Just smile, be polite, smile, be polite, don't carry liquids, cosmetics, or any unlabelled drugs (carry prescriptions in case medicines have to be binned). Make sure your passport is modern (i.e., can be machine-read) and has no obvious flaws (my dad got 'taken in back' for having a dodgy-looking passport). Wear thick socks, as shoes will likely have to be taken off. Under no circumstances say the words bomb, scary, terrorist, death, explosives, knife, etc. in *any* tone of voice (if travelling with anyone named Baumbach, use their first name only). Don't wear steel-toed shoes or metal-studded belts; have x-rays and/or doctor's statement available if you have any metal in your body (surgical screws, etc.).
...My family travels overseas a lot.
Oh, and don't try to carry a hunting knife on board (courtesy my brother, who said, and I quote, 'But I wasn't going to use it! It's not a gun!')
Empirical evidence seems to suggest that everyone who doesn't look Middle Eastern will probably be OK (unfortunately, Homeland Security's ideas of 'Middle Eastern looking' seems to be fairly... broad.
Poor old Malik; for some reason I have a suspicion that the conversation involved the dialogue 'And what do you do for a living, why are you travelling to the States, sir?"
"I'm a Biritsh cabinet minister and I'm giving a talk to the department of Homeland Security."
It can happen at the British end too. A few years ago my father-in-law invited a distinguished African mathematician to speak at a symposium. All the paperwork was correct, but the chap spent two days as a guest(?) of the immigration officials, despite vociferous protests from both universities, so he was unable to give his paper. He was unbelievably gracious about it; f-i-l was mortified.
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chiming
idiots
Date: 2007-10-29 05:14 am (UTC)From:...My family travels overseas a lot.
Oh, and don't try to carry a hunting knife on board (courtesy my brother, who said, and I quote, 'But I wasn't going to use it! It's not a gun!')
no subject
Date: 2007-10-29 08:14 am (UTC)From:Poor old Malik; for some reason I have a suspicion that the conversation involved the dialogue 'And what do you do for a living, why are you travelling to the States, sir?"
"I'm a Biritsh cabinet minister and I'm giving a talk to the department of Homeland Security."
"Ah, a comedian!"
no subject
Date: 2007-10-29 09:32 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2007-10-30 12:52 pm (UTC)From:2) Research the rules of what NOT to bring and follow them.
3) When in doubt re: rule #1, leave it home & buy temporary substitutes at your destination (or do without).
4) Follow all posted instructions at the airport to the letter. Reserve your sense of the absurd for another place & time.
5) Be grateful your surname isn't arabic.