Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Size Conversion Chart
(continued)
Men's Shirts
American
14
1
⁄
2
15
15
1
⁄
2
16
16
1
⁄
2
17
17
1
⁄
2
French
37
38
39
41
42
43
44
British
14
1
⁄
2
15
15
1
⁄
2
16
16
1
⁄
2
17
17
1
⁄
2
Men's Shoes
American
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
French
39
1
⁄
2
41
42
43
44
1
⁄
2
46
47
British
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
2 Getting to the U.S.
British Airways
(
&
0845/773-3377
in the U.K., or
800/247-9297
in the
U.S.) offers direct flights from London's Heathrow Airport to Chicago. Some of
the other major international carriers that service Chicago are
Aer Lingus
(
&
0818/365-000
in Ireland,
0845/084-4444
in the U.K., or
800/525-7424
in the U.S.),
Air Canada
(
&
888/247-2262
in Canada and the U.S.),
Qantas
(
&
13-13-13
in Australia, or
800/227-4500
in the U.S.), and
Air New
Zealand
(
&
0800/737-767
in New Zealand, or
800/262-1234
in the U.S.).
For further information about traveling to and arriving in Chicago, see the
“Getting There” section in chapter 2.
AIRLINE DISCOUNTS
The smart traveler can find numerous ways to
reduce the price of a plane ticket simply by taking time to shop around. For
example, overseas visitors can take advantage of the APEX (Advance Purchase
Excursion) reductions offered by all major U.S. and European carriers. For more
money-saving airline advice, see “Getting There,” in chapter 2. For the best
rates, compare fares and be flexible with the dates and times of travel.
IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS CLEARANCE
Visitors arriving by air, no
matter what the port of entry, should cultivate patience and resignation before
setting foot on U.S. soil. Getting through immigration control can take as long
as 2 hours on some days, especially on summer weekends, so be sure to carry this
guidebook or something else to read. This is especially true in the aftermath of
the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, because security clearances have been
considerably beefed up at U.S. airports.
Prepare to Be Fingerprinted
Many international visitors traveling on visas to the United States are pho-
tographed and fingerprinted at Customs in a new program called
US-
VISIT
created by the Department of Homeland Security in 2004. Non-U.S.
citizens arriving at airports and on cruise ships must undergo an instant
background check as part of the government's ongoing efforts to deter
terrorism by verifying the identity of incoming and outgoing visitors.
Exempt from the extra scrutiny are visitors entering by land or those from
28 countries (mostly in Europe) that don't require a visa for short-term vis-
its. For more information, go to the Homeland Security website at
www.
dhs.gov/dhspublic
.
Tips
