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Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)                         W. GeorgeRequest for Comments: 6640                             Time Warner CableCategory: Informational                                        June 2012ISSN: 2070-1721IETF Meeting Attendees' Frequently Asked (Travel) QuestionsAbstract   This document attempts to provide a list of the frequently asked   questions (FAQs) posed by IETF meeting attendees regarding travel   logistics and local information.  It is intended to assist those who   are willing to provide local information, so that if they wish to   pre-populate answers to some or all of these questions either in the   IETF wiki or a meeting-specific site, they have a reasonably complete   list of ideas to draw from.  It is not meant as a list of required   information that the host or Secretariat needs to provide; it merely   serves as a guideline.Status of This Memo   This document is not an Internet Standards Track specification; it is   published for informational purposes.   This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force   (IETF).  It represents the consensus of the IETF community.  It has   received public review and has been approved for publication by the   Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  Not all documents   approved by the IESG are a candidate for any level of Internet   Standard; seeSection 2 of RFC 5741.   Information about the current status of this document, any errata,   and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained athttp://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6640.George                        Informational                     [Page 1]

RFC 6640                    IETF Meeting FAQs                  June 2012Copyright Notice   Copyright (c) 2012 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the   document authors.  All rights reserved.   This document is subject toBCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents   (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of   publication of this document.  Please review these documents   carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect   to this document.  Code Components extracted from this document must   include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of   the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as   described in the Simplified BSD License.Table of Contents1. Introduction ....................................................32. Why is this document necessary? .................................33. Helpful Information .............................................53.1. Travel .....................................................5           3.1.1. Transit between the Airport or Train Station                  and Primary Hotels ..................................53.1.1.1. Taxi Information ...........................63.1.1.2. Mass Transit ...............................63.1.2. Getting Around near the Conference Venue ............73.2. Regional/International Considerations ......................73.2.1. Health and Safety ...................................83.2.1.1. Water Availability .........................83.2.2. Money ...............................................93.3. Food .......................................................93.3.1. Restaurants ........................................103.3.2. Other Food Items ...................................103.4. Communications and Electronics ............................103.5. Weather ...................................................113.6. Fitness ...................................................113.7. Tourism and Souvenirs .....................................114. Acknowledgements ...............................................125. Security Considerations ........................................126. Informative References .........................................12George                        Informational                     [Page 2]

RFC 6640                    IETF Meeting FAQs                  June 20121.  Introduction   IETF attendees come from all over the world.  The typical IETF   meeting has representatives from over 50 countries.  It is quite   likely that a large portion of the participants in any given IETF are   newcomers to the specific location where it is being held or even to   the country or region itself.  As a result, they are going to have   questions regarding their personal travel needs and logistics that   may only be answerable by someone who has been to the area before,   someone who lives there, and/or someone who speaks the local   language.   The IETF, the Secretariat, and any local host organizations   responsible for the logistics of making IETF meetings happen are not   travel agencies, but they often can and do assist with identifying   and hosting the common information that most attendees wish to have   while they are planning their trip.  This document attempts to cover   the most commonly asked questions and categories for information.   This document is not intended to provide answers to these questions   for every possible location in which IETF meetings may be held.   Rather, it is intended to provide a set of FAQs for use by the hosts   and others who have experience with the area where the event is being   held, so that questions and answers can be handled efficiently,   rather than waiting until someone sends an email to the meeting   attendees mailing list in the days leading up to the meeting.2.  Why is this document necessary?   In reading this document, one may ask, "Isn't that why search engines   and travel sites exist?"  Although we can sometimes find what we're   looking for with search engines, that results in hundreds of people   spending time searching, which is not very efficient.  In addition,   despite the widely held belief that if it is published on the   Internet, it must be true, sometimes the information that is   available is either inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date, so it may   be less reliable than firsthand information from someone who has been   there.  Also, no matter how much online translation has improved,   some of the most useful local travel sites may be difficult for non-   native speakers to navigate and find information, because navigation   buttons, graphics, and other active content are typically not   machine-translatable, and non-native speakers may not realize when   machine translation is inaccurate in a critical way.  Lastly, while   the companies that serve as hosts for IETF meetings often have   participants attending IETF, the folks who are responsible for   handling the details of hosting an IETF may not be regular attendees.   Therefore, this document, especiallySection 3, is intended to beGeorge                        Informational                     [Page 3]

RFC 6640                    IETF Meeting FAQs                  June 2012   something that can be provided to host event organizers that may not   have much familiarity with the IETF, so that they have a better sense   of the information that attendees will find helpful.   The format of this document was chosen so that it captures the FAQs,   but usually not their answers.  This is because IETF RFCs are   typically static and infrequently updated, which does not make them a   particularly suitable format to contain location-specific   information.  The questions found in this document are a result of   informal review of the attendees mailing lists from past meetings and   feedback from many individuals; they are believed to be reasonably   static from one meeting to the next.  This document is not   necessarily all-inclusive, but it should serve as a reasonable   baseline such that a static format like an RFC is appropriate.  It is   likely that this RFC will need to be revised periodically -- a clue   that this is necessary will be when, over the course of multiple   meetings, multiple additional questions that are not covered by this   document repeatedly surface on the attendees mailing list and thus   become FAQs.   The answers to this document's questions are expected to be stored in   a location that is easily updated by multiple parties, so that site-   specific information can be refined and updated as often as   necessary, thereby creating a living document.  There are several   options as to where to store this location-specific living document.   For some past IETF meetings, the hosting organization or an   individual [HIROSHIMA] has set up a special website.  The best recent   examples of these, in terms of the information provided, are   www.ietf75.se and ietf71.comcast.net.  Unfortunately, these types of   sites are not maintained indefinitely once the IETF meeting for which   they were set up has concluded, so the only way to review them as   examples is to use the Internet Wayback Machine [WEBARCHIVE].  Such a   website has been a source of much additional information about the   location and is always quite helpful.  If the host decides to set up   a site like this, the hope is that this document will provide   guidance as to the type of information with which to populate such a   site.  However, it is by no means a requirement that the host set up   an external website.  Further, not every IETF meeting has a local   host, or even a host at all.  In these cases, the need for the same   set of information is not lessened, but the IETF will be more reliant   on the willingness of those with experience in the area where the   meeting will be held to share the benefit of that experience with   others.  The IETF has provided a hosted wiki [WIKI] that can simply   be populated with the same sorts of information.  This has the added   benefit of having a single location where additional information can   be provided by experienced travelers, locals, and host   representatives alike; it is therefore not completely reliant on the   host.  In the case where the IETF-hosted wiki is to be used, thisGeorge                        Informational                     [Page 4]

RFC 6640                    IETF Meeting FAQs                  June 2012   document may serve as a framework of categories that could be pre-   built when the site-specific page is set up, so that others can begin   populating the information.3.  Helpful Information   There are a number of general categories of information listed below.   Some sections, such as Sections3.1 and3.2, contain information   necessary for travel; the rest can be considered nice to have.  All   of it comes from actual FAQs from the attendees mailing lists.   Much of the needed information may already be available in another   form online.  There is no need to reproduce information that can be   found on external websites, so simply providing pointers to   information already available in other locations is quite   appropriate.  However, it is very helpful if some validation and   vetting of the provided information is performed in order to avoid   outdated or inaccurate information.  Additionally, because this is a   static and location-agnostic document, it's quite likely that some   questions are either irrelevant or confusing for some locations.   Therefore, "not really relevant here" and "we don't know" may be   valid answers to some of these questions.  In those cases, it's   better to say this explicitly rather than to simply omit the section,   as this will confirm that the information was not simply omitted.   The main thing to remember when providing information in these   categories is that those traveling to the event have not been there   before, so one should not assume a high level of background knowledge   about the area, its customs, etc.3.1.  Travel   o  Recommended airport(s) for domestic and international connections.      To avoid confusion, include the appropriate International Air      Transport Association (IATA) airport code(s) whenever possible.   o  Non-flight options to get to the city where the meeting is being      held (e.g., if there are convenient rail travel options).3.1.1.  Transit between the Airport or Train Station and Primary Hotels   Information in this section is especially critical if the airport is   significantly distant from the venue or use of a taxi is otherwise   impractical or not recommended (e.g., if attendees must use a train   or long-distance bus to get to the venue from the airport).  If train   travel options are provided as an alternative to flying, it is   recommended that the list below be provided for those options as well   (e.g., transit between the train station and primary hotel).George                        Informational                     [Page 5]

RFC 6640                    IETF Meeting FAQs                  June 2012   o  Estimated travel time.  This is also important for return travel      from the venue to the airport.  It is worth noting any      recommendations about leaving extra time if airport security and      check-in is always busy or if there will be significant      differences in travel time due to rush hour traffic.   o  Shuttles (if applicable).   o  Arranging transit directly with the hotel (if applicable).  Hotels      sometimes provide car service or are willing to pay taxi bills      upon your arrival so that the charges can be added to the hotel      bill instead of requiring local currency.  It is helpful to know      in advance if this is common or uncommon in the local area.3.1.1.1.  Taxi Information   o  Credit cards accepted?  Which ones?   o  Foreign currency accepted?   o  Estimated costs for taxis, as well as any rules/recommendations      about metered fares versus fixed-rate or pre-negotiated fares   o  Description of "official" taxis if appropriate   o  Links to websites or phone numbers for remote/pre-booking taxis   o  How to find the taxi stand at the airport/train station   o  Printable local-language address card to show taxi driver in case      of language barrier   o  Ride sharing (the IETF wiki usually has a section where attendees      can post arrival times and work out taxi sharing)3.1.1.2.  Mass Transit   Navigating an unfamiliar mass transit system can be challenging.   Things that seem obvious to locals may not be obvious to visitors.   o  English map   o  How and where to purchase farecards/tokens   o  How to use tickets/tokens (where to insert them, how to get them      stamped, how to transfer, etc.)George                        Informational                     [Page 6]

RFC 6640                    IETF Meeting FAQs                  June 2012   o  How trains/buses are labeled and how to identify the destination      of a particular train/bus   o  The general frequency of service -- in particular, whether one      should just go to the station or consult a schedule first   o  Which transit system to use for which destination (when there are      multiple transit systems in the area)   o  Nearby stations and how to identify a station entrance (common      logo, color, etc.)   o  It may be helpful to advise when things are not commonly labeled      in a western character set (e.g., place signs) and provide      pictures or unicode text representations of the signage as it will      appear.3.1.2.  Getting Around near the Conference Venue   The same information relevant for airport transit will likely be   relevant here, including taxi and mass transit information.  If   possible, walking directions between the conference venue and the   hotel(s) should be provided if the venue is not co-located with the   hotel.   Additionally, it is helpful to note if having a vehicle available   (rental or personal car) is a help or a hindrance in getting around   in the local area.  For example, it may not be recommended to try to   drive in the area near the conference venue due to:   o  Parking availability and costs   o  Congestion charges and other restrictions on when and where one      can drive   o  Traffic3.2.  Regional/International Considerations   o  Plug type/voltage.  This can simply be a reference to      electricaloutlet.org [PLUGS] unless there are specific exceptions      or details that need to be highlighted.   o  Visa requirements, pointers regarding travel documents.  IETF      typically provides information about visas via a pointer to an      embassy or similar page that has general information about common      types of visas, when they are required, waived, etc.  It also      includes information about how to obtain a letter of invitationGeorge                        Informational                     [Page 7]

RFC 6640                    IETF Meeting FAQs                  June 2012      should one be required.  It is helpful to provide information that      goes beyond that, especially if there are known issues where it      may be difficult for entrants from certain countries to get a visa      processed in the time between when the meeting is announced and      when travel must commence.  If there are expedite processes, this      is a good place to discuss them.   o  Languages commonly spoken   o  National/regional holidays, work stoppages/strikes, or other      issues that may impact travel or business hours during the week of      IETF3.2.1.  Health and Safety   o  Phone numbers to access local emergency services (e.g., 911, 112,      999, etc.)   o  Closest health clinic/hospital facilities   o  Areas of high crime to avoid   o  Common local scams, including taxi scams   o  Hostile flora and fauna and how to identify/avoid   o  Local air-quality considerations.  Everyone has different      thresholds for "unhealthy" air quality, and those with health or      respiratory problems may need to be able to locate local air-      quality monitoring information to determine how to best prepare      themselves.   o  Smoking rules      *  Are most bars and restaurants smoking or non-smoking?  Are         separate smoking sections available?      *  Rules about smoking in public places      *  Availability of dedicated smoking/non-smoking rooms in hotels      *  Rules about smoking outdoors3.2.1.1.  Water Availability   o  Is local tap water potable/drinkable?  If not, is it truly unsafe      because of impurities or contamination or does it simply taste bad      by local standards?George                        Informational                     [Page 8]

RFC 6640                    IETF Meeting FAQs                  June 2012   o  How does one differentiate between tap water and bottled in a      restaurant when ordering?   o  Are water fountains/bubblers or water bottle refill taps commonly      available in public places?3.2.2.  Money   o  General credit card acceptance in common locations, including any      restrictions (e.g., requires a 'Chip and PIN' card, no American      Express, etc.)   o  ATM locations near the venue and at the airport.  Note whether      these accept foreign cards, which systems they participate in, and      whether they have an English language option.   o  Tipping customs, particularly for taxis, restaurants, and hotel      staff   o  Currency conversion rate -- a reference to a currency converter      site, e.g., Yahoo!  [CURRENCY] will suffice unless there are      specific conversion details believed to be relevant   o  In establishments where foreign currency is accepted either for      purchase or for exchange, note whether this is recommended or not      due to favorable or unfavorable exchange rates, etc.   o  For what types of purchases (if any) bargaining/haggling on the      price is expected or customary, and if so, customary methods for      successful bargaining3.3.  Food   The nature of IETF's schedule means that food and drink provide both   a welcome break as well as a venue to continue discussions with   colleagues, either related to IETF work, other shop talk, or anything   *but* shop talk.  During IETF's lunch break, approximately 1000   people are simultaneously looking for reasonably priced lunch   options, with time frames ranging from "grab and go" for a working   lunch to 75 minutes for a sit-down meal.  When meetings have   concluded for the day, the wide variety of attendees means that   people are looking for all types of food, all price ranges, and   atmospheres ranging from a place suitable for an in-depth   conversation to a table at the bar.  The more information that is   available about the food and drink options nearby, the better.  This   information is especially helpful during the first few days of theGeorge                        Informational                     [Page 9]

RFC 6640                    IETF Meeting FAQs                  June 2012   conference, because the number of folks looking for assistance from   the hotel concierge or other information desk staff at one time tends   to overwhelm the personnel available.3.3.1.  Restaurants   It's generally helpful to note whether restaurants require/recommend   reservations, if they have busy/rush times that should be avoided or   planned for, etc.   It's helpful for restaurants to be categorized by:   o  Price   o  Proximity to venue (it's useful to highlight quick options for      lunch breaks)   o  Type of cuisine (this is a great place to highlight local      specialties and favorites)   o  Special dietary needs such as vegan, vegetarian, halal, and      kosher.  It's also extremely helpful to discuss methods for      communicating these needs to restaurant staff when ordering.  A      more in-depth discussion of dietary concerns can be found in      [HEALTHY-FOOD].3.3.2.  Other Food Items   o  Local grocery/convenience stores -- for attendees who cannot find      restaurant options that meet their dietary needs   o  Coffee shops and tea houses nearby -- specifically, where can we      find the best espresso or cup of tea?   o  Bars and pubs nearby   o  Restaurants or pubs with private rooms or large seating areas for      big groups3.4.  Communications and Electronics   o  Places to purchase local SIMs and types of mobile voice/data      service supported, (e.g., Global System for Mobile Communications      (GSM), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Universal Mobile      Telecommunications System (UMTS), CDMA, etc.)   o  Places to get replacement electronics and accessories (e.g., power      cords, adapters, batteries, etc.)George                        Informational                    [Page 10]

RFC 6640                    IETF Meeting FAQs                  June 2012   o  Public Wi-Fi access (outside of hotel and venue) including Wi-Fi      availability in the recommended airports, mass transit, etc.3.5.  Weather   o  Link to a site or brief information on temperature and humidity      norms for the time of year when the meeting will be held, e.g.,      Weather Underground [WEATHER]   o  If this is an area known for extreme weather, note any amenities      to make travel easier, such as enclosed walkways or indoor      passages between buildings.   o  This also refers to indoor weather: what is the common indoor      temperature?3.6.  Fitness   o  Soccer: If the weather cooperates, it is common for some IETFers      to try to hold a "soccer BoF" -- a pick-up soccer game sometime      during the week of IETF.  Thus, a field appropriate for soccer in      close proximity to the venue is useful information to have.   o  Running/walking paths or routes.  Some folks prefer this method      for exercise over using a treadmill.3.7.  Tourism and Souvenirs   While this is certainly not necessary information for the primary   goal of an IETF attendee, many attendees earmark a day or two on   either side of the conference for sightseeing, so this is an   opportunity to highlight local attractions.  Links to sites   containing information about walking tours, local tourist attractions   and the like are certainly appreciated.  If there are events   scheduled adjacent to IETF such as music or food festivals, cultural   events, etc., attendees are happy to hear about these events as well.   Additionally, many attendees choose to purchase souvenirs as gifts or   for personal use.  In addition to the standard "tourist-trap" items   such as t-shirts and knick-knacks, many attendees look for items that   are locally crafted, local specialties, or otherwise significant to   the local area and culture.  This is another topic that can be   highlighted in the information provided to attendees.George                        Informational                    [Page 11]

RFC 6640                    IETF Meeting FAQs                  June 20124.  Acknowledgements   Thanks to the following folks (and probably others the author has   unintentionally forgotten) for their valuable feedback: Dave Crocker,   Simon Perreault, Joe Touch, Lee Howard, Jonathan Lennox, Tony Hansen,   Vishnu Ram, Paul Kyzivat, Karen Seo, Randy Bush, Mary Barnes, John   Klensin, Brian Carpenter, Adrian Farrel, Stephen Farrell, Yaacov   Weingarten, L. David Baron, Samuel Weiler, SM, Ole Jacobsen, David   Black, Stewart Bryant, Benoit Claise, and Lawrence Conroy.5.  Security Considerations   This document is not a protocol specification and therefore contains   no protocol security considerations.  However, some of the above   items refer to the physical security of IETF participants and their   property.  This document is not intended to be a comprehensive   discussion of physical security matters for IETF attendees.6.  Informative References   [CURRENCY]      Yahoo!, "Yahoo! Currency Converter",                   <http://finance.yahoo.com/currency-converter/>.   [HEALTHY-FOOD]  Barnes, M., "Healthy Food and Special Dietary                   Requirements for IETF meetings", Work in Progress,                   March 2012.   [HIROSHIMA]     Jacobsen, O., "A Visitor's Guide to Hiroshima", 2009,                   <http://hiroshima-info.info>.   [PLUGS]         electricaloutlet.org, "Worldwide Electrical Outlet                   List", <http://electricaloutlet.org/>.   [WEATHER]       "Weather Underground",                   <http://www.wunderground.com/>.   [WEBARCHIVE]    "Internet Archive: Wayback Machine",                   <http://archive.org/web/web.php>.   [WIKI]          IETF, "IETF Meeting Wiki", 2011,                   <http://www.ietf.org/registration/MeetingWiki/wiki/doku.php>.George                        Informational                    [Page 12]

RFC 6640                    IETF Meeting FAQs                  June 2012Author's Address   Wesley George   Time Warner Cable   13820 Sunrise Valley Drive   Herndon, VA  20171   USA   Phone: +1 703-561-2540   EMail: wesley.george@twcable.comGeorge                        Informational                    [Page 13]