We are now about 3 weeks from the start of the Winter Olympics in Milan, which means that starting Feb 6th many of you will be tuning in to watch the Games. The Olympics start soon, but the planning process for me started almost two years ago, and let me tell you, it is not like planning any other trip. I have gotten messages from many of you, asking questions about my lodging and transportation. I chuckle when I read comments like "you might want to stay at this place" or "can't you take a helicopter from one location to another?"
Let me start with the key differences between going to the Olympics and a visit to Milan any other time.
Accreditation
Traveling to Italy for vacation would normally only require a passport and some money, but to work at the Olympics, the first step is to get accreditation (which happened about two years ago). This involves applications, approvals, security clearances and more. I should also mention that there are MANY different levels of accreditation for the Games. I always request the top-level photography pass that gives me access to all events.
Flights
Flights to the Games are almost always booked well in advance, with little room to make last minute changes. As it was this time around, I found out a couple of months ago, that the first ice hockey games start the day before the Opening Ceremony, so I had to change flights. If this had happened now, it would be very hard to find a good flight into Milan. I booked my original flight 10 months ago, as soon as the airlines would allow me to make a reservation. As for trying to get air transportation between the Olympic clusters, this is impossible for two reasons: Taking a helicopter or other air transportation would be impossibly expensive, and even if I had that kind of budget, the airspace will be locked down. I talked to a good friend of mine who has his own private jet and is used to easy travel wherever he goes, and even he could not get that kind of transport for the Olympics. Only select VIPs will be traveling by air between the different clusters.
Hotels
If you or I were flying to Milan any other time, we could look up different hotels and easily pick one that fits our needs and our budget. During the Olympics, this same criteria does not exist. Firstly, most of the hotels in the city have been booked for years, and secondly the rates are going to be sky high. Much higher than most media people could afford. We are lucky, in that we have subsidized housing at certain hotels which had been designated for the press. These are under the Olympic Organizing Committee (IOC) control, and we cannot contact them directly for any help. So, when someone suggests a certain hotel in the city, I already know that this is not an option.
About a year ago, I was granted access to the housing portal for these Games and selected my 3 top choices of press hotels. About a month later I got my allocation, and it was none of those three. I contacted the housing group and was able to get a different press hotel located near the main hockey arena. I had to pay them in full about 6 months ago, and now the rooming list and dates are locked in. I hope that the hotel is nice, but I never really know. If you have been reading the blog for a long time, you may recall some of the horrendous places I have stayed in the past, especially in Russia and Japan. I like to have a clean, comfortable and quiet room, but at the Olympics, the location is the most important factor since time is short, and I will be working crazy hours.
Transportation
If I were visiting Milan for vacation, I would probably rely on a rental car, the train system or maybe Uber. I would be relaxed and in no hurry to get from one place to another. During the Olympics, time is compressed and every minute counts. I need to find the most efficient routes from the hotel to the Main Press Center (MPC) and venues, also remembering that I am transporting a lot of camera gear that is heavy and valuable. Driving my own vehicle is not an option since parking is difficult near any venue, there are also countless security checkpoints which would slow me down, and I could not use the Olympic lanes on the roads. FYI, almost every Olympic city will paint the Olympic Rings on certain lanes of any road leading to a venue, so that only official vehicles can use these. This allows us media to move between venues without much traffic. Then again, I am not sure if I will ever be on the roads, since I may be relying only on the train system. This is still unclear.
Packing
On a typical visit to Italy during the winter, I would put most of my packing effort on my clothing. Since I am not much of a fashion guy, this would be mostly casual clothing, jackets, shoes and packed in a carry-on bag. The weather in the city of Milan should be between 30F and 55F, so nothing too extreme. I will be spending a large amount of time inside ice rinks, so I need to plan for cold temperatures for most of every day.
At the Olympics, most of my stress level is in packing all my camera gear, laptops, accessories, and everything I need to get the photos for Team USA. The clothing is secondary (but still important). Now, instead of traveling with a carry-on bag and a camera backpack, I will likely have a large suitcase for my clothing, a medium sized camera backpack, and a large rolling camera bag. I will be posting a blog, talking about, and showing all my equipment (including some new gear!) right before I fly out.
More to come my friends.
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