Flying to the Sun

ADVANCE WARNING:  Much of this post is about the mechanics of air travel again.  If you are a multi-times a year seasoned traveller, read skippingly.  If you do one trip a year to the sunny south, and always seem to get into difficulties and hassles, this one's definitely for you!


****************************************


Okay, folks, I'm off on my travels again -- this time, just a short trip to my favourite beachfront hotel in Florida.  I'll be home for Christmas -- and not only in my dreams!

Way, way back in 1986 I spent several days at the Expo '86 World's Fair in Vancouver, and among my memories was this little incident.  I timed all the lineups that I had to wait in at the Fair, because I was curious to see how long I waited each time.  Mostly it was a matter of 20-30 minutes, but on this one occasion it took 45 minutes.  I joined the line right behind a couple who arrived about 10 seconds ahead of me.  Just as we were being let into the show, some friends of theirs came along and asked this couple how long they had waited.  "We've been here forever!," was his reply, and she amplified with, "Yeah, at least 2 hours!"   LOL!

I mention this because I often read people complaining about how long it takes to get anywhere or do anything in Toronto's Pearson International Airport.  Right away, I could tell them some real horror stories about some other major airports I've used that are far, far worse.  And I suspect that they are often having the same problem as that couple in Vancouver in 1986.

Having said that, I do know that the airport gets much busier at some times than at others.  If you hate long lineups, my first advice to you for a southern beach vacation is to forget the cheap charter flights and go with a scheduled airline, if you can.  Here's why.  The only way the charter airlines can make money is to keep their planes in the air for every possible hour.  This can often mean, depending on your destination, either the dreaded 6:30 am departure (with the obligatory 2-3 hours early to check in) or the equally horrendous red-eye, leaving just before midnight and arriving at your resort's airport at 3:00 am. 

True, there are some destinations where scheduled alternatives are not available -- but Florida certainly isn't one of them.  For each of the three main travel regions of Florida -- the Gulf Coast, Orlando, and Miami/Fort Lauderdale region -- there are multiple choices of both kinds of flights.  And fortunately, for those of us starting from Toronto and region, there are no time zone changes!

So here's the bonus.  My flight leaves Toronto at 10:55 in the morning, and arrives in Tampa 3 hours later.  I get to wake up at a normal hour, have time for a good breakfast in my hotel before heading to the airport, and at the other end I pick up my rental car and drive to my destination before the afternoon rush hour begins.  I'm also passing through both airports at an off-peak time of day.  That's what I call a win-win situation!

My experience at Toronto is that when I pick a flight leaving at the off-peak, I can usually get from hotel room to the boarding gate in less than an hour all in, including shuttle to the airport, baggage drop, security, and walk to the gate.  Add about 15-25 minutes for a flight to the United States where you have to pre-clear U.S. Customs before going through security.  Add on another half hour of safety margin, and I've never once come anywhere close to missing a flight.

Here's the second hint.  As soon as you get to the airport, get out your boarding passes and passports and don't put them away.  I've seen people waste incredible amounts of time storing their documents away into a nicely-zippered wallet tucked into a neat little inside pocket of a tightly-packed carry-on bag, only to have to reverse the process and dig them back out a few minutes later.  And then they do the same thing again!  Talk about not learning from your mistakes.  Even at the boarding gate, you need to show that passport to get on the plane, so don't put it away until you're aboard.

Both the USA and Canada have greatly streamlined their customs/immigration procedures at Pearson by introducing scanners that instantly scan and save your landing card with your personal information on it.  Usually, I get asked no questions now, or perhaps one at most.

Once you're through security and inside the terminal, look UP -- because that's where the signs are, giving directions to the various gates.  They aren't painted on the floor!  This is one time in your life when you can waste a phenomenal amount of time and energy by burying your nose in your phone and texting as you walk off down the wrong corridor all the way to the end -- and I see people do just that almost every time I go through the airport now!

If flying to Florida, I highly recommend Tampa Airport as a destination because of the incredibly short walking distances involved.  The main terminal is compact, and there are direct escalators linking the floors on all sides.  The five satellite concourses with the gates are linked to the main building by electric shuttle trains which take less than a minute.  You clear security after taking the shuttle to your satellite, which means that there are five different security areas.  Even on peak period flights, I've never taken more than 30 minutes to clear security at Tampa.  When you arrive, you step off the shuttle and right in front of you are two escalators down to the two different baggage claim areas.  Pick-ups for hotels, car rentals, taxis, and private vehicles are right outside the doors beside each set of baggage carousels.  I wish every airport was this easy to use!

By the way, one of the nastiest drawbacks of travelling to Orlando is that many discount airlines now use the Orlando-Sanford airport, located many, many miles away from central Orlando and even farther away from the theme parks that are this region's # 1 attraction!  Distance from Disney World:  Sanford is only about half an hour closer to Disney than Tampa Airport!  Factor that travel time and cost in when pricing that temptingly cheap discount air fare!  On the other hand, if you can get a good flight into St. Petersburg/Clearwater Airport you will be about 20 minutes driving time closer to the beaches than at Tampa Airport.

And finally -- once you have landed and gotten into that rental car, be prepared to drive.  And drive.  And drive.  Florida's cities are spread out over phenomenal areas of land in relation to their population, and you will have to drive past miles of shopping plazas, fast food restaurants, churches, and motels before you finally get near the beachfront resort you've chosen.  Tourist brochures print misleadingly small maps which make it look as if that great little restaurant is just a few blocks away, and then you find out it's a 20-30 minute drive in each direction.  Not much you can do except grin and bear it.

After I actually get there, I'll do another post about my favourite resort and why I love it so much, and then one about some of the little attractions of the surrounding region.