KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As Chiefs Kingdom takes to the friendly skies for the abroad game against the Miami Dolphins, a Kansas City-area travel agent has tips to make the trip easy and memorable.
Liane Lance with Picture This Travel sent KSHB 41 News a list of reminders when it comes to traveling internationally.
- Be Early: Get to the airport two to three hours before departure. Lance said it is better early than late.
- TSA Pre-Check: She suggests investing in TSA Pre-Check over Global Entry because, with Global Entry, you have to go back through security after going through customs and rechecking your bags. With TSA Pre-Check, Lance says you will have shorter lines.
- Track Your Luggage: Lance encourages people to invest in Apple AirTags or something similar to put in checked luggage.
- Money, Money, Money: Don’t forget to tell your bank you are traveling abroad and to get euros ahead of time.
- 'Insure' a Good Time: Purchase travel insurance not in case of cancellation, but Lance says a good policy will also cover trip interruption, delay, baggage loss, and emergency medical situations.
- Be Savvy: Be aware of pickpocketers in large crowds and never sit your bag on the floor at a restaurant.
- Tipping: Lance said tipping in Europe is not the same as in America. For dinner, 10% should do and for breakfast and lunch you can round up to the nearest Euro. Tip in cash.
- Represent: Remember you represent America, and Chiefs Kingdom, in Germany. Lance reminds everyone to smile, be kind and have a good attitude in and out of the airports.
Lance has traveled to Germany quite a bit for work. She said Frankfurt is a train-friendly town making it easy for people to travel to other spots. She said the best spots, though, aren’t always the tourist destinations.
"I appreciated going to places that locals go to. The sites are always fun… But what I really enjoyed was getting into the small local restaurants and bars and getting to be friends with the locals,” said Lance.
She also said a language barrier shouldn’t be too big because many Germans know English well enough to help.
