as I sit here tonight trying to shake off the jet lag, I thought what the hell lets give the low down on traveling from the US to Aussie land and back...starting point being DFW ... very somber and to the point at security check point...shoes off, lap top out of bag, cell phones and digital cameras in tray....you pass and if they select you, your selected to get poofed for traces of matter in a chamber ... no one smiles. its all business....

Bags are sent thru to Sydney...no personal search for international flight to OZ....but they do re-ticket you for Aussie flight...passport in hand and ticket which they tear up and reissue a new boarding pass....flight at 12:30 at night to Oz.....we arrive at 6 Aussie time into Sydney and deport to immigration and customs....the late Steve Irwin and his 2 beagles warn against any one coming into Oz with any food, raw fruit,spread like cheese or mayo or a skinned chicken which they show....Steve warns you they will find anything you might smuggle into OZ....this point you must of filled out an immigration card to enter OZ on the jet.....ask if your caring any food, been on a farm, illicit drugs....must state what your intention is for entering OZ.....holiday ( vacation) or other selections as work visa and such.....you must have this card filled out...dog comes by and sniffs each and everyone...not beagles but lab....get you passport stamped.....leave the area but you again must pass x-ray luggage as well as carryon to exit international to domestic flights...

domestic flights seems who cares....get on the jet and go....arrive Surfers Paradise

Leave Gold Coast on Jet Star, really could care less but you get the once over......arrive in Sydney from terminal 1 to 2 international...they x-ray your carry on baggage.....typical inspection.......we walk a long corridor to jet hub....we really don't notice cloth blinds along the corridor...then we are all of a sudden faced with 40 gun laden marshals waiting to do all but a strip search ....every carry on bag is searched.....everyone is patted down as well scanned by a metal detector......they are full force and no smiles...

Luggage is screened.....women's luggage the most....they will search your make up, all of it....they are interested in your nail polish mostly...both coming and going the nail polish gets lower and lower in volume.....even if packed in easy to reach roll out make up packaging, they will search your make up....if your mirror is in the way, they don't care if they break it.....ladies pack your make up in easy to reach packaging....leave at top of luggage for quick access....

Thanks, 2dogs. This is helpful info for our trip from LAX to MEL next month. In your last paragraph are you writing about checked or carry-on bags?

Just a quick note to those who have not traveled abroad from here in the colonies (USA). I travel a lot in my business, about 150,000 miles a year so I have a little experience with airline security.

When you depart another country like Oz and you are bound for the US, the departure from that country is governed by US requirements and not that of the departing country.

You may notice that it is a bit easier going to Oz than coming back. Same thing, when leaving here for Oz it's Oz laws that pertain to the international departure from LAX.

We have made that trip 4 times out of the last 5 years. No problems for us, you just need a bit of patience.

As for the nail polish, it is highly flammable and there have been problems with those types of products flying domestically here in the 'states. Not causing fires, but some ladies like to do their nails enroute, the fumes are highly flammable - not something one should be using at 40,000 feet. Not to mention the air conditioning disperses the fumes about the cabin.

Hopefully we will hear about the "fun" portion of your trip after you recover from that jetlag

Cheers

Steve

I was curious as to why anyone might pack fingernail polish in a carry-on when liquids (with a few exceptions) are prohibited.

Sorry I am with jet lag and may have not explained myself plainly.... if you read I said luggage in the last paragraph, NOT Carry On about the cosmetics...being a guy who has listen to his wife complain of the intense search of her cosmetics, I am only trying to convey what was done repeatedly in search of women's luggage from our recent trip of 2 days ago...I just was trying to make aware to 1st time travelers the process...I am pleased the powers that be are so careful.....and I add you will get tired of hearing in all airports the same message over the PA...No Liquids, No Gels, No Aerosols....constantly...

Steve, how can I write a good report when the Aussie's took all my money....$14 a six pack for Bud !!!...on sale !!...$3 dollars for a Diet Coke...LOL..no really, we had a great time in the Gold Coast....cost have really gotten out of control there say the locals....15 dollars a pound for bannanas due to a blight....they are so careful about stuff that may impact the island...be prepared to spend lots of money for items, twice to 3 times as much as in the states with very limited selections of products.....will try to write a trip report when I can really focus more......

2Dogs I'm not sure if you have your tongue in cheek or not. Are you telling me you come all the way to Australia and buy (imported) Bud beer, rather than be a little adventurous and try the local brew?

Bananas - $15.00/kilo due to a 'blight'. Gee over here we take our cyclones a little seriously - our major banana growing area was ravaged by Cyclone Larry and until production starts happening again...well we'll just have to pay a little extra until then.

We are blessed by the fact that we are an island nation - but we have to protect our borders - just watching one episode of Border Patrol (a reality show filmed at Customs in Sydney Airport)and you see what some people try to smuggle in and you will fully understand why we are so stringent about what comes into our country.

Try changing an Aussie dollar for a US dollar and spending that in the States. You don't complain about it - you go knowing full well what your money is going to buy and accept it otherwise, just don't bother going at all.

I agree with Steve that all you need is a little patience and a lot of understanding as to what is happening in the world today.

I found your post somewhat offensive and am wondering what your expectations were.

I'm also a firm believer that you get what you give - maybe you just needed a little attitude adjustment 2dogs and your perception may have been a whole lot different.

I wonder how 2dogs would have coped with his trip in reverse. On our recent trip to US, we had our luggage searched, had to take off our shoes and all our hand luggage etc was x-rayed. My husband was frisked three times. We didn't complain at any time because we are aware of the stringent security precautions needed.
If you want to travel, you need to have a bit of patience and tolerance for other countries' rules and regulations.

Stormbird quite rightly said that the "blight" on bananas was because we lost 95% of our banana crop in the cyclone ( hurricane) which hit earlier this year, so we have had to pay a lot for bananas but do you know what, when I was in the US last I could not get over the cost of rambutans, which we have in abundance in north Queensland, nor could I find any soursops, I thought that the US was the land of plenty and yet here were two of my favourite fruit unavailable or in low grade quality.
Why on earth would you buy Bud beer which is the weakest p..s beer available? I would love to know how much you would pay for a 6 pack of Tooheys Old in the USA - can you get it?
Australia does not have a lot of the nasty diseases that you have in the USA because of our stringent control - that also goes for New Zealand. We don't have rabies, we don't have plague either which has been found in NYC I think of late. These are the reasons that the customs controls are so tight and so they should be.
I can say that in my travels throughout the World over the years it would be the USA immigration and Customs that has the worst reputation Internationally for being rude, sullen and unwelcoming. Hawaii actually tops the list of worst places to go through immigration in in the entire world and I can remember the time years ago when the norm was 5 - 6 hours and if your gear did not get tossed everywhere then you must have had friends on the inside.
Finally 2dogs, as Australians are the most travelled people on this planet I would be most careful in being careful about what you say in terms of costs of food and the like, particularly on the Gold Coast when we know exactly what the costs are in the USA as a comparison. Bananas may have been expensive for a reason but other prices on the GC are very inexpensive in US terms - that is if you went out of the tourist areas and into the places where locals shop. As for a limited selection - come off it! Where the hell did you go? I HAVE NEVER PAID $3 for a coke but then I would not drink coke anyway but would have one of our very beautiful, cheap and tasty fruit juice based drinks.
I think your jetlag has got you telling porkies.

Jeepers guys, get ahold of yourselves...maybe if you read what I wrote you will understand what it is that I am reporting about...I repeat this report is about a process only, not a commentary on the policy of any country....I could careless who's government did what....I want 1st time flyers which there are many in this forum to be aware of what it is like fly to OZ and back in these times....these are the procedures you have to go thru....simplify that....the consequences were they search women's makeup closely....my wife's advice is to make it as simple for the inspection process as possible....and easy opening case that is accessible ... keep mirrors out of the way....nail polish is exam closely both to and from Aussie.... I personally could careless but every woman carries some type of cosmetic and my wife thought it be helpful to female travelers....and Marg yes you do get frisked as I mentioned, its all in the process...the more info on the process we get out the more others will not feel they are singled out and become offended.... read the report, it was the US that did the most searches even before we boarded the jet in Sydney to fly to LA....

On beer...for heavens sake I love the Tooheys brands....4 X , Hahn all of them....great beer....also the wine I got from the local wineries ..immediately searched the local store here in Dallas and purchased 2 bottles of Jacobs Creek wine... guess you don't know what LOL means, it means in humor.... I don't even drink Bud....and the bananas, cyclones are what you call hurricanes there, right.....our produce goes up when natural disasters strike also.....all in all the paragraph was a joke....read the report....complaining of the cost is like visiting Vegas and saying it cost too much to live there while you gamble.....I did have a great time on the Gold Coast, I spent lots of money on services and tours and didn't blink an eye... the whale watching for instance was worth every cent and more...priceless.... now flame me more for loving your country....

Greetings 2dogs and all of our aussie and kiwi friends.

No flame intended here, but if you read a lot of posts here you will find some who travel down under and complain about it here. There is even a post here about a family that only ate at McDonalds etc as they were afraid to try the local cuisine (there loss). I think its mostly a lack of understanding and I am sure that some folks here just shouldn't travel abroad. With the size of our population, even if less than 1% complained, it would be a rather high number of posts.

Your wanting to provide tips for travelers is admirable, you might have elaborated a bit on that point in your opening paragraph. Not a flame, just a thought

We love it downunder and are really missing not making the trip this year. But a minor issue with that evil thing called work got in the way. We will be back next year.

We live in Fl and understand the Cyclone issue all to well. So far our season has been tame and we hope the same for you in future years to come!

And fortunately our favorite Aussie brew is Coopers Pale Ale, which we can get at a store that is not to far from our location.

I would not want to be traveling to the colonies for a holiday. Although we keep hoping that some of our friends will come for a visit!!!

One last topic, 2dogs my wife is a Jemez Pueblo Indian and she really enjoyed meeting many of the "traditional land owners". Many of their customs were similar to hers. It would be fun to see a post from you on that topic, if you had that opportunity!

Cheers

Steve and Andrea