Just for fun, I was wondering if anybody could beat my recent search/questioning streak by Customs or has their own stories. Feb97: Taken from the check-in desk (AA) at Heathrow and had my baggage *completely* searched. Feb98: Questioned (pulled out of line) by Boston Customs, after arriving from Italy. Feb99: Again questioned Boston Customs arriving from Athens. And for extra credit:Had my rental car semi-searched at a California *agricultural* inspection station in Oct97 (the 6-8 in front nor the next 20 or so cars later just passed right thru). Also in Feb97 I passed thru Boston Customs with bright yellow seals on my luggage, saying something like "Customs Searched" so maybe that was my ticket thru that time. BTW it isn't my demeanor but it definitely is my non-conformist appearance and size, I do stand out in a crowd. I'm ~40, 6'4" in my boots, 250lbs, long ponytail, usually wear a bandanna to keep my hair in place, earring, tattoos, a fondest for denim/black leather and unique gold jewelry. Do they really think a smuggler would dress like this? Also their questions Occupation? "truckdriver" and Reason for visit? "art museums and historical sites" tends to raise their eyebrows. Regards, Walter <BR>

I have crossed quite a few borders, but I have not even come close to what you describe. <BR>On a random chance basis, do you cross enough borders to be caught by the averages?? If you cross enough, you will eventually be stopped. <BR> <BR>You might ask yourself this question: If you were a custom officials, charged with normal responsibilities that you executed with good intentions, would you stop a fellow who looked like you?? <BR> <BR>The only thorough searchs I have seen were these. Once, when entering Canada for the umpteenth time, some wild looking guy smarted off to the customs official about the possession of firearms. He did so loudly enough that I could hear him while sitting in line. He was detained quite a long time while his van and trailer were gone over carefully. The second time was on a train from Germany to Switzerland. <BR>The Swiss border guards came through the train obviously looking for something. <BR>They opened every suitcase, and I never saw so many little cans of coffee, tea, and packages of cigarettes come flying out of people's luggage, all of which was stacked neatly on an empty seat. Nothing was said to the people in my compartment, because the guards were after bigger fish. But the search was quite thorough and very efficient. <BR> <BR>We once had to eat 6 plums entering BC from Montana because we answered questions truthfully. But there was no search, even after we pulled the plums out of our ice chest and ate them. Had we lied about it, my guess is that the official would have waved us through. <BR> <BR>I don't know how smugglers dress; but if I wanted to dress like one, I would try hard to look like an average guy -- just another tourist. <BR>

Walter, that's some story you have there. I've gone through a few similar searches, but I travel a lot and the number of times I've been detained is relatively insignificant. My understanding is that many of the custom checks are completely random, i.e., every 6th or 10th person or whatever and that tourists are more often to be stopped than a business traveler .... tourists are more likely to be bringing back something they shouldn't or too many. Also, they look for certain profiles which I think you fall into. The worst time for me was coming through Amsterdam from Germany back to the US whie living in Germany. I was coming home for a week and was travelling without luggage. I was grilled to no end especially why and where I went into Russia and who do I see, etc. even though I repeatedly told them I've never been to Russia. They were so insistent and obnoxious that I refuse to fly through Amsterdam. I was detained at the border in Canada this past Fall for some time because my passport has been stamped so much from my travels around the world. They filled out an incredibly detailed profile on me in their computer. However, you take the prize for the number of times stopped.

I too, have been "selected" for several searches. Once in Frankfurt when my carry on luggage was scanned, they wanted to open it because my curling iron (which was a travel iron with the removable handle off) must have looked like a gun. When the customs person asked who's bag this was, my husband stepped back and pointed at me! When coming back from Quebec through Chicago, they wanted to see inside my camera (which has been under suspicion a couple times). And recently coming accross the Canadian border (which we have crossed many times as we live in Seattle) our car was pulled over and searched while we waited inside. Another time coming back from Houston (I believe), my husbands checked luggage had a sticker on it that it had been searched. Are we just "lucky", or are they doing a good job?

Walter, <BR>Back in the early 60's, I was in West Berlin on the first anniversary date of the young East German student who was shot and left to die as he attempted to escape from East Berlin. I found the city disheartening and filled with tension and decided to return to West Germany. In early evening, I drove to the East German-West Berlin border and encountered immense lines of vehicles waiting to clear the border. Border guards and customs officials were slowly moving down the line of cars and trucks. I struck up a conversation with an extremely attractive middle aged woman parked in front of my Beetle. She learned I was American; she was Swiss. We continued to converse as guards and officials approached our cars. One group reviewed her documents another started to peruse mine, then began an intensive search. My luggage was opened, week old dirty laundry placed on the roadway (at which point they could have accused me of carrying zylon gas, I suppose). The trunk and glove compartment were emptied of everything. Guards began disassembling the Beetle, at which point my lovely Swiss lady started berating the guards at high pitch. Visions of gulags danced through my head. The rear seats were removed from the Beetle as were the hub caps and the battery (!?!) A jack was produced and the guards raised the car and crawled underneath while another guard, flashlight in hand, peered into the cells of the battery. I wondered what he expected to find and how he thought the car had started. Madame William Tell continued to rant at the cops. I envisioned years in a Siberian slave labor camp through no fault of my own but rather the scathing diatribe of my Luzerne lunatic! Far ahead, the line of vehicles started to slowly move, whereupon the police motioned me to move the Beetle out of the line of traffic while they proceeded to march off. The Swiss Miss helped me restore the car to its former condition and contents while I reinstalled the battery and rear seats. She explained that she was simply trying to help me out by pointing out to the guards that I was an American and certainly too fine a young gentleman to be involved in any nefarious activities. I thanked her politely, but with absolutely no conviction and wished her "Bon voyage", as I gathered up my socks.

I was chosen for a random search in the middle of the Munich airport. The guard opened up my Travel coffemaker and found my ziploc bag with Cremora in it. i wanted to die.....he thought it was cocaine or something illegal. That cost me 2 hours 'til they decided it was nothing!! <BR> <BR>

Wes Fowler--Whatever did I do with my time before I discovered you and the pleasure I get from reading your postings? Merci beaucoup......

You certainly have had some interesting experiances, the only time I have been searched was in 1988 while traveling from france to luxembourg on SNCF. The gendarmes first went through the train and looked at evryones passport and then came back to me and pulled me off the train, marched me to room where they politely took every thing out of my backpack(which sucked because to get everthing in backpack required perfect rolling and alot of paitence)searched through all of my cloths and travel accesories, finding nothing they had me strip to my underwear and the searched the cloths I was wearing, After that they let me get dressed repack and go on my way. Only to find that my original train had departed and I had to wait another three hours for the next one. The next day I found out that a bomb had exploded in gare de Est that day Ihad left.

My latest update, now all these flights listed are my only international flights I've taken since Feb97. I also had my carry-on swiped for explosives either once or twice connecting in Zurich in Feb99. Nov99 BOS-LHR-FCO wasn't stopped. Jan00 BOS-LHR-ATH At BOS noticed the 2 security women looking at me and talking while I was removing my metals (belt, neckpouch, etc) before entering metal detector (I was actually in the lounge) after passing thru the detector I had my carry-on swiped. In Athens I was approached and had my luggage x-rayed before clearing customs. Upon arriving in Boston I was waved out of line and questioned and then and had my customs declaration card marked in red ink? and then had my luggage x-rayed. Well I guess if I was a smuggler/terrorist I would look/dress average and just follow behind someone looking like me thru customs. So I've ruled out that these were "random searches" and if I was a Customs Officer I would eye the average looking person more throughly because that's where the bad guy is going to try to fit-in, true?. It doesn't really bother me and I'm just posting this because I think it's humorous. Regards, Walter <BR>

Walter, you have had some interesting times ! On our last trip to France, my carry-on was searched in Little Rock as we were leaving (guess it was the curling iron thing), but when we returned from Paris to Dallas, my carry-on was swiped for bombs (I guess). This took so long that we missed our connecting flight back to LR and had to spend another 4 hours in DFW waiting! We are very average looking folks - the guard in DFW told my husband that it's a random kind of thing they do....guess we should be thankful that we do have security in the airports though when you think of the alternative...

Sorry Walter but I have a tale of embarrasment and customs officials of epic size to tell. It was my wife and I's first trip out of the country and we were going with my Brother and Sister-in-law, as well as my parents. We were all waiting in line in customs when an official came walking up and down the aisles checking various bags at random. He stopped at my wife, opened her luggage and started rummaging through it. My wife got this panic stricken look on her face and I wondered what the problem was. Just then it hit me as well. She had brought along our, ummm, how I can put this delicateley, our "marital aid" - shall we say? Of course the official finds it, holds it up to the light, turns it on, etc., before putting it back into her suitcase and moving on down the line. My brother is having a terrible coughing fit trying, no doubt, not to wet himself with laughter. My wife has turned shades of crimson I have never seen before or since and I don't dare look anywhere near my Mum for the rest of the trip. <BR> <BR>I don't think I have ever been so embarrassed in my entire life. Ever since however we are very careful as to what we pack and where we pack it...

I can't match that, but I do have a serious question. A number of guidebooks suggest carrying all pills in their original drug-store bottles to avoid any question in Customs. I have so many that it's a challenge to find room to pack them all, and I'd much prefer to carry them in one of those pill-organizers. What am I risking in doing so? On my last trip no one in 3 countries plus the US asked any questions. Has anyone been challenged by an official regarding their medications? If so where, under what circumstances?

Okay, here's my scariest story: When leaving Riyhad Saudi Arabia for the states once in 1987, my huband went thru customs ahead of me, then when I tried to go thru the turnstyle and thus, be out of the Kingdom, a guard stopped me and said "you go here, wait, Saudi lady will come!" And with my husband in full view, but out and me still in Kindom, I was escourted to a small room, complete with examining table with stirrups, drawer full of rubber gloves. I was terrified. After a short wait, and very fat woman all swaddled (head to toe) in black came in and ran me over with a metal detector, then told me I could leave. I guess it was a random search...who knows.

Scalia: *Perhaps* if you took just the labels from the pill bottles and if questioned you could then show that each pill had a prescription for it. I would use old labels in the event that there where still refills on it or even better ask your pharmacist if it would be ok to refill the prescriptions with just the label when you return. A tidbit, I do know that Greece prohibits the use of codeine even with a prescription. <BR>Julie: Scary!!! And I'm always *very* polite to anyone that can legally do a body cavity search on me. <BR>"Way to embarrassed" My "ex" probably would have shown the Customs Agent the different speed settings). Regards, Walter <BR> <BR>

Great story, Wes Fowler, and how true. I went through that checkpoint quite a few times in the sixties without getting this treatment. But it was the most intimidating experience of my life, nevertheless. Fortunately, the 1972 accord stopped this sort of harassment, but as late as 1985, coming out of West Berlin, my son and I were pulled out of the line without any reason being given, and left to rot for three hours on the tarmac. Then I was taken to a little booth and made to pay 20 Marks transit fee. On the Western side of the border crossing at Hof there were guys asking who had been hassled and taking details from victims. <BR>By the way, welcome back Bob Brown.

Anyone who flew from Heathrow immediately after PanAm 103 bombing. Three separate inspections of "all" luggage. Think mine is still radioactive. <BR> <BR>And a couple more: <BR>Sister-in-law's leftovers trigger Custom's search. <BR> <BR>I'm in Delta Int'l baggage claim area at JFK - arriving from Geneva. Customs dog (beagle) gives my carry on "more" than the once over. At the counter, I'm asked "what's in the bag" question. "Leftover duck" I respond. "Open the bag please". The dog smelled previous night's dinner I was bringing home for mother-in-law through a double wrapping of foil and a tupperware container. <BR>Guess the dog was due for a lunch break. <BR>-- <BR>Hamburg, DE Customs <BR>Poor student (German national) in front of me had every item in his shaving kit emptied. Toothpaste, shaving cream, etc. I caught up with him and asked why they would "shake him down" like that. <BR>He had a girlfriend in the Canary Islands and this happened to him every time he came back from visiting her. They profiled him (based on his dress and hair style) as a drug smuggler even though he was a divinity student. <BR>

My bags were only searched in Cairo and once everything was out of my bag and on the bench and they were satisfied, they practically shoved it all off the bench before I could get it back into my bag. Only grilling was entering Israel ex Cairo, but this didn't worry me as I respected the Israelis' safety concerns, which were also my safety concerns, as I was flying El Al.

Customs is a very unique organization I must say. Have been on several (15+) Bahama/Carribbean cruises and ALWAYS come back with *far more* than the paultry amount of liquor that is allowed into the US (its just SO CHEAP down there!!) and have walked through customs each time with shopping bags loaded with alcohol and have NEVER been stopped. However, on a return trip from a European cruise 5 years ago my mother and I were stopped and had our luggage searched. I know we were rather haggered looking after a 9 hour flight and a whirlwind 2 weeks through Europe (gotta see ALL of Rome in 8 hours!). For the sake of arguement, we were both fairly neatly dressed, she in a pantsuit and I in jeans and sweater (she was then 60, and I was 30). But I wondered what criteria customs uses to randomly (is it really?) search people and why when you ought to be caught you're not questioned. Very strange.

Border guards do seem to look for something different. My worst experience, I was returning to Canada in 75 after living in Africa for three years. I had 13 extension pages in my pasport full of visas from all over. 17 and travelling on my own as my parents had returned earlier and of course carrying a backpack. By the way my salt tablets and antihistamines were together in a baggie that burst. Boy does that ever exite them. I would recomend origional bottles with labels. <BR>My second came a decade ago, also returning to Canada after my first trip in a new/used firebird. Where was your destination---LA. When did you leave---4 days ago. Would you pull over here please. Jees it was only 2600 miles in 4 days, why would that exite him/

My favorite custom search story for our family was a return trip from Paris to Atlanta. My husband and 7 year old daughter were off getting luggage from conveyer belt so my 9 year old son and I stood guard over carryon bags.Custom officials came over to my son and I and asked if they could perform a test for <BR> drug sniffing dogs using my son.I agreed and they had my son put ziploc baggie(full of cocaine smelling fake stuff) somewhere on him and not tell anyone.Our family of four stood in line waiting to check through customs when the dog comes in and starts smelling everyone.The dog stops at my son and goes crazy indicating that he has found something. My husband(not knowing what was going on) starts screaming at my son wondering what is going on. Customs man ask dog to find "stuff" and the dog <BR>retrieves bag from inside son's coat pocket area. Husband is hysterical as we are a VERY conservative clean cut family.Everyone is looking,husband is going bonkers and is beside himself wondering what just happened.Daughter is crying till customs man explains to husband!My son and I loved it.It ranked up higher in kids memories that lunch on top of the Eiffel Tower! Debbie