Grants:Wikimania scholars/Wikimania 2016 Travel Information

Prior to departure

Check that your passport expiration date is more than 6 months from your return date, and that you have the appropriate VISA if needed.
Contact your bank credit card or ATM provider BEFORE you depart your home city as many banks enforce strict identity-theft procedures and may put a hold on your account if you attempt to use your bank card overseas without advance notice.
We strongly encourage people bring just a carry-on bag as their main piece of luggage (do not check it!) as it will be difficult to have luggage sent to the village if it becomes lost in transit. Also, pack light, as you will need to lift and carry this bag to shuttles, your accommodations, etc.
Pack adaptor(s) for electricity if traveling from North America or outside western Europe (see “Electricity” below).
Check-in to your flight 24 hours in advance to confirm flight numbers and times (both on your outbound and return flights).
Many of your flights have been booked for months and flight numbers and times may have changed.

Personal Travel Changes

If you are traveling before and/or after Wikimania for holiday or personal time and need to change your reservation, this would be at your own expense with the travel agency or airline directly.

Flight delays/missed connections

If your flight is delayed due to weather, mechanical issues, or if you have connections that you are likely to miss, please consult with the airline first in person at the ticketing counter.

If WMF made your reservation, contact Travel and Transport for assistance:
- From US and Canada: +1 (888) 251-2033
- Outside the US and Canada: +1 (402) 399-4667 (Collect calls are accepted)
- Email: semail@tandt.com
If you need additional help, contact Doreen, Travel Manager at +1 415-757-8502, or Ellie Young, WMF Events Manager, at +1 510-701-8649. Please add these phone numbers to your phone contact list. Note: Doreen and Ellie (WMF Events Manager) will also be in Italy beginning June 20th to assist.
In addition, you can email: travelmanager@wikimedia.org and if you are on the ground in North/South America

If you booked your own flights, call the airline directly or the travel agency you booked through. WMF travel team has no authority to access and/or make changes to your flights on your behalf.

Address information for customs/immigration

Use the following hotel address in Esino Lario if you are asked, “Where are you staying?” on customs/immigration forms:

Albergo La Montanina

Via Adamello, 5

23825 Esino Lario, Italy

The address of the organization that is hosting/organizing Wikimania and managing accommodations:

Associazione Comitato Wikimania Esino Lario 2016

via Montefiori, 19

23825 Esino Lario (LC) Italy

Transportation to/from Airport

For WMF Full Scholarship recipients (where WMF and their travel agency booked your travel), you will have a reserved, prepaid seat on the direct shuttles as the following dates: Direct Shuttle Option:

June 21 and 23 only: To Esino Lario from the Malpensa (MXP) and Linate (LIN) Airports
June 27: From Esino Lario to Malpensa (MXP) or Linate (LIN) Airports
Shuttle schedule
For info on arriving/departing by train, car or bus, check out the journey page.

If you are making your own arrangement to arrive by train, car or bus...

Accommodation and Venue

Check-in and Registration

Piazza Italia (lobby of a former hotel)

All buses will stop at the Piazza.
If you are traveling by car, there will be signs indicating how to reach the “reception” area.
You will receive registration materials, key to your accommodations and location.
You will be taken to your hotel/apartment.

Venue

Please follow this page, which being updated by the Esino Lario team in the coming weeks.

Meals

All meals are included from dinner on June 21 through breakfast on June 27.

Breakfast will be in one of the hotels/restaurants/bars of the village.

For those lodged in the apartments outside the town, breakfast will be provided in the apartment.

Lunch and dinner will also be served in one of the hotels/restaurants of the town by a specialized catering company.
Locations and times will be in the program.

Safety/Security/Medical Services

TBA from local team about who to contact/call for medical non-emergencies and urgent medical emergencies.

Non-emergency medical issues
Emergency medical issues
Closest hospital/clinics, etc
Friendly space policy [1]

If you have a personal or medical emergency, please be aware that WMF contracts with UnitedHealthcare Global on behalf of WMF staff, boards, volunteers and their families while traveling on Wikimedia business. Please call them at their Emergency Response Center for Assistance Services, which is open 24 hours a day/7 days a week (Italy: 800 877 204).

Data Plan/Cell Service

Activate your phone’s global capabilities before your trip; purchase a data plan with your carrier; or purchase a prepaid SIM card in Italy.

This TripAdvisor article summarizes the options that a foreign visitor has regarding the purchasing of a pre-paid SIM card in Italy. It can be done before or during the trip.
Ellie advises purchasing either a Vodafone or TIM SIM card. Connectivity in Esino Lario is provided by these two telecom companies.

Communication/Connectivity in Esino Lario

The local technical chair has guaranteed Internet to be available in all conference sites.
There will be a collaborative area in the central square that will be open 24/7 for anyone who needs internet access. Additional outdoor access areas are being planned now.
Internet will be available in two hotels
- Montanina
- Centrale

Two dorms further from the center will have also internet access
- Villa Rogo
- Scout centre/Ristoro

Internet will not be available in private residences.
Based on the number of towers available in and around Esino Lario, normal use of web via mobile should work, but there are different factors that are difficult to foresee (i.e. specific location, radio available on users' mobiles, etc.) to know how the Internet experience will be for the different users. Please note that the organizers are in contact with the telecom operators to advocate for better connectivity, and some of them have upgraded their infrastructures.

Electricity

Electrical sockets (outlets) usually supply electricity at between 220 and 240 volts AC. If you are traveling from North America or a non-European country, you will likely need to bring an adapter.

Esino Lario / Region Background & Facts

Esino Lario is a municipality of the Lecco province, which is located in northern Italy along Lake Como and approximately 35 mi/60 km north of Milan. There is no airport in Esino Lario--Milan is the closest major city. While secure transportation between Milan and Esino Lario is recommended, travelers can also reach the city by train and bus. The latter options will require stops in either Bellano, Perledo or Varenna (each between 5 mi/8 km and 10 mi/15 km away from Esino Lario) before the last leg of travel to Esino Lario. Once in Esino Lario, travelers will find the area to be easily traversable by foot.

While the area is not known as having a high crime rate, travelers should still avoid walking alone at night, overtly displaying wealth or leaving valuables unattended while in the area. Travelers should keep in mind that strikes in Milan, or other areas of Italy, could inhibit travel to or from Esino Lario; however, labor actions are unlikely to occur in the municipality itself. Additionally, while terrorism is a nationwide concern, larger cities -- including Milan -- are more likely to be targeted.