Saturday, June 30, 2012

A Lesson in Travel Frustration

I often watch videos by the Vlogbrothers (John and Hank), because I like their little insights into science and life and I enjoy their style of delivery, but...I don't think we share the same audience, so I seldom post those videos here. However, I have a feeling that most of us experience a sense of anxiety when traveling (it's so complicated) and here John explains why he has a legitimate reason not to travel to Canada more often. I'm betting that most of us can empathize with his situation.

6 comments:

Laney4 said...

I can understand his frustrations.
We have a friend with a similar problem going into the US from Canada. He too is on "the list" for life. He's a military brat whose dad had been posted to one of the US stations many years previously. When my 50+ friend drove his car down to said station, he didn't think there would be a problem driving onto one of the bases. After all, there weren't guards at the entrance. So he and a friend drove out to see a special plane and parked far away and watched. Next thing you know, they are both being interviewed intensely for eight hours. And both of their names are on that list. Whenever he now drives into the US, they detain him for a couple of hours with more questioning and advise him each time that he is never allowed on ANY military installation EVER again. And when he comes back up to Canada, they ask him again if he went to any military stations.
There's a lot more to that story that I've managed to forget (thankfully), but I DO recall that last year, my friend rented a car (because he no longer owns a car due to health reasons), and they tore that car apart at the border getting into the US. I bet the rental company didn't appreciate it....

Myrna Mackenzie said...

I often wonder why there isn't some way for some sensible people to sit down and straighten out these types of silly situations (as opposed to the real threats). It seems a total waste of time and manpower and is, of course, totally frustrating for the people on the list. In this computer age, there must be a way and yet...apparently not. Sigh.

Laney4 said...

Good point. Then again, our "friend" can be a real A-hole, so I think I'd want to keep him on the list just to tick him off, LOL!

Myrna Mackenzie said...

Ah, so maybe there's a good reason he's on that list. It's always best to play nice and be polite when you've broken a rule or crossed a line, even if it was unintentional, eh?

Bella said...

Great post

Myrna Mackenzie said...

Thank you!