Anyone have their laptop searched/taken when returning?

[Jester]

Flew from Dallas To Soul Korea and was asked for laptop at the Dallas airport. In Soul Korea I wasn't even in the section that leaves the airport, just the transferring flights section and I again got asked if i had a laptop. Then when I got to Cebu and was going through customs, I was again asked if I had a laptop. On the way back home, I think i was just asked in Korea and actually NOT asked in Dallas.

Please pardon me for having a hard time getting my mind around this....

...I may have to give up a cherished illusion here.

These were actual honest-to-God KOREANS AND FILIPINOS asking you (not some USSA goons stationed there), right?

I had no idea that the thought-control police-state had spread outside the AngloSphere and Northern Europe.

Jesus.

Can anyone else comment on flights to or from (or through) other countries?

[newlifeinphilippines]

I would say yo have a girlfriend hero even if you never did. just say you met her online or from previous trip and make sure you have an actual girl or something that exists in case they want to test you (slim chance). They wont know. I found that the girlfriend thing the best excuse to help eliminate questions etc on that issue but they will still want to pursue even sometimes if you have an officer like the last time i had.

I think that was my saving grace is i had a camera with pics of my girlfriend if i had not then maybe they would have searched my computer. I actually deleted bad stuff of my camera cause i had a feeling i would have to use my camera as a bait, i offered it as sacrificial lamb cause i knew my computer was much more important and this guy was asking me all kinds of questions about my work etc so i used my girlfriend as an excuse.

i think if i go there in teh future and dont have a girlfriend ill still use the girlfriend excuse and upload old pictures onto my camera so it looks legit lol. even if i had no pics id just take pictures of some girl you went on a date with and say that was te girl you met as your girlfriend. If he sees a bunch of other women or only a few pictures just say you broke up and wound up dating around and want to stay there a long time to see as an experiment if you can hack living there cause its cheap and the people are friendly. then of course they could hypotheticall ask for your password and prove that but then i could say its a long password and dont remember it and i cleaned up my passwords file

[Hero]

I would say yo have a girlfriend hero even if you never did. just say you met her online or from previous trip and make sure you have an actual girl or something that exists in case they want to test you (slim chance). They wont know. I found that the girlfriend thing the best excuse to help eliminate questions etc on that issue but they will still want to pursue even sometimes if you have an officer like the last time i had.

Good point, they'd probably be even more suspicious if you said that you were visiting "nobody". They'd think you were visiting some shady characters that you didn't want to name.

[newlifeinphilippines]

I would say yo have a girlfriend hero even if you never did. just say you met her online or from previous trip and make sure you have an actual girl or something that exists in case they want to test you (slim chance). They wont know. I found that the girlfriend thing the best excuse to help eliminate questions etc on that issue but they will still want to pursue even sometimes if you have an officer like the last time i had.

Good point, they'd probably be even more suspicious if you said that you were visiting "nobody". They'd think you were visiting some shady characters that you didn't want to name.

my first trip the nosy immigration officer asked me but i was only gone for 45 days so just used the vacation excuse but you can only use that once or for short stays. after that id advise the girlfriend approach for sure to help even if you have no girlfriend or person specific in mind. just make sure the girl is real in case they want to see pictures of your trip.

[ladislav]

Even if you don't have any illegal material, you never know what they may deem illegal next time. Pictures of your own kid or adopted kid? Pictures of models in swimsuits? In Saudi they declare such illegal. You just never know what airport you will end up in.

The best way to avoid being held up is to not travel with a laptop but it's very inconvenient. I suggest getting a net book just for travel - they are now very cheap--and just use it to check email and Skype people. Nothing else. No files of any kind. And even avoid Facebook.

No smart phone with camera when traveling either. Just some cheap flip phone.

[Hero]

Even if you don't have any illegal material, you never know what they may deem illegal next time. Pictures of your own kid or adopted kid? Pictures of models in swimsuits? In Saudi they declare such illegal. You just never know what airport you will end up in.

The best way to avoid being held up is to not travel with a laptop but it's very inconvenient. I suggest getting a net book just for travel - they are now very cheap--and just use it to check email and Skype people. Nothing else. No files of any kind. And even avoid Facebook.

No smart phone with camera when traveling either. Just some cheap flip phone.

Would you suggest no camera of any kind?

[ladislav]

I'd carry a camera, then upload all my photos on some cloud and then buy a new blank memory card before going back home. I'd hate for strangers to look at my girlfriend (s) and ask questions about her/them. Private life is private life.

[newlifeinphilippines]

I'd carry a camera, then upload all my photos on some cloud and then buy a new blank memory card before going back home. I'd hate for strangers to look at my girlfriend (s) and ask questions about her/them. Private life is private life.

not good advice cause then they become more suspicious if you have nothing on your camera. Better to have some girl even if its not your girlfriend for a few photos and just create some fake story. better to clean up the camera storage and have what you WANT the immigration to see and delete the rest and store on the laptop or on the net. Thats what i did last trip AND it saved me from having my laptop taken from me which had much worse content and stuff i wouldn't want them getting ahold of due to my work etc. I used it as my sacrificial lamb cause i could see the immigration officer was getting awful nosy.