US Customs Concerns

[Prince Artemis]

Okay, so for the purposes of this con I bought a new camcorder and a lap top. My flight so far looks like it'll be going from Halifax NS, to Washington, to Detroit Metro.

Now, my big concern is that my stuff might get confiscated. I've been hearing/reading a lot of stuff about laptops being seized at customs and that there's actually no regulations about it. Has anyone had any issues with this, and if so, what tips do you have for making things go smoothly?

[Greyaxe]

Drive.

[Prince Artemis]

Unfortunately, that's not really an option at this point. The only way I could and not take a day to get there is get a flight to ottawa or toronto and the cheapest i could find for that is $690 one way.

[Greyaxe]

I have a friend who travels through the US regularly, from the Cayman Islands. He is regularly harrased by US customs. At one time he had a bottle of 25 year old Tortuga rum, unopnened. The custome official told him he would have to confiscate it. Brian opened the bottle took as big a swig as possible and dumped the rest on the floor. He has had his luggage opened and items have gone missing, no report, no explanation. This totalitarian attitude when flying does not make sence and does nothing to make anyone safer, it just destroys freedoms.

[Spinachcat]

1. Go to the US Customs page and read the most current regulations.
2. Do the same for the Canadian Customs page.
3. Go to your airline website and read the most current regulations.
4. Have a backup of any important data kept at home...just in case.
5. Change your screensaver from "Bin Ladin Lives!" to something more mellow.
6. Erase all the porn. Again, just in case.

I like to carry anything vital with me as a carry-on. I also get less hassle because if I have a computer with me, its for business. I notice that vacation travellers tend to get more inspection. Since you are technically an internet journalist, you may want to have the OH be a business trip for you.

BTW, when carrying alcohol, just have your receipts and have the alcohol stored with the luggage and not with carry-ons. I buy wine and spirits abroad and never had a problem. US customs never hassles me over anything since its all either duty-free or under the legal limits for value. I have no idea what Canadian customs are like when flying.

[J. Lionheart]

Shouldn't be any issue, unless you're packing something you're not supposed to, or try to be evasive about it. I've flown in and out of the country several times, to/from China, Canada, England, and France, and never had any issues returning. It may help that I'm a U.S. citizen rather than a foreign national, but still - haven't had any trouble going in elsewhere, either.

The basic rules of passing through security, of any type, anywhere, are as follows:

1) Don't bring things you're not supposed to bring. ("Oh, that gun?")
2) Don't do things you're not supposed to do. ("I can cheat on my declaration a little bit, right?")
3) Don't joke or make comments about bringing/doing either of the above. ("What, you think I have a bomb in my bag?")
4) Be polite, or at the very least, don't be impolite. ("You're a waste of tax-payer dollars, you're just holding me up for fun!")
5) Be honest. ("...and this is my mom. Well, my sister. Ok, actually she's my neice. Err, that is to say...")

I'm a fed, and work in security operations at a major airport. Believe me when I say, the above things will do wonders. The average security person sees thousands of people in a day, many of whom are angry, rude, or otherwise unpleasant. The less time they have to spend on you, the better. If you don't give them a reason to probe deeper, they'll move you through as rapidly as they can. If you set off alarm bells by doing the above though, they are duty-bound to pursue it.

[Prince Artemis]

Shouldn't be any issue, unless you're packing something you're not supposed to, or try to be evasive about it. I've flown in and out of the country several times, to/from China, Canada, England, and France, and never had any issues returning. It may help that I'm a U.S. citizen rather than a foreign national, but still - haven't had any trouble going in elsewhere, either.

The basic rules of passing through security, of any type, anywhere, are as follows:

1) Don't bring things you're not supposed to bring. ("Oh, that gun?")
2) Don't do things you're not supposed to do. ("I can cheat on my declaration a little bit, right?")
3) Don't joke or make comments about bringing/doing either of the above. ("What, you think I have a bomb in my bag?")
4) Be polite, or at the very least, don't be impolite. ("You're a waste of tax-payer dollars, you're just holding me up for fun!")
5) Be honest. ("...and this is my mom. Well, my sister. Ok, actually she's my neice. Err, that is to say...")

I'm a fed, and work in security operations at a major airport. Believe me when I say, the above things will do wonders. The average security person sees thousands of people in a day, many of whom are angry, rude, or otherwise unpleasant. The less time they have to spend on you, the better. If you don't give them a reason to probe deeper, they'll move you through as rapidly as they can. If you set off alarm bells by doing the above though, they are duty-bound to pursue it.

Yeah, those are the rules i planned on following. I'm bringing my camera gear, laptop and clothes and that's it. I don't drink so theres no real issue there. The lap top is brand new. I'm not putting anything on it file wise (Like my manuscript for Rifts Anarchy, that would be fun to explain) but i'm getting one of those branding needles to write my name/number on the back just in case.

Otherwise, I tend to be as polite as canadianly possible.

[Greyaxe]

Otherwise, I tend to be as polite as canadianly possible.

Don't be too polite it confuses them.