Entering Scotland, and Customs

[Sir William]

Flew direct to Edinburgh last year, and customs consisted of a glance at our passports, application of a stamp, and a welcome to Scotland. Returning to the U.S., we barely broke stride passing through customs. The only examinations that I saw done were by dogs sniffing out fresh produce in carry-on luggage as we waited for our bags to come down the chute.

Pretty much my experience last April.

I was dreading coming into the US as I was carrying a bit more than the whisky allowance (and it was fully declared on the customs form), but not a word was said about it. The customs officer was more concerned with fresh plants or meat, or whether I'd been on a farm, and he asked about some jam I had, and then I was off.

Rule of thumb when I travel is to keep all my receipts with me and make sure everything I acquired on my trip is listed on the customs form. I bundle them into things like clothing, books, CDs, jewelry, whisky, etc to make it easier, but I have a more detailed list in a notebook with all the receipts in case any questions arise (which they haven't).

[Alan H]

Trip cancelled because of the immediate need for Joan to schedule a hip replacement. Recovery time will bracket pretty much exactly when we'd planned to be there.