Oh dear god people, when visiting another country, do some checking first. 

"Svend" (svend) 01/20/2019 at 02:11 • Filed to: None

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Watching Border Patrol, a New Zealand customs programme.

A Californian arrives at the Auckland airport with 30grams of hashish , four bars of chocolate with hashish in and other forms of the drug.

He kept calling it his medication and saying that, ‘it’s legal in America’, etc...

As a customs agent points out, ‘that’s in America, this is New Zealand, we have our own laws’.

When asked why he thought it was okay to bring drugs to New Zealand, he replied,

“I’ve no idea, I thought it was like America”.

Tries to get out of it with a doctor’s note.

He was given a AUS$1,000 fine and sent back to the U.S.

I hope he considers himself very lucky, if he’d of been flying via Sing apore or Abu Dhabi it most certainly would of been a lot more serious.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Svend 01/20/2019 at 02:40

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i’d like to see someone try that at Singapore

AestheticsInMotion > pip bip - choose Corrour 01/20/2019 at 02:46

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How about Marijuana gum, to reaaaaally get the country pissed off

  > Svend 01/20/2019 at 02:50

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Border patrol is a treasure. I always laugh watching the tourists coming in for like a two week holiday with a suitcase full of bagged fruit and cooked meat. L ike, we have food here too you know... and stores...

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Svend 01/20/2019 at 03:05

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I knew a guy in college, freshman year was cool to hang out with. Then before 3rd year it finally clicked in his head how rich he was and that college was a joke and his personality completely changed. Anyway a coupe years go by, his parents set up an arranged marriage so he flies to the neighboring country ( one that isn’t on the best terms with the us) and just shows up. “Uh you need a visa to enter” “ a what? no I don’t I’m an American” this goes on for 1/2 an hour . Sure enough they let him in. This guy steps in shit and comes  out smelling like roses. If he was born in almost any non western country he would be lying face down in a gutter in a week.

SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr) > Svend 01/20/2019 at 03:07

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Having spent my mid teens to early 20’s living outside of the USA ( Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, UK) I am a bit more “worldly “ than my fellows and I find their ignorance appalling. It’s due to laziness IMHO- and an unwarranted sense of American “superiority “. Especially in the “flyover “ states....

Svend >   01/20/2019 at 03:17

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Ye’, it’s always asian families and they say they have no food, yet the entire suitcase is full of packets of food. When asked why they didn’t declare it as food. They say, ‘it’s not food, you eat it’.

There are stuff us Brits bring if we are staying for four weeks plus, such as tea bags, salad cream, Bisto gravy granules, etc... but certainly not on that level. 

Svend > SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr) 01/20/2019 at 03:24

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I’ve been in the receiving end of it myself from Texans visiting the U.K.

The most curious one after all the, ‘you can’t have an open container in the car, it’s illegal’, ‘yes, in America, not here, ‘but it’s illegal in America’, AAARRGGHHHH!!!

It was, ‘do you want a pint?’, ‘I can’t, I’m not even 20 yet!’, ‘okay, that means you can have one if you want one!’, ‘yes, but the legal drinking age in America is 21!’, ‘yes, but your in the U.K. and the drinking age is 18, so if you want one just say’. ‘I better not, I don’t want to be caught doing anything illegal’. God help me. 

SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr) > Svend 01/20/2019 at 03:35

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Some Texans are great. The rest.....well.......

SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr) > Svend 01/20/2019 at 03:42

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While at school in the UK the rules were “ we don’t care if the legal drinking age is 18, drinking is not allowed “. The local pub was off limits as the teaching staff hung out there. So we all went to the next pub a mile and a half further down the road..... 

Svend > SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr) 01/20/2019 at 04:47

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Lol. I was drinking at 13 and when I was 15-16. I went with three other students on a racing yacht with a couple of teachers for the weekend .

On the way up to Ar drossan to meet the yacht, I got talking with two of the teachers about drink, namely whiskey, one liked S pars own whiskey, the other liked Teachers. I said Bushmills is better, smoother drinking. We pulled up at a local Spar before even leaving our home city for Ar drossan for one teacher to get their whiskey (I find it hard to call it whiskey personally but hey, each to their own), continued up to Ar drossan, got settled aboard and went for some fish and chips on the quayside (I asked for pes, mushy peas, and they gave me a polystyrene container of boiled petit pois, FFS).

We set off for the Isle of Bute and moored up in Rothesay for the night.

The others went and got some alco- pops and sat in the park drinking it thinking they were cool , I got a bottle of Bushmills and took it back to the yacht and sat drinking with the teachers, they tried the Bushmills and didn’t like it. Oh well, it was more for me.

The next day continuing around Bute was initially quite easy going, until we headed south and got onto the Firth of Clyde where we had to tack into a headwind all the way in Ardrossan.

The previous day was great, erely steering between true and magnetic , but tacking, boy does it take it out of you.

Here’s my stupidity. The racing yacht was a wooden hulled racing yacht called the Scampi III, which I kept calling the Scampi one-eleven. Nobody corrected me until I heard one of the teachers say to the harbour master, ‘Scampi three’. I was mortified. 

facw > Svend 01/20/2019 at 05:41

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If you are a US citizen traveling to another country, the very least you should do is visit https://travel.state.gov and read the very brief descriptions. I you can’t read a couple pages of summary text, you probably should hit up a library instead of an international airport.

For New Zealand, he would have gotten these helpful tips about New Zealand :

 Criminal Penalties: You are subject to local laws. If you violate local laws, even unknowingly, you may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned.

Penalties for possessing, using, or trafficking in illegal drugs in New Zealand are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines.

and

Medication: High-quality medication (both over-the-counter and prescription) is widely available at local pharmacies, although the name of the product may differ from the U.S. version.

If traveling with prescription medication, check the government of New Zealand regulations at New Zealand MedSafe to ensure the medication is legal in New Zealand. Always carry your prescription medication in original packaging along with your doctor’s prescription.

And for comparison, the UK , is not quite as assertive regarding drugs :

Criminal Penalties: You are subject to local laws. If you violate local laws, even unknowingly, you may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned. A U.S. passport will not protect you from being arrested, prosecuted, or jailed. 

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Penalties against alcohol-related and other in-flight crimes committed aboard aircraft to and from the United Kingdom are stiff and are enforced with prison sentences . Please also see our information on U.S. customs regulations covering your return to the United States.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

The legal drinking age in the United Kingdom is 18. Parents and organizers of school trips should read our Students Abroad website to help plan a safe and enjoyable experience.

Scotland’s “drink drive limit” law was amended to a lower level and is stricter than the rest of the United Kingdom. This means that driving after even one drink can result in a charge of driving under the influence.

The United Kingdom has very strict gun control laws, and importing firearms is extremely complicated. Information on applying for a firearm and/or shotgun certificate can be found on the London Metropolitan Police Firearms licensing webpage . Licenses from England or Wales may not be valid in Scotland; please check with the appropriate authorities. For firearms certificates for Scotland, please check with Police Scotland .

Carry prescription medication in original packaging, along with your doctor’s prescription. Certain prescriptions available in the United States are classed as narcotics in the United Kingdom and not available. 

A bit less relevant, and I threw in some more drinking related stuff as we ll .

All this is quite basic, but generally helpful for a super high-level view.

Svend > facw 01/20/2019 at 05:57

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I used to work in an outdoor store and would get people wanting to holiday all around the world, or such as Australasia, wanted to backpack, often Australia House and New Zealand House embassies in London were more than happy to talk over the phone (I even had a direct line to one member of staff) and I would often phone on behalf of a store c ustomer who had a query about what visa and what was and wasn’t allowed to go with them.

I enjoyed playing a part of their trip and almost all were very knowledgeable but just needed that last bit to ease their minds.  

So when people go abroad and do something that they really should of known better, they really haven’t got any excuse, the internet is open to all and there is a mass of information on everything, you can visit a website, webchat, videochat, e-mail, text, phone, snail mail, etc... their really is no excuse. 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Svend 01/20/2019 at 06:32

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Yup, there’s a Canadian Border show that is just as amusing...

Svend > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 01/20/2019 at 06:57

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The Canadian one is funny. ‘Do you have any guns?’, ‘yes, I’m American, it’s my right’ (large number of guns), ‘do you have any guns with you?’, ‘yes, but I’m not bringing them into Canada, I’m driving through to Alaska where I’m going to live’ (doh).

One guy brought a hand gun, two sets of handcuffs and a few knives. When asked why he had them, his reply was ‘to protect my family while we’ re on holiday’ (if you think you need a gun, handcuffs and knives to protect your family as they holiday in another country, DON’T HOLIDAY IN THAT COUNTRY YOU IDIOT, especially when holidaying in Canada. I’d think that would be the only real time you could admit you don’t need your gun, etc... ). But there was that time that an American police officer on holiday in Canada felt threatened by two drunk Canadians who asked if he and his wife watched the game, and he felt vulnerable because he didn’t have his gun with him as he wasn’t allowed to bring it into Canada. 

I’ve brought it up before and there are some amusing ones. There’s ones from the Canadian prospective, American on the Canadian and Mexican borders, Irish, British, Australian and New Zealand.

America - are you importing drugs, trying to work or live here illegally ,

Canada - have you got any drugs or guns,

Irish - are you smuggling cigarettes or using agricultural diesel ,

British - are you trying to get into the U.K. to live and work illegally , are you really a student, are you bringing in cigarettes to sell,

Australia - are you coming to illegally live here, have any plants or food that’s not allowed and/or you haven’t declared,

New Zealand - (the same as Australia+) do you have a criminal record.

The one in Ireland, there is a thin older gent who is so proud Irish it’s hard not to smile when he’s trying to shout at someone.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Svend 01/20/2019 at 09:00

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I promise we're not all that dumb.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Svend 01/20/2019 at 09:33

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I had a dream that my wife and I took a impulsive trip to Japan. Not something I’d even consider IRL

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Svend 01/20/2019 at 10:43

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You gotta remember, take the average person, realize how dumb they are, then realize half the people are even more dumb than that.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Svend 01/20/2019 at 11:12

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Haha, yup! Some pretty funny situations! I haven’t watched any in awhile....maybe I should binge during the storm today :P

DipodomysDeserti > Svend 01/20/2019 at 11:20

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It’s kind of interesting if you think about it. Someone being denied their doctor prescribed meds. Are there any other medications that are illegal in other countries?

I also find it interesting when other countries are more uptight about stuff than the Bible brigade over in America.

Svend > DipodomysDeserti 01/20/2019 at 12:40

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Certain meds aren’t acknowledged as being meds in all countries, certain other ones are very strictly controlled drugs.

Certain steroid based medications are banned from some countries and have to have permission to bring in. Some even take a dim view if the painkillers are over a certain strength. 

When me parents go away on holiday they have a pilot case solely for their drugs, and each time they get put on a new drug, they have to double check it’s okay to take into the country they wish to holiday in.

Speaking of bibles, there are countries your not allowed to take a Bible into, if that country is divout of another religion. He’ll in Singapore it’s illegal to have chewing gum.

The Dummy Gummy > DipodomysDeserti 01/20/2019 at 13:10

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Don’t visit a country if you can’t respect their laws. You’re in for a bad day if you can’t do that simple requirement. 

LastFirstMI is my name > Svend 01/20/2019 at 13:20

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I worked at a road-side gas station  on the Texas - New Mexico border; more than once people asked me if they needed a visa to cross into New Mexico . We thought about selling them one....

Svend > LastFirstMI is my name 01/20/2019 at 13:26

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Yep, there is ignorance, but there is also being just plain dumb. Lol. 

DipodomysDeserti > The Dummy Gummy 01/20/2019 at 14:04

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Obviously, I just find it interesting: having to follow the rules of a state department over the medical advice of a doctor. Marijuana is an abvious one to check up on, but I checked the CDC’s website to see if they had any other precautions. As an example of one that isn’t as obvious, Japan doesn’t allow certain types of inhalers.

Some countries will allow you to bring in a few weeks supply of perscribed drugs which seems like the most logical approach.

I’ve travelled pretty extensively with my wife and kids over the last ten years, and never even thought to check. My wife has some fairly heavy duty perscription migraine meds which she has always taken with her.

DipodomysDeserti > Svend 01/20/2019 at 14:13

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I’ve never even thought about it. Marijuana is a pretty obvious one to check on. My wife has some pretty heavy duty migraine meds which she has taken through half a dozen European countries and never even thought to check up on. Thankfully no one has ever hastled her about it. US customs are much bigger assholes than anyone else, so I’d imagine having a problem with them before European border guards, who have always been very accommodating.

I support the Bible and chewing gum ban. I’d add selfie sticks to the prohibited items list.

The Dummy Gummy > DipodomysDeserti 01/20/2019 at 14:37

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Just to clarify I don’t agree they should be able to block legal drugs, but I understand their stance too.

In regards to not knowing , yea I’d be careful on checking. The asian countries will get you the worst. My few years stint over there was an eye opener. EU is pretty lax.

I had zero desire to get locked up abroad anywhere so I went through a ton of research before I left our boarders. Stay safe.