GUEST POST: While I am on the road this week and exploring Madrid, I’ve arranged for some of my favorite travel bloggers to share their travel stories and advice here. So enjoy, give our guest bloggers lots of love and be sure to check out the author’s site.
They say that half the fun of traveling is getting there. While standing in line at an airport immigration or customs counter this proverb often proves false. No one likes going through customs. Long lines, tired travelers, crying babies: All held together by a barely perceptible current of hostility.
No, it’s not fun. I’ve faced it dozens of time and am still:
a) Frightened by the entire process. Ending up on the wrong end of a rubber-gloved body cavity search is no fun.
b) Angry with the bureaucracy and inefficiency. I hate queues of any variety.
Believe it or not, you can breeze through international borders by following some simple steps:
Leave your emotions at the door
There’s nothing you can do once you’re in line. You’re part of the mass of humanity pressing against an imaginary line on a map. Getting angry, being vocal, will not help your cause. This is one time to focus on your destination, not the journey. Bangkok isn’t going anywhere, the 30 minutes you spend at the customs counter isn’t going to change that. Stay in line, take deep breaths, and think happy thoughts of cool drinks under a warm sun
Be prepared
You’ve seen them standing before the immigration officials: The unprepared travelers. It doesn’t matter that he has been waiting in line for nearly an hour, his passport is still stowed away deep in a shoulder bag. You don’t want to be him. It’s bad karma.
Have everything in hand: Your passport, entry card, customs declaration, health/illness form, airline tickets, when you hit the front of the line. Ensure any other documents you might need are easily accessible. You don’t want to conduct a frantic search for receipts or immunization records after a 10 hour flight.
Completed the forms as neatly as possible. Take your time, print clearly, like you’re back in kindergarten. In some countries, the English alphabet is not the norm. Hastily filling in your immigration forms, using a fellow traveler’s back as a desk, will not endear you to officials. I was once hauled out of line after a long night flight because the signature on my entry form didn’t match the signature in my passport.
Having a small folder or notebook to hold necessary documents is a very good idea. Subdivide the documents and fasten similar ones with an elastic band or paperclip. If you are asked to produce something extra you’ll know right where it is.
Be nice
Do you think the immigration or customs inspector likes his or her job? They sit in a little booth all day or night, looking at passports and searching for contraband. This is enough to make anyone surly. Remember what your mother told you: Say please and thank you. Follow the golden rule: Treat other the way you want to be treated. Smiling, and being prepared (see above) will go a long way to forging a good yet temporary relationship with the gatekeeper.
Be cordial but not overly friendly. Don’t tell jokes or make wisecracks, the guards will think you are hiding something. Take the headphones out of your ears and give the inspector your complete attention.
Immigration and customs are like death and taxes: Constants in the travelers’ life. By staying cool and using a little forethought, you can breeze through queues a much happier traveler.
About the Author:
Steve once braved the frozen tundra of northern Canada as a reporter and photographer. He now calls southern China home and enjoys the humid clime more than the bone-numbing cold of his native land. He misses little of North America: Riding in the back of a Canadian air force transport plane and crossing a Chinese street both hold the same level of danger and excitement. After traveling extensively in south-east China he has plans to see and photograph more of Asia. When not shooting photographs or writing he works as an ESL educator and administrator at a private school. Visit him online at Asian Ramblings.
July 4th, 2008 at 12:35 am
Steve-
As a person who spends lots of time in immigration lines, I appreciate this advice. I particularly agree with “Be nice.” It’s actually not impossible to have a pleasant exchange with an immigration agent… I recently walked away with contact information for an interview after talking with the agent about being a writer. He was really excited… it’s important to remember that these agents are human, too!
Julies last blog post..Mexico City Protest: 400 Pueblos Demand “Respuesta”
July 4th, 2008 at 3:21 am
I am always polite and cordial when I am arriving at a foreign port, but I never fail to be somewhat rotten at home.
After spending the majority of each of the past 5 years outside of Canada, I am always greeted as a criminal when I arrive home. The custom guards do not seem to comprehend seasonal work, frugal spending and an international playground as possibilities. I have repeatedly been asked about my work over seas, which has never existed, and been asked to prove myself by showing bank, spending and personal records.
When one official went so far as to suggest that I would not be permitted entry, I simply asked, where is a Canadian Citizen supposed to go if he cannot go home?
Jeff Bartletts last blog post..Happiness
July 4th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Solid advice. As someone who gets pulled aside every single time I go through customs, it’s sometimes hard to constantly stay nice and not irritable.
Just had a recent experience where it started out rough but quickly transitioned into a jovial dialogue.
Lolas last blog post..Getting the nerd’s eye view of the market
July 4th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Julie: So true. In line to get back into China I was presented with a rather dour immigration clerk. He motioned me forward and I gave a big smile. He smiled back, just as wide, before remembering he was a security official and had to look official. The smile disappeared but I was past the checkpoint in a heartbeat.
Jeff: I have not had the pleasure of returning home in 3.5 years. I fear Canada Customs. In the past most of my problems have revolved around trying to enter the USA. American guards don’t like me. Must be my devilish Canadian charm.
Lola: I try to treat each customs encounter as something fresh. If you bear grudges you are doomed from the get-go.
July 4th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Steve - Just to clarify. Traversing the world on an African passport is quite the challenge
Lolas last blog post..Postcard: I Pledge Allegiance
July 4th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Lola: I know the problems you face. Two of my colleagues travel on Trinidadian and Jamaican passports. There is no end to the problems they face in each country they visit.
With the heightened security surrounding the Beijing Olympics everyone entering or leaving is being given a thorough vetting. The last time I left the country my passport was put under some sort of microscope-thingy.
July 5th, 2008 at 10:40 am
I believe you need to be respectful, but stern at the same time. Don’t let them walk up and down you because your a foreigner. My last two trips out of the country, when I come back home, I’ve received a “Welcome home” greeting from the customs official. Now that is unexpected, but I’ll take it.
Anthonys last blog post..What’s in a Name
August 12th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you down the road!
AlexMs last blog post..Russia and Georgia