Run For The Border!

Living in Montreal, I guess I've always taken it for granted that the American border is only a 45 minute drive away and we can pretty much pop down any time we want. I've spoken to a lot of Americans, however, who tell me they've never tried crossing by car because they don't know what to expect and are scared.

Hopefully I can demystify things a bit because the Canadian-American border is actually a very easy border to cross and I assure you it's not scary. You will be asked some questions and if you have nothing to hide, it's not a problem at all.

Keep in mind, this is coming from a woman of colour, who has not always maintained employment, often travels with a white man and sometimes our white child, and has crossed the border at some odd times of day and night. If we can all get through, surely you can!

Here's the breakdown of the sorts of questions you'll probably be asked:

• What is the purpose of your trip? Where are you going? When are you coming back?
• How do the people in the car know each other?
• Do you have anything to declare?
• Do you have any alcohol or cigarettes?
• Have you ever been arrested?
• Are you returning any merchandise to the US/Canada or leaving anything there?
• Where are you from?
• What is your occupation?
• Is this your car?
• Can you open your trunk? (Border officer will take a quick peak and will often open any coolers or bags. They do this most often in the summer. Check after because they often neglect to close coolers they've opened, which is annoying!)
• Where will you be staying?
• Do you have any firearms on you?
• How much money do you have on you?

They will usually ask a random combination of a few of the above. It's best to answer directly, "yes," or "no," and make eye contact. Don't start making jokes about the small stow-away you've crammed into your modified dashboard. Don't say you don't know or start making strange sudden movements. 

Things that will make your life easier when crossing:

• Have proper identification - that means a valid passport or enhanced license (Licence Plus)
• Supporting documents like a visa, permanent resident card, birth certificate, marriage certificate, letter of permission to take a minor out of the country, or car registration, as the case may be
• Eat or throw out any fruits, vegetables, flowers or plants that are in your car before you cross. They will be confiscated by border agents and thrown out! (Kinder Surprise toys are also not allowed in the US)
• Have everyone take off their sunglasses and hats
• Get a Nexus card so you can go through the express lane and answer fewer questions

Border wait times are longest during the summer and in the afternoon. Crossing at odd hours - pretty much anytime after 10pm and before 8am - will get you through the fastest. Also, if you have the choice of more than one border-crossing, pick the one in the smallest town. 

That's pretty much it, so get out there and enjoy the freedom we have here and happy border crossings!

Passport Privilege

My Canadian and Barbadian Passports side by side.

I've had Canadian passports since I was a teenager and thought nothing of it. I accepted it as a given - I'm Canadian, therefore I can have one, it's easy, end of story. I think at the time it was about $80 plus the photograph, which was (and still is) a fair amount of money, but my parents thought it was a needed expense and I got it. It wasn't until I spoke to some friends that I discovered they never got one because their parents couldn't afford it and they never went anywhere anyway.

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This winter I applied for my Barbadian passport while I was visiting. I was supposed to get it back during the time I was there, but I ended up leaving early. My uncle had to pick it up and told me a friend of my father's would bring it back to me here in Montreal. He ended up staying longer, so I had to wait for my cousin to visit in May. It was a whole three months of waiting - and I don't really like having my personal identification out of my possession! When I finally got it, it made me feel like I'd won the lottery! Now I can pass through customs in Barbados or any of the CariCom countries much faster!

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My discovery of the Passport Party Project last week reminded me what a privilege it is to have one, let alone two. (And yes, I realize I'm very privileged to be a citizen of two countries which allow dual citizenship!)

The fact is, if you're going to dream, you might as well dream big. A journey can start with one small step. So why not start with the passport and see if the rest of the cards start to fall into place? Don't be scared to take the first step.

A passport really is your ticket through the first door. It really does open up the rest of the world. And when you get it in your hands, you'll feel like you just won the lottery.

The Passport Party Project

I just got introduced to The Passport Party Project on my Twitter feed and you can find them on Facebook here.

Not being American, I didn't realize that only 30% Americans actually have a passport! (As of 2009, 56% of Canadians have a passport)

That's shocking to me, but The Passport Party Project aims to fix that and in a demographic close to my heart: young women.

Travel is some of the best education - it's powerful and can kill ignorance and racism. It opens your mind and more people need to do it. I think this is a wonderful initiative and I welcome any of those young ladies space to write a guest post here about their solo woman travels!
Happy Travels, Ladies!