GETTING TO SwITZERLAND
Luckily for us we live just in the foothiils of the Northeast Georgia beginning of the Appilachian mountain range. Wer can be at the summit of a 5,000 pluss foot mountain in under an hour or in downtown Atlanta in under an hour and Hartsfield International Airport in sixty to eighty minutes based on traffic. Hartsfield is the "busiest airport in the world" and the big hub for Delta Airlines. Between Delta, Swiss Air and Air France there are multiple flights leaving Atlanta every day for Zurich and Geneve. We have used a Delta Skymiles card for over thirty years and accumulated enough skymiles to fly around the world two or three times. The business runs off a skymiles caard, the house off a Hilton Honors card so we usually have enough points for discounts (free rooms at non "destintation" areas" at US Hiltons and Hamptons but Europe is a different game. Being a travel writer with multiple print and web outlets including the Associated Press wire carries some weight in Europe and according to country their travel bureaus can really be a big help as well as individual hotels so when see us at $2.000 USD per night accomidations someone has stepped up and helped us but we act less like Americans by keeping a low profile and also doing all we can to get good pres for all who help or just deserve it.
GETTING TO SWITZERLAND
With Delta, Air France and Swiss Air flying ouy of Atlanta daily it gives us a lot of options. While we have plenty of skymiles butning them indescrimately would mean they run out and then we are stuck, we get weekly emails from multiple airlines with "special deals" and in one instance (when terrorist incidents, wars, political unrest are in the news Americans cut back travel and airlines will run deals to fill seats. Got an email one week wit round trip airfare to Zurich for $173 per seat on Delta and just booked two tickets with arbitrary dates ensuring there was no penalty to reschedule after discussed with "the better half" deciding to travel for Christmas/New years.
Alway remember Delta and Air France are "code share" airlines with contracts so I can book a flight through Delta at Delta prices but if Air France has a flight leaving at time/date that suits our schedule then we book the Air France code share flight. Coach on Air France is better than Business Class on many airlines and there is a full thre to five more inches between rows which on an eight to ten hour filight adds huge comfort. Instead of the odd meal on a schedule as long as the "no seatbelts" light is on they have a nice buffet with light snacks, pastries and even wine if you drink during the majority of the flight plus very nice meals on a schedule. Swiss Air is premium service even in coach so if the price difference is bot significant based on specials and sales bok Swiss Air (no code share) or Air France using Delta "code share" and get the comfort Delta used to provide though they still beat most domestic airlines.
Last domestic flight (I did not book it, someone else did just looking at best prices) I flew United was miserable, seats were so close I was miserable and my brother who is two inches taller tahn me with a bad knee could not walk just flying to Arizona. their carry one allowance size was smaller than Deltas (my camera bag fits in everyone elses carry on "box" to determine if is carry on or not) and I refused to "check" over $15,000 in cameras/lenses that were paying for my trip and turning a nice profit so the let them go on but would not fit in overhead and had to sit in my lap entire flight and not a single meal was served. Research all the rules on carry-on, checked baggage, seat spacing on rows in coach, meals, etc especially the longer a flight gets.
BUYING TICKETS AT KIOSK TO MAIN ZURICH TRAIN STATION
Most people land at an aurport then gather up their luggage and head out the doors to the curb to grab a taxi into the main part of town. In Switzerland there are very few places you cannot get to using trains and busses, The Swiss trains and busses "run like a Swiss watch get to watch it ride off withou" on time almost always and if you hit a bus stop or train station ninety seconds late you get to see it ride off without you, in two full months I have only had two trains arrive late and they announced it and made sure all travellers got where they needed to go. At the Zurich airport you find an elevator to get all your gear (we carry ours, renting makes it easier) and yourselves to the lower level where the train will carry you into Zurich, I suggest you buy tickets to the main train station in downtown Zurich then "shop" the package that best suits you for your entire trip. In Switzerland even the ski lifts are run by the train authority along with many ski areas accessed by trains designed for steep terain to gondolas but its all owned by the public transit system and a major train station in a major city will have an office with helpful attendents that will get you the best package from a weeks stay with two or three days lift tickets to a months unlimited "anything from bus to gondola" and any point in the county.
AURICH MAIN TRAIN STATION
We hit the ground in Europe and wife wants some pastries and chocolate, even airport or train sation but the chocolate store at the train station was closed this particular time but I found her some pastries before we got on our first ig hop from Zurich to Interlocken before turning u.phill to Grindelwald. This is a long trian ride and while their is a "coach car' with food that's quite nice she wanted to be sure she had some local snacks. Remember the rules vary on duty free shops on air travel and while you may buy a deal on an item in a foreign airport you may get hammered with taxes when land back home so be sure to know the regulations. We landed in Atlanta and wife had a pear and an apple in a bag coming through customs and when they went to take it away she went full "kujo" on the guy with the little fruit smelling dog and was not giving up her apple or pear as intended to eat them in the truck back from Atlanta airport to house and was so adamament they finally gave up and let her keep the fruit.
DUTY FREE SHOPS ZURICH AIRPORT
sWISS HOTELS ARE A CUT ABOVE...
This gives me time to put out feelers with the Swiss Travel Bureau and a list of hotels I had relationships with plus a long list of others. Americans were not travelling so deals could be negotiated but even when the world is not in total disarray some hotels may have an abundance of empty rooms and will let them go at a bargain. many use the discount travel apps (I check them too) but one on one communication can sometimes be even better and also not being totallyabsolute where your planning to visit when get there may allow finding a deal you just cannot pass up.
A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE I WROTE ABOUT THIS TRIP TO SWITZERLAND
SITE NAVIGATION
