Questions

Oh Ashley it's so easy...

When you get your pack 5-6 weeks before we leave you have all your paperwork there ready to go. You just give it to them as your cross the boarder, maybe fill out an I-94 card, and boom done. No charge to you.

 

That does sound easy! Except for the crossing the border thing - I may be missing something, but I'm assuming I'm going to be in the air sitting in coach on a plane somwhere when I cross the border.

 

lol well in that case when you clear customs

 

Ah US Customs, the grumpiest customs in the world, although the last time i visited in Sept. the guy tried to chat me up i think :S haha

 

Tell me about it, I didn't have the most plesent of ladies when I was on my way to Florida.

 

I was travelling alone and wearing a baseball cap, so single, young guy, travelling on September 11th, didn't look to suspicious did i?lol, i got searched 4 times in total, very efficient i must say :S

 

I HAAAATE going through US customs. I had many grumpy, angry customs people that I had to deal with in the past. The worst was the last time when the guy didn't know my visa ( one of the most common ones for the States ) included 4 weeks of travel after you finish your contract. He left with my documents and another customs lady came asking where he went so I told her. She went looking for him and he came back a few minutes later asking me if I thought he couldn't do his job. Well obviously not!!!! They shouldn't be able to get away with being so obnoxious! If I would talk to people that way at work I would get fired.

Julia

 

The problem is the amount of power they hold, its the same with any form of security really, i know bouncers back here and security that just do what they as they know it'll be their word against yours!

 

Got to say I've had worse than the American customs. The Vietnamese ones wouldn't let one of the people I was with through because she didn't look enough like her photo (she had her hair up in the photo and down when we were leaving, or maybe vice versa, but that's the only difference I could see!) and it took about ten minutes of convincing of someone with about fifty other documents with her photo and name on before he'd let her through. And this was to get OUT of the country! None of them were particularly happy looking either...

I like the Calgary customs people, we have random chats with them. Much fun

 

Omygosh, I was stuck in Calgary for twelve hours before my disney interveiw and the only thing keeping me sane there was talking to the employees. Definately very friendly there! The taxi drivers were dodgy, however, and I have some horror stories from that trip!

The only time I've ever been through customs is when I took a touristy trip through Greece, and they were so laidback there! They asked me why I was so interested in Greece and all that

 

I had very good experiences with the people who work at the security check points on my last trip. My hand luggage was soooo heavy and stuffed full with crap and the poor girl there had to open it because one of my belts apparently looked like a weapon ( haha ). I had tons of shoes, belts and jewlery in there and everything that was heavy. She was like "oh it seems like you like belts a lot. And shoes. And jewlery" and then she was asking me where I am heading to and if I had fun in the States and a million other things. She was really nice. I only really had to deal with US and Canadian customs so far but yeah I prefer Canadian, too. They are more laid back in general.

Julia

 

i get checked no matter wherei am going and my bags always get checked too.

us customs are scary lol but i always smile and try not to look like a drug smuggler or terrorist.

worst place for customs for me was egypt. the airport was an old army style one in the middle of nowhere. metal detectors to pass thru as u enter the building. then metal detectors and luggage scanners, then the third degree form officials about why we were visiting etc etc etc. mind u even the hotels and large hops had metal detectors to walk through over there and its one of the countries where you have to give up your passport to the hotel when you arrive and you can only have it back when you check out!!!!

 

Argh Eygpt is awful! We flew into the airport which could best be described as a shed in the desert - The same guy that was putting you throw customs was the same bloke making the cups of tea in the cafe!

And when they stopped the customs process to do 12:00 preys most of us thought we had landed in the wrong place

 

Egypt would scare me either way lol
I usually never get searched, this was one of the few times I did and it was probably because I had a million things with me ( that's what happens when you live in the States for 18 months ). I never got searched by customs, only at the security check maybe three times and I have been on tons of flights ( first time when I was 9 ).

Julia