US citizen visiting SO's family in Spain for Christmas: will I be asked to show proof of accommodation? Do I really need a letter of invitation to pass customs? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 6, 2012 - 19 answers

Please help me determine if this flight plan through Narita (Tokyo) airport is plausible or insane. [more inside]
posted by jcrbuzz on Jul 9, 2012 - 4 answers

How to fly internationally with an infant that is not your own? My nanny and infant will travel from Paris to Italy and meet us there. Does anyone have experience with this? I don't want to put her in a difficult position with customs. [more inside]
posted by Snower on May 23, 2011 - 12 answers

Do I need a driver's license to re-enter the US from a visit to the UK? [more inside]
posted by eustacescrubb on Feb 25, 2011 - 12 answers

Will I be able to enter the US with a Canadian passport that expires in 4 1/2 months? [more inside]
posted by Pruitt-Igoe on Jan 17, 2011 - 6 answers

I will be traveling to Toronto, Canada on business. How much questioning should I expect from Canadian officials regarding the purpose of my visit? [more inside]
posted by jeremias on Nov 29, 2010 - 5 answers

I'm leaving for Bulgaria tomorrow with a bunch of professional radio/recording gear. Kindly lavish me with advice on getting there and back with all my equipment intact. [more inside]
posted by mykescipark on Jul 29, 2010 - 5 answers

I'm flying from Boston to Vancouver via Toronto on Air Canada in a couple of weeks. Where can I expect to clear Canadian customs and immigration? Toronto or Vancouver?
posted by taubman on Jan 21, 2010 - 9 answers

I'm traveling to Dallas on Northwest Airlines from Montreal Pierre Trudeau Airport tomorrow morning. I just bought three pounds of smoked meat that is NOT shrink wrapped. Can I take it? Can I carry it on? [more inside]
posted by nosila on Dec 14, 2009 - 8 answers

Canadian citizen with American green card. Traveling with no passport? [more inside]
posted by ttyn on Oct 2, 2009 - 18 answers

Flying back to Canada via US - from Amsterdam. Will US Customs hassle me about coffeeshop visits? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 8, 2009 - 18 answers

How do you answer questions about livestock proximity when coming back to the US? [more inside]
posted by RajahKing on Jun 22, 2009 - 3 answers

Returning to the States from Austria with electronic equipment: What to worry about at customs? [more inside]
posted by dunkadunc on Jun 22, 2009 - 7 answers

Is a Health Canada card considered government issued photo ID? [more inside]
posted by ascetic on May 5, 2009 - 29 answers

Will I have trouble with customs bringing homemade Indian food spice mixes (made in Australia) into Japan? [more inside]
posted by teem on Mar 8, 2009 - 7 answers

International travel with multiple connections: what's it like? And inside: declaring, connection time, and things I will probably get confiscated. [more inside]
posted by troika on Dec 19, 2008 - 14 answers

A friend from China is planning a trip to Puerto Rico. She is now in the US on an F1 visa, but it is not multiple-entry. If she flies directly from the US mainland to PR and back, does she need to show her passport and visa? Is there a possibility she will be denied entry to PR, or back to the mainland? [more inside]
posted by Wet Spot on Sep 25, 2008 - 4 answers

How did US customs know he had a ham in his carry-on bag? [more inside]
posted by RandlePatrickMcMurphy on Apr 14, 2008 - 23 answers

I'm an American traveling to Cuba legally (under a general license). What are the restrictions on what I can/cannot bring back into the U.S.?
posted by cookie googleman on Sep 17, 2007 - 3 answers

Is it legal to transport unopened bottles of wine as a minor? [more inside]
posted by tehgeekmeister on Jul 2, 2007 - 18 answers

How do you find out for certain exactly what information appears when Canadian border guards run your information through their system? A friend of mine didn't mention a minor incident that was supposed to go off his record from when he was a kid in the 70s. It appeared in their database, and they weren't too happy that he didn't mention it. He granted entry after being roughed-up verbally and doesn't want to go through the same ordeal every time. Since there is no reason to volunteer information that's not supposed to be in the system, how does one know what they are SUPPOSED to say?
posted by augustweed on Oct 10, 2006 - 18 answers

What happens when you travel with a large amount of cash? [more inside]
posted by I Love Tacos on Mar 6, 2006 - 36 answers

Jerusalem tourism advice? [more inside]
posted by FailedSeductress on Jan 6, 2006 - 21 answers

International travel for dummies. [more inside]
posted by Jimbob on Jul 25, 2005 - 14 answers

I'm scheduled to leave for Tijuana, Mexico this Thursday .. I've tried but have exhausted all possibilities for getting a copy of my birth certificate before then. Someone told me that I only need a driver's license if I'm going less than 100 miles past the border ( in San Diego ). Is this true ? Will I run into trouble if I decide to go with only my driver's license? I don't have a passport either. Thanks !
posted by jason9009 on Feb 22, 2005 - 15 answers

Hypothetical: You're abroad, temporarily resident in the home of strangers. Not a vacation. The shelter was voluntarily offered at no cost. You are vastly rich by comparison to your host/hostess. But you know they will refuse any money you give them, no matter what--it's not a coy negotiation technique. Gifts of baubles and luxuries aren't needed so much as basics. You can give the children sweets, but if you do anything more appropriate, such as buy meat for the household or pay to have the well pump fixed, your hosts will truly be insulted. Yet, you cannot leave without doing something: your religion/conscience/mother/employer requires it, and you might be back. There are no "oh, s/he's a foreigner" excuses. How do you monetarily or otherwise successfully compensate your hosts so everyone retains honor?
posted by Mo Nickels on Dec 16, 2004 - 26 answers

How seriously do people take customs forms? When coming back to the US from Europe this summer, my SO and I argued extensively on how important it was that we follow the written instructions on the customs cards handed out on the plane. I started diligently trying to recall everything we were bringing back, including foodstuffs, but she thought that wasn't necessary at all and in the end we just went through the "nothing to declare" line. How much trouble could we have got in, if we only had a few knicknacks and some Turkish Delight? What is supposed to happen, really?
posted by anonymous on Dec 11, 2004 - 10 answers