travelgourmet

<i>I'm equally amazed at the number of people who said that fingerprinting has put them off travelling to the States and they're now going to Canada instead.</i>

I don't think it is that many people. But those that don't want to come make a lot of noise about it. And some that wouldn't come anyway, like to use this to dress up their indifference, lack of funds, anti-Americanism, or whatever as some sort of moral high ground. Many places with pretty burdensome immigration hassles (Egypt, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan) don't receive the same vitriol, so I suspect the indignation is not causing that many missed trips.

voyager61

Obviously fingerprinting is a touchy issue for many people and I sympathize. Since I had to be fingerprinted for a school district position (part-time with no actual student contact) and have been background checked for volunteer positions also, I have become somewhat blase about it. I know it is giving up a personal freedom, but I see it as inevitable in many ways. Would I accept fingerprinting to go into England to make sure Windsor Castle and the people who work and visit there are protected from those who might do harm? Yes. Would I accept fingerprinting to visit France so that the Eiffel Tower and the people who work and visit there are protected from harm? Yes. Do I worry that my fingerprints in the hands of a foreign government might have unintended consequences? Sure. But I guess my desire to experience life through travel overrides my preferences and fears. At least for now.

Padraig

travelgourmet wrote: &quot;I don't think it is that many people.&quot;

It might not be many, but I am one. Not so much the fingerprinting, but the general package of measures that have been put in place in the name of security.

bozama

travelgourmet, I have never heard that one needs to be fingerprinted to enter any of the places you just mentioned.
I think you may be mistaken.

Hans

voyager wrote &quot;Do I worry that my fingerprints in the hands of a foreign government might have unintended consequences? Sure. But I guess my desire to experience life through travel overrides my preferences and fears. At least for now.&quot;

Sure, if it was my big dream to visit the USA and I had never been there before, it probably wouldn't stop me.

But for me it's more like: I've never been anywhere outside of the Western USA beside New York and would like to visit for example Chicago and Boston. On the other hand, I've also never been to Canada or Argentina which I also heard great things about. I've also never been to Sweden or Poland. And it's a decade ago since I was the last time in London.

So if I plan the next vacation, why accept procedures I don't like if there are so many other places which I'd also like to go to? I don't complain about the measures the US considers necessary to implement since nobody is forcing me to go through the hoops if I don't want to. But the USA is competing as a tourist destination with many other fascinating places and the security measures are just a point which make it less attractive to me.

elina

&gt;&gt;&gt; Many places with pretty burdensome immigration hassles (Egypt, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan) don't receive the same vitriol,&lt;&lt;&lt;

I have never been to Japan or Hong Kong, but I have been to Egypt and many times to Thailand. Neither fingerprints tourists, and there has never been any immigration hassles. The only immigration hassles I have experienced have been in the US and former Sovietunion.

suz24

For more on places to go, I have to agree with the poster who mentioned the summer fairs. You get a good dose of rural Americana when you go to (or happen upon) a county fair or state fair. Lots of kids having their critters judged and lots of other down home contests. The funky roadside attractions are also a great slice of Americana. And don't forget farmers markets. For my west coast family and me, we do a road trip every other summer (the years we aren't getting ourselves out of the U.S.), do some research and make time for the farmers' markets, fairs and roadside attractions. We check chow.com for some favorite local food spots and have a great time chatting with local folks in small towns and casual big cities.

For cities &amp; other areas to visit we like SF/Berkeley/and SF Bay Area open space parks, Seattle and the surrounding mountains and waters, Portland, San Luis Obispo, Monterey and surrounding coast, Boston, Tahoe, Santa Fe and Taos, San Diego, East side of the Sierra Navada (hwy 395), Boulder and Rocky Mtn National Park, and Washington DC, and Hawaii..

I love having tourists from other countries and parts of the US come to my neck of the woods, and they usually look like they are having a great time.

So you are all welcome anytime. Hope you are able to surmount our government's barriers to your tourism, and come visit us. Many of us Americans would benefit from getting to know more of you. I make sure my kids get out of the US, in part , for just that reason - and, okay, the great cheese in Europe, too.

DanM

In Texas, start in Austin and head out on a loop through the Hill Country. End up in San Antonio for a Tex-Mex experience and some insight into Spanish colonial life. In Houston, you can enjoy NASA, a wonderful art and science museum, world class classical entertainment, and tours of numerous historical houses and places/thing like the USS Texas. Big Bend is a place any hiker or camper should not miss.

Ceidleh

I was searched by New Zealand officials when trying to enter their country. Why? Because one of the security dogs picked up the scent of an apple in my backpack (despite the fact that said apple had been in backpack 1 week prior and had been eaten 4 days before my arrival into New Zealand).

I was searched by Jamaican officials when trying to leave. Why? Because I was a college student at the time and probably fit their profile of someone who would smoke/smuggle weed.

I was searched by Canadian officials. Why? No idea. Probably just because they were randomly yanking people out of line - they let my friend pass, but went through all my stuff.

I was searched by Irish officials. Why? Because they thought they saw a pair of scissors in my carry-on when it went through the x-ray. There were no scissors or sharp objects in my carry-on.

Security measures are in place all over the world - not just America. Did I take offense at being searched and delayed? No. This is the nature of travel. If you don't like it, stay home.

LJ

Back to the reasons to visit US...we are not Americans, but the reasons we keep going bakc to visit include:

Coastal Maine: Blue Hill, Cape Rosier, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbour

Vermont: Ben and Jerry's, Montpelier, Burlington, Shelbourne Village, the ferry to NY

New Hampshire: White Mountains-the fall colours

New York State: The Adirondaks

Texas: Dallas/Fort Worth-just SO different (who knew there were SO many churches, anywhere, anytime)

California: Joshua Tree National Park

billbarr

It's been a good few years since I visited the US and I'm not now able to easily do so again. I am sad about that.

The friendliness of the folks I met is so well remembered by me.

My favourite cities and those I'd recommend were:

Washington DC (my favourite of them all)
New York
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Las Vegas
Boston

Strangely I disliked Boston, a city so loved by many. Perhaps I found it a little too European

Bill

logos999

Yes, please do list some interesting places. I'll be going to Boston (300&euro; roundtrip) in 2 weeks, northbound.

Maine, Vermont, NH...???
I'm sure I'll end up in friendly Canada , unless you come up with some good alternatives for staying in the US of A. ;-)

nevcharlie

Pegontheroad....It's not just since 9/11 , I well remember entering the US via Newark long before that dreadful event,and being treated with hostility and discourtesy by the immigration authorities, being hassled into line in a hostile manner, and even having my bag sniffed for drugs...and I'm an elderly ex-civil servant !
It's an attitude I've never experienced elsewhere (including Canada and most of the countries of Europe and Scandinavia) and would strongly discourage me from returning.

travelgourmet

<i>Do I worry that my fingerprints in the hands of a foreign government might have unintended consequences?</i>

I don't. It just seems silly to me to think that they care that much. I assume my fingerprints or pictures or whatever are lost in some big warehouse. In short, I don't matter and brush such things off as part of my day.

<i>I have never been to Japan or Hong Kong, but I have been to Egypt and many times to Thailand. Neither fingerprints tourists, and there has never been any immigration hassles.</i>

Look, I guess I don't care as much about the fingerprints as the average conspiracy theorist, but let us keep some perspective.

Egypt is a pain in the b**t to enter. The lines that don't move. The multiple people in the booth that all review your documents. The &quot;visa&quot; that you have to buy upon entry. The whole anarchic feel. As for Thailand, the lines are ridiculous. The longest line I have ever been in was at BKK. Much longer than Heathrow or anywhere in the US. And, sure, they don't fingerprint you, but they sure as heck take your photo. Hong Kong also takes a snapshot, along with a keen once-over. They give lollipops, which is nice. And the lines move as slowly as they do in Egypt. Japan's entry requirements are as stringent as the US, including fingerprinting. And we won't even get into Cambodia, where the whole thing is a jobs program, and you have to see at least 4 different people just to enter the country. Count on 20 minutes, even if you are first in line.

I just feel that the fingerprinting thing is much ado about nothing. So they have your fingerprints. Big whoop. Why does this rise to some level of invasion of privacy that picture taking, questions, or recording your entry and exit does not? It just seems like an arbitrary place to draw the line.

travelgourmet

logos: What do you like? The Maine coast is a favorite of many. Providence, RI is a nice place to spend a day or two. Head to Block Island in RI for a great beach and relaxation. Make sure to stop in Narragansett on the way back for lobster. Vermont and New Hampshire have hiking and the outdoors - but having grown up in Vermont, I do confess to not getting the fascination many have with it.

wren

Logos, if you need a place to stay, a teacher at the school where I work in Florida, owns this B&amp;B. Several teachers have come back from here saying how beautiful it is---(I have never been)--but it looks amazing--and reasonably priced.

http://www.carriagehouseinmaine.com/index.html

TrollSilentTrollDeep

Its a given that immigration officers will be rude, after five trips to China, I was greeted by one with a sneering &quot;laowai&quot;. American ones are no different.

I'm less concerned about the fingerprinting (although the attitude that goes along with it is a source of irritation) than I am about other peoples attitudes. There are eateries that will charge foreigners more than Americans. Some places have been known to turn away foreigners at the door. Anthony's in Atlanta has turned away both European and Asian tourists on several occasions. So has the Buckhead Diner. Some stores (even major retail locations) have a habit of not extending discounts to suspected foreigners. A certain book store that will remain nameless often offers books at a discount, but will due a line item correction and re-enter the full price.

Hans

travelgourmet, you answered to &quot;&quot;Do I worry that my fingerprints in the hands of a foreign government might have unintended consequences?&quot;&quot;

with &quot;I don't. It just seems silly to me to think that they care that much. I assume my fingerprints or pictures or whatever are lost in some big warehouse. In short, I don't matter and brush such things off as part of my day.&quot;

With the low prices of data storage, your finger prints end up in data bases which are searched for matches with finger prints from criminal cases. This results in a list of potential matches which are then checked by experts. And they make mistakes.

Not a phantasy of a conspiracy loon, but it happened with Brandon Mayfield who was arrested by the FBI in connection with the Madrid bombing, based purely upon a finger print found on the remains of the bomb which was wrongly matched to his finger prints taken during his military service. If the USA puts the finger prints of its military veterans into a data base scanned for criminals, I'd bet quite a lot that all the finger prints of visitors end up there, too.

For a study of the frequency of wrong identification, take a look at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0913124509.htm

travelgourmet

Hans: Despite the alarming language, the article here suggests that the risk of being falsely accused (let alone convicted) due to fingerprint evidence is in the fraction of a percent range. Risks that low don't even register for me. I also don't worry about lightning strikes or plane crashes.

LJ

Logos 999: far be it from me to talk you OUT of going to Canada on your next trip, but if you do decide on Maine, don't just 'do' the Kennebunkport part.

There is so much more (and, IMHO, more authentically the old-style Maine vacation) to be found on Deer Isle and in Ellesworth, Blue Hill, Stonington and Castine. Bar Harbour is much more touristy but also very charming. And Acadia National Park and Mount Desert shouldn't be missed.