How safe is it to travel to the US ?

I have been hearing and reading all kinds of horror stories about
whats going in US airports, is it actually safe ?

I plan to go over for 3 months on holiday visa to get medical
treatment I can't get in the uk , I have valid doctors address and
proof of funds but somehow I still don't feel very secure or thrilled
about going over , esp if you have to wait 5-7 hours in cue as I've
heard ?

Can any one enlighten as to what is actually going on and whether
someone such as myself is any risk , is there anything I should be
aware of that might make them suspicious ??

Thanks

f-man

jbk@piasystems.com wrote in message news:<vf4v9013ms1omf1gpvt4r1uvjt3si7iv20@>. ..
> On 10 May 2004 05:38:58 -0700, fergalflann@ (fergal) wrote:
>
> >I have been hearing and reading all kinds of horror stories about
> >whats going in US airports, is it actually safe ?
>
> As safe as anywhere I've been. For example, in every US airport I
> have flown, you have to take out your laptop and have it separately
> examined. Not the case in any other airport I have been elsewhere in
> the world.

What do you mean by examined ?

Do they scan your hardrive , cd's etc ??


> >
> >I plan to go over for 3 months on holiday visa to get medical
> >treatment I can't get in the uk , I have valid doctors address and
> >proof of funds but somehow I still don't feel very secure or thrilled
> >about going over , esp if you have to wait 5-7 hours in cue as I've
> >heard ?
>
> Cue for what? It takes me, on average, at Newark Airport 10 to 15
> minutes to get through security if that is what you are talking about.

immagration, I heard they round up you up like cattle , pretty rude
etc etc

I don't know if it's true but if it is it's annoying considering we
were the only country to come to their aid.


> >
> >Can any one enlighten as to what is actually going on and whether
> >someone such as myself is any risk , is there anything I should be
> >aware of that might make them suspicious ??
> >
>
> At risk of what? By whom?

I don't know getting falsely accused of something ??

This only happened once , but I do remember getting detained for 1
hour even after showing them my doctors address etc I think it had
something to do with the fact I had over 10,000.00 in travellers
cheques ..I've never taken that much since then..

In the past I have usually flown into Chicago and found them very
suspicious .. not rude but lets just say doubting .

I have no criminal record , nothing I can think of that would make any
one suspect anything other than the fact I am getting a treatment for
something really rare that the average joe would have no idea about a
might think I was making up.

I have no officaly diagnosis for what I have because there is no way
to officially diagnose it .

I suppose the best thing is for them just to talk to my doc if they
doubt me and the room mates I plan on staying with.

ferg

jbk@piasystems.com wrote:

>On 10 May 2004 05:38:58 -0700, fergalflann@ (fergal) wrote:
>>I have been hearing and reading all kinds of horror stories about
>>whats going in US airports, is it actually safe ?
>
>As safe as anywhere I've been. For example, in every US airport I
>have flown, you have to take out your laptop and have it separately
>examined. Not the case in any other airport I have been elsewhere in
>the world.

Surely you had that in the UK. They were doing ion testing
and power-on tests of laptops way back in the late '90s.

--
Ken Tough

Turby <turbosurfer@beach.comber> wrote in message news:<41p3a0pqkh3lcupvdf5o7vo7kflt2u3chv@>. ..
> On 10 May 2004 05:38:58 -0700, fergalflann@ (fergal) wrote:
>
> >I have been hearing and reading all kinds of horror stories about
> >whats going in US airports, is it actually safe ?
> >
> >I plan to go over for 3 months on holiday visa to get medical
> >treatment I can't get in the uk , I have valid doctors address and
> >proof of funds but somehow I still don't feel very secure or thrilled
> >about going over , esp if you have to wait 5-7 hours in cue as I've
> >heard ?
> >
> >Can any one enlighten as to what is actually going on and whether
> >someone such as myself is any risk , is there anything I should be
> >aware of that might make them suspicious ??
>
> Safety is not the problem. Frustration and boredom of dealing with
> bureaucrats is. I think 2-3 hours wait is more likely than 5-7, and
> you might get lucky and whiz through.
> As for your last question, there are webpages of things to avoid
> taking on board. There was a local "art" exhibit of things
> confiscated. Thousands of scissors, swiss army knives, etc. Stuff you
> used to take for granted is now contraband.
>
> Turby the Turbosurfer

I do a lot of travelling and I totally agree with Turby.

Ken Tough <ken@objectech.co.uk> wrote in message news:<trcIWQCsfxoAFwNe@objectech.co.uk>...
> fergal <fergalflann@> wrote:
>
> >> As safe as anywhere I've been. For example, in every US airport I
> >> have flown, you have to take out your laptop and have it separately
> >> examined. Not the case in any other airport I have been elsewhere in
> >> the world.
>
> >What do you mean by examined ?
> >Do they scan your hardrive , cd's etc ??
>
> Typically they just make you power it on (to show the battery
> isn't replaced by explosive) and then rub a bit of sample paper
> all over it in various places, then stick that into an ion
> analyzer which can detect explosives with great sensitivity.

SO what happens if you battery is too low to switch it on ,you don't
have one or it's a uk machine like mine that needs an adapter ?

I do have an adapter but my notebook doesn't have a keyboard because
I'm waiting for a new one I hope to get sent over while I'min the us ,
so I can't turn it on enven if I wanted to .

it sounds like I might have problem , do you have any suggestions ??

fergal <fergalflann@> wrote:

>> >What do you mean by examined ?
>> >Do they scan your hardrive , cd's etc ??
>>
>> Typically they just make you power it on (to show the battery
>> isn't replaced by explosive) and then rub a bit of sample paper
>> all over it in various places, then stick that into an ion
>> analyzer which can detect explosives with great sensitivity.

>SO what happens if you battery is too low to switch it on ,you don't
>have one or it's a uk machine like mine that needs an adapter ?
>
>I do have an adapter but my notebook doesn't have a keyboard because
>I'm waiting for a new one I hope to get sent over while I'min the us ,
>so I can't turn it on enven if I wanted to .
>
>it sounds like I might have problem , do you have any suggestions ??

If you need an adapter to run it, and you don't have a keyboard
for it, then there's not much use carrying it as carry-on luggage.
If you pack it in the middle of a thick suitcase of clothes, it
will be resistent to most shocks.

--
Ken Tough