Tips for overseas visitors

Tips for overseas CNS visitors

Tip 1. Here's what to expect on arrival: First you go to a huge hall with immigration officers. These formalities are usually fast and smoooth. If you have any trouble, emphasize that you are headed for Georgia Tech
Then you go one floor down to claim your baggage. Again, this is quite fast. Take a free trolley. With your luggage you go through customs. Again, fast and smooth.

So far, so good. Now comes the unusual stage. As you leave the customs, keep to your right. At the right-hand end of the hall, you will see a small baggage station where black youths are stuffing luggage into a hole. This is for luggage destined for Atlanta (as opposed to transfer to other airports). If you give them your luggage, it will appear in the main baggage claim of the airport. This is a tremendous convenience and you should give them your heavy luggage. Hold on to your cabin luggage.

With your cabin luggage, you go through a metal detector and now you are in the International Arrivals Hall. From there, you will board a (free) train to baggage claim (this is one of the biggest airports in the world), get your luggage from "Baggage Claim". Finally when you leave the airport you show your baggage receipts placed on your ticket to the people at the exit, ensuring that you are taking only your own (and the right) luggage.

If anything goes wrong, call your host! or Center Administrator, at 404 385 2500.

Since September 11, 2001 it is no longer possible for hosts to meet our visitors at the International Arrivals gate, but follow the flow, go down the moving stairs and board the (free) train until the last stop at Baggage Claim.

Tip 2. To meet someone arriving to Atlanta Hartsfield Airport: International arrivals go first through the passport control, then pick up the luggage from luggage carousels, go through customs, and enter the terminal. Follow the signs for baggage, go down to the internal train, and take it to the last stop, the bagage claim stop. From there take the (very long) escalator to the arrivals level, and as you exit that escalator, look for the person waiting for you. If they are not there, they might be at the baggage carousel.

Tip 3. When you get through immigration and customs at Atlanta Airport, try to get some dolars changed into smaller denominations. A few dollar bills < $50 and at least a few coins of quarters ($0.25) and dimes ($0.10).

Local phone calls are 35 cents - you insert them into the pay phone, then dial (area code)+(7 digit number). For long distance calls dial 1+(area code)+(7 digit number). If the call does not go through, the money is returned to you when you hang up the receiver. Calling Georgia Tech from the airport is a local call.

Tip 4.Change your currency into dollars before you arrive in Atlanta. It is almost impossible to find a bank where they will change your money - and if they do, the comission is $5 or 1%, whatever is more, and difference between buy and sell rate is about 10%. In the most cases it is therefore much cheaper to buy US dollars in your home country.

There are two places (as far as we know) where you can exchange money - one is Wachovia Bank Main Office (191 Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA 30303) and the other one is in the airport.