International travel presents challenges that flying domestically does not, but there are several things a savvy traveler can do to make the journey as exciting as the destination.
For instance, flying to a distant locale can require a full day in the air, so plan for a minimum of two days’ travel.
Here are a few things to make international travel an enjoyable adventure.
Before you go
Your smartphone becomes a necessity during international travel. Ask your phone service provider about its international travel plans.
Create a password-protected file on your phone that includes a copy of your driver’s license, passport and itinerary with all relevant phone numbers.
Add an “ICE” — In Case of Emergency — contact to your phone’s contacts.
To get around on the ground
A GPS travel app, like Google Navigation, offers walking, bus, train and driving directions. Waze helped in maneuvering the maze of canals and bridges in Venice. In Managua, Nicaragua, it was easy to find addresses in a city that does not use street names.
Select a “travel translator” from the App Store. Then load some basic local phrases like “thank you,” “where is the museum?” and “where is the bathroom?” into your smartphone. Few people want a smartphone shoved in their face, so learn the phrases and then offer the courtesy of asking.
After checking into a hotel, take a picture of the building, its address and phone number. Be able to say “Hello, can you tell me how to find this hotel?” in the local language and then show the picture and address.
Include a photo of a notable landmark or recognizable corner.
Travel through airports and train stations
Be gracious and kind. A smile can open many doors.
Having patience and plenty of time can be invaluable. For example, Venice Marco Polo Airport on Venice Lagoon is often full of cruise travelers with massive baggage. It can be confusing and overwhelming, but checking in and finding a gate are not difficult with a deep breath and a bit of patience. The confusion is part of the travel experience that should be embraced.
Travel at 30,000 feet
Flying KLM Royal Dutch Airlines from Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, then transferring at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to fly to Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport can take 11 to 22 hours. That’s a long time, and it is just the start. Jet-lagged, you may find yourself going through customs in order to find your connecting flight.
When sleep is on the agenda, an Airbus’ 18-inch-wide seats feel like an upgrade. Standard amenities include lighting that allows travelers to read, nap or watch movies on entertainment consoles. Some flights offer cellphone and Wi-Fi service. You can track the plane’s progress on a GPS map.
Check for each plane’s amenities before you book.
International flight crews take pride in a job well done. As an example, on that overnight KLM flight, the crew helped new parents get a special infant seat that allowed the baby and the parents to get some rest. Then when a first-time flyer felt the ill effects of air travel, the crew was quick to assist before other passengers were affected.
Flights heading east often depart at night. Smart travelers prepare for sleeping, reading or watching movies on personal monitors. A carryon bag with fresh socks, toothbrush, toothpaste, night mask, earplugs, and gum or mints can make a huge difference.
Choose flight meal options when buying a ticket
On a KLM flight to Amsterdam, passengers will enjoy a “Tasty Blue” hot dinner and breakfast. To upgrade a meal, visit the airline’s website and review its food menu when booking. The vast options will meet almost all dietary requests.
Food service begins with a hot towel to wipe the face and hands. The dining experience includes an aperitif and nuts, hors d’oeuvres and meal choices. On longer flights, passengers can expect two meals. Heading east via an evening departure, they will receive dinner and breakfast before landing.
Between meals, ask for snacks, ice cream or a sandwich. All airlines are able to meet most reasonable food requests, including vegetarian and kosher meals.
Standard food alternatives include:
⦁ Low-salt meals suitable for people with certain heart, kidney or endocrine diseases.
⦁ Low-sugar, fat or salt meals suitable for diabetics.
⦁ Gluten-free meals.
⦁ Low-calorie meals with no sauce.
⦁ Allergen-free meals.
Continental breakfasts include juice, yogurt, coffee or tea, and a pastry.
On Air France/KLM, complimentary wine and Champagne are offered to passengers in all cabins in flight.
Air France offers cuisine-rich à la carte menus in Economy and Premium Economy. Before booking, check the Air France website for food alternatives and costs.
On long-haul flights, Air France offers that day’s menu at no extra charge for all destinations and travel classes. Hot and cold beverages, with or without alcohol, are also available. Meals are hot, fresh and delicious.
According to chef Ghislaine Van Branteghem, Air France’s catering product manager, onboard dining is part of their brand identity.
“For the creation of the economy class trays, we privilege the ‘French touch’ and the nutritional aspect of the meals,” Ms. Van Branteghem says. “We make sure to offer our passengers healthy French-style meals [starter, main dish, cheese, and dessert]. We work mainly on the freshness for the starters, which are generally raw vegetables. The vinaigrette can be fruity or slightly pronounced [curry].
“For the main dish, we want to offer our passengers … easily identifiable meals. Considering the number of passengers and our international customers, our meal choices must please the greatest number of them. Also, our customers can spoil themselves by purchasing our ‘Menu à la carte’ on Air France’s website.”
Le Marché de Jean Imbert plates are part of the à la carte options. Designed by chef Jean Imbert, a rising star in French cuisine and the 2012 winner of the French TV show “Top Chef,” these plates are a chance to dine with a certain je ne sais quoi.
Mr. Imbert trained under Michelin-rated culinary powerhouse chef Paul Bocuse. For those who enjoy food, this means a new dining experience as part of your international travel.
Dining at 39,000 feet with chef Daniel Boulud
With restaurants from New York City to Singapore, French chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud is just one of the culinary masters who create the dinner and snack plates for Air France Business and Premier travelers.
Best known for Daniel, his eponymous, Michelin two-star restaurant in New York City, Mr. Boulud is the creator of numerous award-winning dining concepts, from overall restaurant design to innovative plates around the globe.
Complementing Mr. Boulud’s Air France meals are French wines chosen by Paolo Basso, who was named the best sommelier of the world in 2013.
The snack and dinner plates are surprisingly fresh and delicious, as if they came from his award-winning kitchen, not the galley of an airplane cruising at 39,000 feet. Mr. Boulud offered more details to The Washington Times while speaking from his restaurant Boulud Sud.
The Washington Times: Is there one Air France menu you have created that has stood out as a favorite?
Mr. Boulud: I love the chicken dish we have on the menu at Boulud Sud, so when it came to doing a chicken dish on board, we thought a tagine [a Moroccan earthenware dish] would be a great combination of something soulful and spicy that is delicate and powerful at the same time. A well-seasoned meal is always more satisfying on board than a tasteless, uninspired dish.
TWT: You are creating plates that will be served more than seven miles in the air and that taste fresh and just made hours later. What do you look for in your recipes to keep them fresh throughout the flight?
Mr. Boulud: The process was first to understand, from the catering companies, how they make the dishes and what is possible in the air. We start with a long list of ideas and edit down to what is possible, keeping in mind the process for preparing and packaging the food, and how to maintain freshness and brightness in the dishes. We discussed the accessibility of high-quality ingredients and the challenges of cooking in the air.
We toured their facilities to see what goes into the creation and preparation of on-board dishes and taste what they are already doing. For our dish with zucchini, we had thought it was going to be easier to roast it, but we saw the caterers grilling vegetables and having a lot of success with that technique, which they had already perfected. We realized that they had already mastered this technique, so we modified our recipe to take advantage, and are using grilled zucchini.
For all the dishes we developed, I was very careful to choose recipes that would retain their integrity and flavor when prepared at altitude. The idea is not to take a dish from my restaurant and make it on the plane; the goal is to apply my expertise in cooking in the best way possible to the constraints at hand.
TWT: How are you able to create delicious meals that have such a unique delivery method?
Mr. Boulud: The experience designing onboard meals has made me think more and examine more closely the other food I have had in-flight since we began developing menus with Air France. I have seen dishes served on board and think, for instance, “It was a mistake for the chef to choose this because it doesn’t hold up under reheating.” This attention to detail also helped me pick the right dishes for Air France.
To achieve excellence on board we have to simplify, but not compromise on quality. A dish doesn’t have to be overly complicated to work. The cleaner and more defined it is, the more satisfying it can be.
We worked with the Air France caterers closely to teach their chef teams how we wanted our dishes to be executed. In my restaurants, a dish will be prepared from start to finish to order. Here, certain steps have to be completed ahead, and [the foods] reheated.
TWT: Each of the entree dishes is a complex layering of herbs and proteins. What is your inspiration for the hot dishes?
Mr. Boulud: I have always loved to travel, and I believe Air France passengers share that passion with me, so for the dishes I created, I took inspiration from my travels around the globe, which you can see in dishes such as Provençal lamb; or Moroccan chicken tagine with lemon and cauliflower; or Atlantic lobster tail with curried coconut sauce, black rice and bok choy.
This is also how I create the menus in my restaurants. Of course, I am French so there is always a thread of French cuisine carried throughout the menus in all my restaurants, but at Boulud Sud we also highlight Mediterranean dishes, with many grilled proteins and vegetables, and seasonings common to North Africa, southern Europe, Turkey, Greece, the Middle East, etc. Whereas, at DBGB Kitchen & Bar, located in Washington, D.C., which is known for our selection of burgers, bangers, and craft beers, we have dishes inspired also by my travels, including the Thai Dog that is a pork sausage made with ginger, lemongrass, curry, kaffir lime, and red chili, which a trip to Thailand inspired.
And at Café Boulud, we have always had a section on the menu called Le Voyage, which explores and celebrates global cuisines.
• Jacquie Kubin is an award-winning travel and food writer and travel editor at Communities Digital News.
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