International Students Travel Guidelines

Transcription

1 International Students Travel Guidelines Flying to the United States Start working with your travel agent or airline of choice as early as you can to arrange your trip to the US! Inland Transit If you will be arriving at JFK or another large U.S. airport (such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas or Miami), you should ask your travel agent to book the domestic portion of your flight on USAir or Northwest Airlines, so that you may continue on to Ithaca by air. There are no direct flights from NYC and LA into Ithaca. More information on the Ithaca Tompkins County Airport (ITH) is available at (Please notice that the Tomkins County Airport will remain close from 7/8-7/23/2016). If you find that there are no seats available to Ithaca, an alternative is to fly to Syracuse, NY, a larger city north of Ithaca, which is served by most major American airline carriers. More information on the Syracuse Hancock International Airport is available at From Syracuse, you can take a shuttle van ride directly to the Ithaca College campus (see section on arrival information below). There is no train station in Ithaca, the nearest train station is in Syracuse so if you decide to take the train, you will need to make the additional shuttle arrangements to Ithaca as indicated above. There is a bus station in Ithaca and information about taking the bus (Shortline, Greyhound & Big Red Bullet) to Ithaca appears below. Big Red Bullet does not depart from the Bus station on State Street (710 W State Street), but from the bus stop on Green St. next to the store Urban Outfitters. We do not recommend using bus or rail service for your first trip to Ithaca as these modes of transportation can be difficult to use if you have lots of luggage, and are slower than a flight into the Ithaca or Syracuse airports. Ground transportation from the airports in New York City (JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark) There are three major international airports in New York City (NYC):! Newark ( JFK ( &! LaGuardia ( If you are planning to take the bus from NYC to Ithaca, then the procedure will be the same from any of the three NYC airports. After you go through passport control, collect your luggage, and go through

2 customs, proceed to Ground Transportation and then take the New York Airport Service Express Bus to the Port Authority in Manhattan (the link for the transportation options from JFK is you can look up the same service on the websites of the other 2 airports, Newark and LaGuardia). The Express Bus ranges from $13 to $16, you can pay in cash to the driver; they take your luggage in the bottom compartment of the bus and there are no extra charges for luggage. It goes quite frequently, every 30 minutes from 5 AM until 11:30PM and the travel time to Manhattan is about 90 minutes, depending on traffic. The Express Bus makes three stops, Port Authority, Grand central or Penn Station, all within Manhattan. Another travel option is to take the New York City subway, which costs approximately $10 to travel to Manhattan using the Air Train and MTA Subway and is much cheaper, but may be much more challenging to navigate, especially with lots of luggage. If you need assistance, look for the information desk near the exit of the Arrivals Terminal at the airport or ask uniformed officials for help. Don't be shy about asking people to repeat any directions or instructions you do not understand. Slow down or speak more clearly if they look uncertain about what you are saying. New Yorkers are known for their fast, abrupt and loud communication style; don't be offended if they address you in this way, just ask for clarification. Do not accept assistance with directions, rides, or help with your luggage from non-uniformed persons; if in doubt, look for an airline official or a uniformed police officer. From the Port Authority in Manhattan, you can take a Shortline Bus ( or Greyhound ( and it will take you to the Ithaca Bus Station. Big Red Bullet departs from downtown Manhattan (Public Library) and leaves you on Green Street next to Urban Outfitters (which is the starting point from Ithaca to NYC as well) link to the Big Red Bullet can be found here: If you are traveling in the dark or otherwise not sure whether you have reached the bus station, confirm with the driver please note that the bus makes 3 stops in Ithaca and you want to make sure you get off at the bus station and not at an earlier stop. There are taxis meeting every bus, so ask the taxi driver to take you to Ithaca College. Arrival Information If you are arriving on your own (if you are not accompanied by friends or family and if you are not going directly to a hotel in Ithaca) and you would like a member of our staff to meet you at the Ithaca bus station or airport, please send us your detailed travel information as early as possible, as well as an address we can use to reach you. If you are coming by plane, we need to know which flight you are on and what time it arrives in Ithaca.""If a staff volunteer is able to come and meet you, we will send you a confirmation with the relevant details.""our staff is very small, but we will try our best to assist you if possible, a member of our staff, holding an Ithaca College sign will be at the airport or bus station in Ithaca to meet you and take you to campus. Unfortunately, we cannot offer this service outside of Ithaca (in Syracuse or New York City).

3 If you are arriving by bus, we need to know which bus you are taking (Shortline or Greyhound), when the bus leave New York and when is it scheduled to arrive in Ithaca. Please send this information to us by fax ( ) or as soon as your travel itinerary is finalized. If you are coming by bus, please keep in mind that there can be two or three stops in Ithaca, as sometimes the bus makes several stops on Cornell s campus first. Make sure that you get off at the Ithaca bus station if you re not sure and especially if you are traveling during the night, ask the driver to tell you when you have reached the bus station. If you are coming with relatives or friends or if you otherwise do not need arrival assistance, please notify our office how and when you re arriving, just so we know and have you accounted for. For directions on how to drive to Ithaca, please go to If you are flying into Syracuse, you can use the shuttle van service ran by Airline Limo of Ithaca. You can reach the Airline Limo at or toll-free (for calls made within the US) at 1- (855) ; they are open from 3 am until 11 pm. If you would like to schedule a ride with the shuttle, please call them at least 48 hours before the trip to reserve a space. You have to pay in advance by credit card (Visa, Mastercard, or American Express), you cannot pay the driver at the time of pick-up. When you call, be prepared to tell the operator the following: your name; the date and time for your scheduled arrival in the Syracuse airport, the airline and flight number you ll be on; and the address where you would like to be taken to in Ithaca (your hotel or Ithaca College). The cost for the ride is $85 one way and $130 round trip. Please remember that advance reservations are required! The shuttle travels from the Syracuse airport to Ithaca every day at the following times: 5 am (except on Sundays), 10:30 am, 1 pm, 3:30 pm, 5:30 pm, 8 pm, 1 am (except on Saturdays). The shuttle goes from Ithaca to Syracuse every day at the following times: 3:30 am (except on Sundays), 7 am, 10 am, 12 noon, 2 pm, 3:45 pm, 7 pm, and 9 pm (except on Saturdays). Their website is When you arrive in Syracuse, please call Airline Limo at (this is a free call from any of the phones at the airport) to tell them you have arrived and the operator will give you instructions where and how to find the shuttle in the parking lot. Please note that the information above is subject to change, so call Airline Limo to confirm it when making travel arrangements. How to get to Ithaca College If you have notified us ahead of time and we have confirmed a pick-up service for you, we will do our best to be at the bus station or airport to meet you and bring you to campus. If, however, something happens outside of our control or your travel plans have been altered, be prepared to make it to Ithaca College on your own by taking a taxi there are usually taxis waiting at the airport or bus station, or you can call one by dialing (277-TAXI), (533-TAXI), (277-CABS) or these are different taxi companies in Ithaca. Ask the driver to take you to Ithaca College; the ride should cost about

4 $15-$20; additional charges for luggage may apply. If you have a lot of luggage or if there are several of you traveling together, give that information to the taxi company when you call, so they can send a larger car or a van. When you get to campus: ask the driver to take you to Campus Safety (located in the bottom right cluster of buildings, Make sure the taxi driver knows to wait for you while you collect your room key and then the taxi can take you and your luggage to your residence hall room. Phone numbers for the road Please, have these numbers with you when you travel and call us if there is a change in your travel plans or if you have an emergency. Our office phone number is (our toll-free number in the US is ); there is an answering machine on it and we check it regularly, so do not hesitate to leave a message if nobody answers the phone. Calling the office (or leaving a message) is your best way to reach us! In the event of an emergency, please call Ithaca College Campus Safety at , they are open all the time and they will be able to assist you in contacting us right away. One last note about dialing US phone numbers: if you are dialing from the US outside of Ithaca, dial the entire number: 1, then area code 607 and the 7 digits of the number (for example, you ll dial to call our office from NY City). If you are in Ithaca, you only need to dial the last seven-digits of the number (for example, ). If you are on campus calling an Ithaca College office number, dial 4 and the last 4 digits (for example, you need to dial to call our office from your dorm room or another campus phone). Where to Stay If you will be living on campus: you can check into your dorm starting at 9 am on Sunday, August 18. If you will be living off-campus or if you plan to arrive in Ithaca prior to the date the residence halls open, you must secure off-campus accommodations. A list of local motels and hotels is available at Book your hotel reservations as early as possible! Please note: there is no on-campus housing for family, friends, or guests if family or friends will be accompanying you to Ithaca for Orientation, make sure they book a place to stay in a local hotel, motel, or B&B as early as possible! More information There is additional information you may find helpful on our web site You can also contact our office by phone at ; fax ; intlprog@ithaca.edu. More information on the city of Ithaca is available at as well as You may also enjoy reading the online editions of local newspapers:

5 The Ithacan, IC s student newspaper, can be found at The Ithaca Journal, the daily city paper, is online at The Ithaca Times, a weekly area paper, is available at