I pulled out my book, because I can't seem to eat without doing something at the same time, and began reading while I took hungry bites from the whole wheat roll. It was delicious! I really wish they had Tim Horton's in the US. Maybe someday they will.

With a full stomach and my mind preoccupied with my book, the rest of the time appeared to fly by and before I knew it my flight was finally boarding. As I sat happily on the plane, ready to head home, I thought back fondly on my unwanted time in Vancouver airport. Truth be told, it was not as bad as I had anticipated. In fact, it was kind of relaxing, laid back and carefree. A perfect end to my long weekend away from reality.