Hangzhou Global Tour: Day 26

This morning we had a bit of free time to ourselves, but most of mine was spent packing for the last major leg of this Global Tour. Today we’ll board an Air France flight to Boston, which happens to be a sister city to Hangzhou.

After one last walk around Paris, I headed back to the lobby of our hotel to meet up with the team. Once there, I learned some unfortunate drama had ensued. We learned that our film crew had been out the evening before filming some aerial shots, when two of them were arrested for illegally flying a drone in Paris airspace. The crew had been using the drone in every country we visited, and so apparently it didn’t dawn on any of us to check local laws in Paris. In addition to getting their very expensive quadcopter confiscated, the two filmmakers are required to return to Paris to face the charges. Initially, it looked like our filmmakers were going to be let go with a warning and fine, but unfortunately a language barrier resulted in the authorities thinking our team members were taunting them. Our film crew members speak Mandarin, Cantonese and some English. The French authorities spoke French and some English. During the interrogation the French authorities apparently asked our filmmakers to turn on the drone, while inside. Our filmmakers tried to communicate that it is not safe to do so inside. Something got lost in translation, and so more severe consequences were encountered.

Thankfully, our team was released on their own recognizance and we soon boarded our flight to Boston without further incident.

Stay tuned for my update from our first day in Boston.

Mike Shubic

Mike Shubic is a seasoned road trip travel video blogger, traversing the byways of the world looking for those hidden gems of the road. From unique destinations, unexpected discoveries, creative cuisine, intriguing inns to exciting attractions…the road is his page. The experiences are his ink. And every 300 miles, a new chapter begins. Whether you live vicariously or by example, Mike will do the exploring so you can have an adventure.