Where is John Fioroni caving?

We all know we should tell someone where we are going caving and when you will be out. This is easy for known caves or when the cave is easily accessible. But what about for remote expeditions in foreign countries? I keep a Google Spread sheet called “Where is John Fioroni caving and emergency contact information” which I have shared with my wife. This way she knows where I will be, and whom to contact in case of an emergency or if I miss my “call out time”. Plus it is nice to track where I have gone caving and with whom.

Here is what my spreadsheet looks like. It is simple, but it gets the job done. Since it is hosted on the cloud, I can update when I am out, assuming there is cell reception. I’ve removed contact info and locations.

Cheaper flights

The Flight Deal and their Facebook page are good sources for cheap flights. My home airport, Boston, has its own deal page. If you are opportunistic or with some luck, you will be able to find some incredible flights for your next expedition.

Did you know that airlines charge different amounts of money for the exact same flight, depending on where you live, or where the airline thinks you live? Example. If someone in Spain wants to buy a plane ticket from BOS to LAX, they will more than likely pay less than someone living in the US, even though they are looking at the same flight.

See for yourself. Go to AA.com and search for a flight. (You can do this for any US airline, it doesn’t have to be AA.) Then go to the Spanish version of AA and search for the same flight. Try it with different countries, you will see that many of them have different prices. The price difference could be $10-$20 or a few hundred dollars. If you book on a foreign website, use a credit card that doesn’t charge your a foreign transaction fee.

Hope this helps!

Sending and receiving foreign currency

Xe allows you to send money from the US and many other countries to a foreign bank account completely free, and they offer a pretty good exchange rate. The receiver can be a person or business.

I have a personal account and The CES has business account with Xe.

Transferwise is another very good option. They are free to use like Xe, and they allow you to set up local bank accounts with a debit card in Europe.

If you need hard currency (paper money), most of the time the safest, cheapest and easiest way to get local currency is from an ATM at the airport. If your bank charges a foreign transaction fee, consider looking for a bank that does not. Last time I checked, Charles Schwab bank accounts are free with no minimums, and have no foreign transaction fees.

While at the ATM, you may be given an option for a “dynamic currency conversion” or something that says “convert the transaction to US dollars (assuming you are from the US)”, do not select this option. Transferwise blog explains why this is a bad idea.

Should you show the TSA your rack?

Of course not, real cavers use a bobbin.

A common concern among cavers is what can go in a carry on bag when flying. My thought is, if it is expensive or if not having it immediately will prevent me from caving, then I’ll try to bring it in my carry on.

The TSA has an official Facebook page called Ask TSA where you ask if an item is allowed in your carry on.

After dozens of flights, domestic and international, I haven’t had an issue bringing caving gear with me. Rotary hammer, batteries, bolts, >50 steel Maillons, bobbins, wrenches, rope, helmet, carbide headlamp, and 5 lbs of Sulphorhodamine B dye have all gone in my carry on. If it is metal, not sharp and less than 7” (17.75cm) long, it probably is allowed in a carry on. Don’t even try to bring your El Cap rack.

What I’ve learned works well is being overly nice (But not fake. It’s a relatively thankless job.) and telling the TSA that you have some strange items before your bag gets scanned. Organize your carry on so like items are together, in their own pouch, and they can be quickly removed. Each pouch gets sent through the scanner in its own bin. Home Depot sells these pouches, they work great for organizing your bolts, screws and hangers. Make it easy for the TSA to inspect everything.

Chances are that you bags will still get swabbed and looked at in secondary inspection. If they ask what X is, give more than a one word answer. They usually ask where I’m going rock climbing. This is a good time to strike up a quick conversation about caving and the exciting project that you are traveling to.

Be nice, stroke an ego or two, do what it takes. In the end, the goal is to get everything through security, and remember you have little or no recourse if they decide to not allow an item in your bag.

Safe travels!