Int'l Travel Update, Sept. 2023

Pack'n'go, I suppose…

Dear readers, welcome to yet another instalment of ‘int’l travel update’. Today, I’m writing to you from beautiful Czechia where I’m attending a wonderful conference on military history, state, and society.

My itinerary took me first to Oslo on a domestic flight. At Gardermoen I switched to the international terminal, had more opportunity to buy duty free stuff, and then boarded a flight to Prague. The flights were entirely uneventful, if packed, and people were also calm.

What is certainly different these days is that there’s literally no more ‘service’ left. While I’m not too keen about, say, aircraft coffee or the like, one now has to ask for complimentary beverages. A small pack of nuts or the like is now in the range of 5 euros. Bottom line in terms of travelling: bring your own food.

As regards passport checks, and yes, I know, once you’re inside the Schengen area, there’s not supposed to be any of these checks, while I brought my passport along, I never once had to show it.

With respect to travellers with masks, well, during my 2.5 hour layover at Gardermoen I counted 6 individuals wearing FFP2-/N95 masks. Mind you, it’s mid-September 2023.

Oh, lest I forget, the time of scheduling connecting flights without much delays seem to be over as it is quite impossible these days to get connecting flights without many hours of layovers in-between.

Delays and ‘other’ problems are making themselves felt, perhaps most importantly in the reduced staff numbers aboard packed planes.

One other thing to mention is that while the price of the tickets is quite o.k. (some 300 euros or the like), prices for stuff at airports are insanely high, more than ‘B.C.’ (before Covid).

Finally, go to Czechia—it’s much cleaner than, say, Germany. Streets are cleaned, and public parks are well-organised (here’s looking at you, Berlin-Kreuzberg).