On each of the occaisions I have travelled to Australia or New Zealand I have found the Immigration and customs staff the most welcoming and friendly.

Some countries (and I include my own country England) have some of the grumpiest Immigration and customs staff going.

They should realise
(i) They are the first face of officialdom for the visitor to the country
(ii) There is a presumption that the vast majority of people are not trying to enter the country illegally
(iii) There is a presumption that the majority of people are not smuggling drugs etc.
(iv) There is a presumption of innocence until being proven guilty.

Rufus: No orgasmic experiences while travelling or just not with customs agents? Just wondering.

Hi Statia !
My favorite Customs agent was in Newark, on our return from Paris one year where I had shopped quite a bit.
He looked over my list and looked at me very sternly, then asked me why I didn't buy more.
LOL, I was so ready to be lectured or have to give something back :)

That's the kind of custom agent I'd like to encounter more of!

LOL, wouldn't we all :D

I don't want conversational, funny, interested customs agents. I want efficient agents who do their job well and quickly. I'm the one standing behind you suffering from the stomach flu while you have a 10-minute conversation with the customs agent.

Hey Walter,

I always think our immigration people (I'm British too) are amongst the most laid-back. Elsewhere they tend to wear police-style uniforms, are armed, and stationed behind toughened security glass. Whereas in the UK they're just men & women in suits by a desk! At least they always tend to say 'thank you' (to me at least) when I quickly raise my picture page to them as I walk past...

I haven't flown into Canada for years. But back in the late 80s and early 90s, Canada's custom officials were the worst--going through all the luggage, questioning everyone about everything. Are they still that way?

Awww, poor Ann41, was that you that sat at the back of the plane, moaning and we all got sick after we got home?
No wonder you are cranky!
LOL..I know what you mean though, I had food poisoning one year and had to be flown home early. Every minute of that flight was misery.

Hi Scarlett!

I have to say that I do like how we are treated by immigration/customs when we return home after a length of time away. The agents where I live pretty much know everyone residing here, and we are always greeted with a nice hug and "How was your trip!?" It's a great way to return home. :)

I'm not sure this qualifies as a "great" experience, but it was greatly amusing. About ten years ago I flew into Buenos Aries seated next to a guy who was, in effect, smuggling several thousand dollars worth of computer equipment into the country for a friend of his. You've got lots of time to get to know people on a flight from JFK to BA, so we continued to chat as we lined up for customs.

Everything was packed in three large "Igloo" type coolers - the customs agent lifted the lids of the coolers, looked in, then without speaking a word closed the coolers, stepped back and looked silently at my new acquaintance, who proceeded to reach into his pocket for a roll of US $100 bills, two of which he handed to the agent. The agent leaned over, lifted a cooler top again with his swagger stick (I swear to God he had a swagger stick), lowered it slowly and stepped back, silently lifted an eyebrow and looked at the guy again. This resulted in another two portraits of Mr. Franklin being handed over, at which point he was allowed to pass. All this happened in the middle of an open area of the terminal in full view of anyone who cared to look.

2 stories:

another vote that SFO's new int'l terminal+agents are fab. one time i strangely had to get FDA screened (though i had nothing on me). in front of me were a couple from glasgow, who had brought 2 giant tesco's milk containers (fresh milk, sweaty plastic bottles) in their carry-on all the way from scotland.

the agent asks them why they have all this fresh milk (totally forbidden, this was at the height of mad cow) . . . ?

'to make tea, of course' they snapped back.

the agent kept a pleasant look on his face and said, we have milk here in the United States. i'm afraid i have to confiscate this though . . . !!!!!

story 2: my first time to greece, flying to Kos via a UK charter airline. i'm the only non-EU passport holder on the plane, so the 1 handsome customs agent (very sharp in his uniform btw) spends some time looking at all my passport stamps, my photo, my face, back at passport. sweetly smiling icon of the Theotokos and Christ the only decoration in his glass cubicle.

more time flipping through my passport; then stamps it, and hands it back with a grin. 'you are *very* welcome in Greece.'

i melted! (husband very amused btw . . . )

Yes Melr, I agree there are some friendly ones, but these are the ones welcoming the Brits back - those who have to go through the non EU track will find some xtremely surley staff - particularly the one who used to appear on the Airport program based around Heathrow - he was the rudest person I would ever wish to meet - he haranged a poor tourist who couldn't pronounce "bournemouth". He just came across as a complete and utter *&&^$%%^$

Good point, WW. I'd forgotten about him! I did want to punch him on behalf of that tourist. Just hope he gets similar treatment when he goes abroad!