Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
> In message <t7kngh$v2j$1@dont-email.me>, at 11:13:21 on Mon, 6 Jun 2022,
> Sam Wilson <ukr@dummy.wislons.fastmail.co.uk> remarked:
>
>>>> You may have heard of this thing called the Internet? These days you can
>>>> actually buy a ticket, or indeed just check the prices, by using that thing
>>>> in front of you that you’re reading this message on.
>>>
>>> Not if I'm just off a long haul flight, haven't yet bought a local SIM
>>> (because my roaming rates are absurd) and I'm in a country mainly
>>> speaking a foreign language, and all I have is a sign saying "next train
>>> to Centraal Platform 3"
>>
>> Then we have to rely on those old chestnuts, looking at the local signage
>> or asking someone. We’re talking about an airport which, with any sensible
>> level of customer support, will be used to people like you turning up and
>> looking baffled. Since it’s a very long time since I was in Schiphol I’d
>> have to rely for any further information on anyone else here who’s been
>> there more recently.
>>
>> I’d be interested to know why you didn’t use the Internet before flying to
>> check that kind of detail.
>
> Because a trip like that takes so many aspects of advance planning,
> there comes a point when fatigue steps in.
>
> Anyway, it's not really about *me*, because I'd typically have two
> destinations a week, and the majority would be repeat visits.

Of course it’s not about you - I’d assumed the confused person off the long
haul flight to a foreign country where they don’t speak their language, and
who hadn’t done any prep was hypothetical.

> The reason why people catch a cab from the airport is because they know
> they don't have to do anything other than tell the driver where to take
> them. Although from bitter experience, I'd normally hand them a fragment
> of my hotel booking, with the name and address on.
>
> That was after a taxi driver in Atlanta claimed not to know where the
> Hilton was (admittedly it wasn't the downtown Hilton, but one on a
> leisure complex about ten miles into the suburbs). I transferred to a
> Downtown hotel for the rest of the week, as the commute was horrific (I
> didn't make the original booking).

Sensible.

Sam

--
The entity formerly known as Sam.Wilson@ed.ac.uk
Spit the dummy to reply

In message <t7vp7a$1md$1@dont-email.me>, at 15:50:02 on Fri, 10 Jun
2022, Sam Wilson <ukr@dummy.wislons.fastmail.co.uk> remarked:
>Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>> In message <t7kngh$v2j$1@dont-email.me>, at 11:13:21 on Mon, 6 Jun 2022,
>> Sam Wilson <ukr@dummy.wislons.fastmail.co.uk> remarked:
>>
>>>>> You may have heard of this thing called the Internet? These days you can
>>>>> actually buy a ticket, or indeed just check the prices, by using
>>>>>that thing
>>>>> in front of you that you’re reading this message on.
>>>>
>>>> Not if I'm just off a long haul flight, haven't yet bought a local SIM
>>>> (because my roaming rates are absurd) and I'm in a country mainly
>>>> speaking a foreign language, and all I have is a sign saying "next train
>>>> to Centraal Platform 3"
>>>
>>> Then we have to rely on those old chestnuts, looking at the local signage
>>> or asking someone. We’re talking about an airport which, with any
>>>sensible
>>> level of customer support, will be used to people like you turning up and
>>> looking baffled. Since it’s a very long time since I was in
>>>Schiphol I’d
>>> have to rely for any further information on anyone else here who’s been
>>> there more recently.
>>>
>>> I’d be interested to know why you didn’t use the Internet before
>>>flying to
>>> check that kind of detail.
>>
>> Because a trip like that takes so many aspects of advance planning,
>> there comes a point when fatigue steps in.
>>
>> Anyway, it's not really about *me*, because I'd typically have two
>> destinations a week, and the majority would be repeat visits.
>
>Of course it’s not about you - I’d assumed the confused person off the long
>haul flight to a foreign country where they don’t speak their language, and
>who hadn’t done any prep was hypothetical.

The hypothetical person has little knowledge of the public transport in
his destination country (that's why airport express trains are so
popular - they are much easier to research than the local commuter
trains).
--
Roland Perry