Crazy Customs Stories

[chemgirl]

We’re on vacation in Barcelona and we had the most horrible experience at airport customs. I’m having a hard time shaking it off and it’s affecting my view of the country itself (which is silly since this will be our third trip to Spain).

So customs has two separate areas. One for EU travellers and one for everyone else. We’re Canadian, so we were walking to the everyone else area when an airport employee asked to see our passports. She glances at them and tells us to get in to the EU line because we’re British. We say no we’re not and she insists. So we go in the EU line and predictably the person checking passports in that line tells us to go back because not EU! We turn around and head back, only for the first woman to block our way with her arms and yell no no no. She gets up in my face to the point that I start walking backwards.

So we go to the EU line again and explain the situation. We’re told we’re not EU so we have to go back. We go back again and try to explain. At this point it becomes clear that the first woman speaks no English and my Spanish is terrible. I still try to explain in Spanish and she looks offended (maybe I accidentally said something offensive my Spanish is seriously bad). So we head back to the EU line woman who does speak English and explain the situation to her. She turns and starts yelling at the first woman.

We turn back again and DH is grumbling about all of the people who joined the line while we were dealing with this situation. The first lady still doesn’t want us to go through and starts yelling in Catalan. I hear the word police and get nervous so I ask why police we just don’t know where we’re supposed to go. I think she says I’m not talking to you I’m talking to the police.

She stepped aside and we thought ok maybe this is just a weird misunderstanding. We get in the line for non EU people and wait to get to the front of the line. Next thing we know the police are surrounding us. One officer tells us to follow her and she takes us to a holding area. I ask her why and she says I don’t get to know why. They leave us there for maybe 20 minutes and then the first line lady comes over and says police, claps her hands, and walks away. Wtf.

After about half an hour we’re told to go to the customs line again. When we get to the front the police officer is in the booth with the agent. The agent stamps our passports and said thank you and we can go. That’s it.

The whole thing was so unnerving. Who knew you can be detained in Spain and you have no rights. Never thought something like that would happen in an EU country.

Anyway, does anyone else have crazy customs stories?

 

[msop04]

That. Is. INSANE.

 

[chemgirl]

DH is saying it’s because I raised my voice the last time I said we’re Canadian not EU. I don’t know if I did or not. At that point she was yelling at me saying “British EU no no no” and I was exasperated. I was exhausted after 10 hours of travel and just wanted to get to the hotel and shower. I may have raised my voice, but I definitely wasn’t being aggressive. If anything I was backing away from her.

Maybe it’s because DH walked away?

Really no clue. Canada and England are definitely different and Canada is not part of the EU being in North America and all. Maybe she thought former British colony?

It’s all just super weird and now I’m paranoid about getting arrested for something else.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

Horrible and unnerving. Doesn't make much sense to work in an international airport guiding people if you don't speak any English...

I had a similar experience in the US.
When we arrived at JFK nine years ago for holidays, there was a US citizen line and and an "other line". They served the US citizens with several agents first. No one served the " rest" - that didn't go over well with some people in the queue. When they started compaining the customs officers put the people who complained at the back of the queue. Like kids. A group of Irish bachelor party guys kept making funny, albeit cheeky comments. They were led away into a separate room and detained for about 20/30 mins. We had to wait a LONG TIME and were nervous not anger anyone. Baby started to cry, it was hot. Just unpleasant. We met the Irish guys at the baggage claim (we were waiting for the stroller,so last people there). They weren't super cheerful anymore, because they apparently were threatened to be sent back without any specific reason.
I know exactly what you mean about getting a slightly tainted image of the country and a damper on your holiday joy.
I was pretty annoyed.

But it's also one of the moments when I realized that I have major white privilege. I'm just not used to being treated like that.
Our good friend is a Moroccan -born engineer with German citizenship. He can only laugh about my story. Poor guy happened to study at the same faculty than one 9/11 terrorist. Years later and never met that guy. He is getting the full strip search and questionnaire each time he has a layover in the US. Unfortunately he needs to travel a lot for his work. He prefers to travel twice as long and via all sort of weird connections than going through this ever again.

 

[arkieb1]

My husband used to travel a lot for work. One of the most memorable airport incidents, is, I've been hauled out of line and pushed up against the wall by the butt of a I assume loaded AK-37 in Vietnam while 2 x officers with AK-37s decide to pat me down in front of everyone in the line to get your passport stamped.

No idea why to this day I was randomly selected. They were armed and looked ready to shoot someone.

Some of the most horrific experiences I've had have been in Muslim hotels in countries like Malaysia where the staff have totally ignored me and insisted my husband pay for two separate rooms because I have a different surname to him. I've always kept my maiden name, so they automatically assumed I must be a whore, a hooker he is travelling with or an extra wife or something and therefore by their law it is improper in many places for us to be "sharing" his room....

If I tried to speak they simply ignored me completely and just spoke to my husband, you haven't lived until you have had hotel staff look down their noses at you like you are human garbage.... it gave me a greater appreciation of how women are treated (as little more than possessions) in some of these places.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Yikes! The worst I've encountered (and I have not traveled much) was going to Puerto Rico. I still have no clue why but when DH and I were traveling for our honeymoon we were pulled out for "additional screening" at customs. About 20-30 minutes of waiting in a small room with no one and another 20-30 minutes of random questions. Then we were on our way.

 

[chemgirl]

Some of the most horrific experiences I've had have been in Muslim hotels in countries like Malaysia where the staff have totally ignored me and insisted my husband pay for two separate rooms because I have a different surname to him. I've always kept my maiden name, so they automatically assumed I must be a whore, a hooker he is travelling with or an extra wife or something and therefore by their law it is improper in many places for us to be "sharing" his room....

If I tried to speak they simply ignored me completely and just spoke to my husband, you haven't lived until you have had hotel staff look down their noses at you like you are human garbage.... it gave me a greater appreciation of how women are treated (as little more than possessions) in some of these places.

What an awful experience. I didn’t changed my last name either. It’s so common here I never would have thought it would be an issue.

 

[chemgirl]

@kipari that’s just normal for travel to the US. Airport customs handle their own people and then everyone else. Sometimes there’s one agent who will take people from the non citizen line. It means a longer wait for non citizens.

You might not have noticed, but many large airports in the UK are the same. Before I knew I could stand in the citizen line with my husband, I would wait much much longer to get through customs. There are always far fewer agents for non uk/eu and many delays. He’s through in 5 minutes and I’m stuck for an hour waiting for the one agent.

People from approved countries who travel to the US on a regular basis have the option to apply for Global Entry. Then you can use automated machines and avoid the whole line situation.

 

[Bron357]

I travelled with my Dad and daughter (age 5) to Europe from Australia. Due to a sick passenger having to be removed from the plane, we missed our connecting flight from Singapore and were, as a full plane load of passengers, desperately trying to find another flight we could take to complete the journey. My father who is cranky, old and deaf was getting very agitated and my young daughter was hungry and thirsty and none of the available options were satisfactory so she had a meltdown as we waited in a queue of 200 people. My Dad, now red with raised blood pressure, was sitting on my hand luggage suitcase with his head in his hands, my daughter prostrate on the ground howling and me with silent tears running down my face trying to hold it together. A very stern looking woman, airport security, told me I had to get my daughter up off the ground as she was a trip hazard (I mean, really!) and so my Dad stands up and starts yelling at the security lady. Next thing we are all frog marched to a security room. My daughter has finally stopped crying and is now frightened by the men with guns and the scary woman. Dad looks like he is about to have a stroke and I’m hissing at him, shut the F up Dad or we’ll be in prison cells next. The Head man comes in and asks what all the fuss is about. My daughter pipes up that she is hungry and thirsty and Poppy is dying. Head guy looks concerned. Dad doesn’t look well to be honest. I explain that he is quite deaf and he wasn’t meaning to yell at the lady, he just always talks very loudly. And he does have serious health issues and this whole missed flight, not being able to get on an alternative flight was overwhelming him, all of us. I then started to sob, like really sob and my little daughter is hugging me and saying it’s ok mummy if Poppy dies I will help carry the bags. The Head man leaves the room and we are just sitting in there waiting and waiting, he has taken our passports, our tickets and I’m thinking what next! About 10 minutes later he returns and orders us to follow him. We are following him down hallways, up in a lift, down another long hallway and we finally go through a door and there’s an aircraft gangway. He hands us our passports and tickets with seat allocations and says goodbye. We board an aircraft to Germany and then another flight, internal, to France. 36 hours after leaving Sydney we arrive in France. Our checked luggage? I’m not expecting to see it ever again. Nevertheless I ask and get directed to a luggage carousel and to my astonishment there are 3 lonely bags going around and around. Our 3 bags.

 

[lissyflo]

I try to mentally start my holiday once I’m out of the airport and just suck up anything that happens before that, plane included as I hate them (although I’d probably feel differently if I’d been manhandled with guns like some stories above!). I generally try to take the view that clearing customs is the price to pay for entering a country I don’t have any official ‘right’ to enter, so if they want to be officious/rude/off-putting that’s up to them and I just need to grin and bear it.

ParcelForce customs checks on a jewellery shipment though? They have nearly reduced me to tears with the time they take to clear entry!

 

[missy]

We’re on vacation in Barcelona and we had the most horrible experience at airport customs. I’m having a hard time shaking it off and it’s affecting my view of the country itself (which is silly since this will be our third trip to Spain).

So customs has two separate areas. One for EU travellers and one for everyone else. We’re Canadian, so we were walking to the everyone else area when an airport employee asked to see our passports. She glances at them and tells us to get in to the EU line because we’re British. We say no we’re not and she insists. So we go in the EU line and predictably the person checking passports in that line tells us to go back because not EU! We turn around and head back, only for the first woman to block our way with her arms and yell no no no. She gets up in my face to the point that I start walking backwards.

So we go to the EU line again and explain the situation. We’re told we’re not EU so we have to go back. We go back again and try to explain. At this point it becomes clear that the first woman speaks no English and my Spanish is terrible. I still try to explain in Spanish and she looks offended (maybe I accidentally said something offensive my Spanish is seriously bad). So we head back to the EU line woman who does speak English and explain the situation to her. She turns and starts yelling at the first woman.

We turn back again and DH is grumbling about all of the people who joined the line while we were dealing with this situation. The first lady still doesn’t want us to go through and starts yelling in Catalan. I hear the word police and get nervous so I ask why police we just don’t know where we’re supposed to go. I think she says I’m not talking to you I’m talking to the police.

She stepped aside and we thought ok maybe this is just a weird misunderstanding. We get in the line for non EU people and wait to get to the front of the line. Next thing we know the police are surrounding us. One officer tells us to follow her and she takes us to a holding area. I ask her why and she says I don’t get to know why. They leave us there for maybe 20 minutes and then the first line lady comes over and says police, claps her hands, and walks away. Wtf.

After about half an hour we’re told to go to the customs line again. When we get to the front the police officer is in the booth with the agent. The agent stamps our passports and said thank you and we can go. That’s it.

The whole thing was so unnerving. Who knew you can be detained in Spain and you have no rights. Never thought something like that would happen in an EU country.

Anyway, does anyone else have crazy customs stories?

DH is saying it’s because I raised my voice the last time I said we’re Canadian not EU. I don’t know if I did or not. At that point she was yelling at me saying “British EU no no no” and I was exasperated. I was exhausted after 10 hours of travel and just wanted to get to the hotel and shower. I may have raised my voice, but I definitely wasn’t being aggressive. If anything I was backing away from her.

Maybe it’s because DH walked away?

Really no clue. Canada and England are definitely different and Canada is not part of the EU being in North America and all. Maybe she thought former British colony?

It’s all just super weird and now I’m paranoid about getting arrested for something else.

That is a crazy customs story and yes scary. I would have felt the same as you @chemgirl. I mean, once we leave our country our rights are not the same and we are at the mercy of the county we are visiting. I know my perspective was forever changed with the Amanda Knox story. Terrifying to me actually what she went through. But I digress. Thankful you guys are A OK and yeah that story gives me pause.

Hope you and your DH enjoy the rest of your trip in Spain. Stay safe and have fun.

 

[joelly]

Another reason why I don’t like to travel if it involves airport and customs.

My Mom who travel from LAX back to her own country was searched like she was a thief. Indonesia is ridiculous and I doubt their custom speaks any English. Also sometimes they forgot to stamp the arrival stamp on your passport so be aware of that when you’re traveling. Don’t trust them doing their job properly.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

@kipari that’s just normal for travel to the US. Airport customs handle their own people and then everyone else. Sometimes there’s one agent who will take people from the non citizen line. It means a longer wait for non citizens.

You might not have noticed, but many large airports in the UK are the same. Before I knew I could stand in the citizen line with my husband, I would wait much much longer to get through customs. There are always far fewer agents for non uk/eu and many delays. He’s through in 5 minutes and I’m stuck for an hour waiting for the one agent.

People from approved countries who travel to the US on a regular basis have the option to apply for Global Entry. Then you can use automated machines and avoid the whole line situation.

Thanks for the heads up, this was 9years ago..DH is going to the US regularly now and is pre approved.

At that one incident It wasn't like there were fewer people for the "rest".. they just put like 10 agents for 100 US citizens and didn't open any line for the "rest" of 300 people. It sure felt hostile, also for frequent travellers and business class travellers. And they seemed to enjoy intimidating those Irish lads. One never knows what's going on behind the scenes and if there might be a reason for their behaviour, but my spoiled little self who just wanted to go on major shopping spree in NYC with my baby daughter and Dh wasn't in the mood to throw any of my Euros out the window anymore. That lasted EXACTLY until 47th street, though

I hope you can still enjoy your time in Spain!!!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

How upsetting!

Hope your trip is much better from now on......

 

[whitewave]

England left the EU on Jan 31 anyway, so doesn’t that make her doubly wrong?

 

[whitewave]

When I went to visit my sister in Norther Ca in October, at LAX when the previous plane was doing last call, a very frantic European woman ran up and was visibly distraught and kept repeating that she was detained in customs for 4 hours. 4 hours she kept saying.

My guess is she was from Spain? IDK maybe South American. She spoke English well but I detected a Spanish inflection. She was very well dressed and looked professional, so me personally.... I couldn’t figure out why she would be detained for 4 hours.

I felt so bad for her, but they got her checked in and she made her flight.

 

[chemgirl]

@kipari I know what you mean. Sometimes border people are on alert for whatever reason and they’re a lot more aggressive.

Once I was using a land crossing and they were pulling every other vehicle and searching everything. They dumped my bag onto a table and fished through the contents using the end of a pen. They lifted the odd thing up in the air and held it up to a light. This included my underwear for some reason. No drugs in my panties, thanks for checking. I finally returned to my car and the front left tire was missing. They tracked it down, but of course wouldn’t help me put it back. A man from another car came over to give me a hand and they told him that he wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone. That was a fun day. All to spend a weekend at the outlet mall. Sigh.

 

[chemgirl]

England left the EU on Jan 31 anyway, so doesn’t that make her doubly wrong?

Haha so wrong. We actually checked because DH has dual citizenship (but was travelling on his Canadian passport not his British). Apparently passport control is going to remain the same in 2020. It will be interesting to see how everything works out beyond that point.

 

[JPie]

The craziest thing that's happened to me with customs wasn't really that crazy. My family was returning from a trip to Beijing where we purchased roast geese. They were vacuum sealed and you just had to reheat it. They sent our luggage through the x-ray and it was hilarious seeing the fowl show up. This was before the days of bird flu so after much deliberation, the officers let us through with the geese.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

Whaaaaaaatttt!!! How were you supposed to get the tire back on?!!

@kipari I know what you mean. Sometimes border people are on alert for whatever reason and they’re a lot more aggressive.

Once I was using a land crossing and they were pulling every other vehicle and searching everything. They dumped my bag onto a table and fished through the contents using the end of a pen. They lifted the odd thing up in the air and held it up to a light. This included my underwear for some reason. No drugs in my panties, thanks for checking. I finally returned to my car and the front left tire was missing. They tracked it down, but of course wouldn’t help me put it back. A man from another car came over to give me a hand and they told him that he wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone. That was a fun day. All to spend a weekend at the outlet mall. Sigh.

 

[chemgirl]

Whaaaaaaatttt!!! How were you supposed to get the tire back on?!!

They had the car jacked up because they were scanning the tire. I put it back myself, but then I was scared that the bolts weren’t tightened properly.

At least I knew it was just theatrics and wasn’t worried about getting arrested or anything.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

Still super rude..



My DH once made the mistake to present his ID instead of his passport. We were going out of Germany into the Czech Republic three DAYS before they joined the Szengen zone (so free travel without border control at all).
I've done it that way several times before and we thought it was Ok for all European citizens. WRONG. DH is French and would have needed to present his passport. I could travel with my ID because a bilateral treaty between the Czech Republic and Germany. No big deal, you'd think?

No. Instead of asking for the passport (which was in the trunk) or explaining, the Czech made us wait for an hour, came back with a formal note that read: you're prohibited from leaving German territory for a week.
A German officer kindly explained the reason and was then puzzled when we said we could have just showed them the passport. But then it was too late.The documents were issued on demand of the Czech and my DH REGISTERED in some system.

Fortunately this was a road trip and instead of going to Prague we went elsewhere instead.

Needless to say he was livid first, then amused. It was framed in our living room for a while and made a great conversation piece / running gag (me detaining him in my home country and all that).

I think those Czech guys were just pissed that they were being made obsolete and lashing out on people...

 

[GlitterInMyHair]

I used to live in Germany and travelled internationally for work.

My worst experience was at Heathrow airport, flying home to Germany.

The gate agent told me (and I'm not joking) because I had a non-EU / US passport, I needed a stamp on my boarding pass from Customs that said "No stamp needed". 1st WTF moment.

I explained to her there was no Customs in that terminal. And airport security wouldn't have let me enter another terminal.

She then told me I could`t board my flight because German Customs could refuse my entry without the stamp that said "No stamp needed". 2nd WTF moment.

So I showed her my German work and residential visas as proof I was legally working and living in Germany. She was not convinced.

After 20 mins of back and forth, her supervisor came and told me not to expect any special treatment because the US government had the most horrible restrictions on foreign travellers. 3rd WTF moment.

Finally, they spoke to a Customs agent who told them to let me on the flight, but only if I was polite and didn't complain. Final WTF moment.

Still in the end, everything worked out and I got on my flight.

 

[distracts]

The whole thing was so unnerving. Who knew you can be detained in Spain and you have no rights. Never thought something like that would happen in an EU country.

Here's an article about a US journalist getting detained while coming back into the US:

I’m a Journalist but I Didn’t Fully Realize the Terrible Power of U.S. Border Officials Until They Violated My Rights and Privacy

I complacently assumed that CBP’s horrendous treatment of migrants wouldn’t affect me directly, least of all in Austin, the city where I was born.

theintercept.com

Entering the US, you don't have the right to an attorney, all your bags AND devices may be searched without a warrant, and if you don't unlock your devices so they can be searched, you can be detained afaik indefinitely. This journalist wasn't held all that long compared to some articles I've read.

 

[MrsBlue]

Yikes! The worst I've encountered (and I have not traveled much) was going to Puerto Rico. I still have no clue why but when DH and I were traveling for our honeymoon we were pulled out for "additional screening" at customs. About 20-30 minutes of waiting in a small room with no one and another 20-30 minutes of random questions. Then we were on our way.

Mine was returning from Puerto Rico. I guess I looked suspicious to one of their agents because she pulled me out of the boarding line and barked a bunch of questions at me including What's in your bag?!! I said err dirty clothes? She yanked on a pair of gloves, opened my carry-on and inspected my sundresses and undies in front of everyone. It was absurd.

 

[Tekate]

9 years ago my husband and I went on a western Mexican cruise starting and ending in LA. I'm 58 yrs old and hubster 60. So the cruise went fine..so I had just been to my high school reunion 2 weeks earlier in CT. Saw many people for the first time in 40 years, one guy I bugged incessantly in French class was one of them.. So back to the cruise, we get off and ferried over to LAX to catch the flight home to Austin, we are standing on HUGE long line of people, so I turn around in this line and behind me is the guy from high school that I bugged (who was a CEO of a huge. Fortune 100 company btw, he was nice and said I didn't really bug him, but I did). Anyway it was great and we talked as the line progressed, we had time so he asked if we wanted to have lunch together, Sure! so I go through security and I get stopped, nothing new I had a hip replacement a few months earlier BUT this was unusual as I tested positive for explosives, lol yup EXPLOSIVES, here I am a chubby, older chick with a hat on from Mexico, tan, and peeling and I test positive for explosive devices.. sooo my husband and friend from high school wait for me while I get whisked away to a 'private room' where there are 2 people who were temps for Homeland Security, they test me again I again test positive, then the big boss lady comes down from upstairs (whatever that meant) and she enters and says 'we are going to do a strip search of your body' WELL... one can imagine I wasn't doing that.. no way no how.. so I began with my soliloquy "I am a 58 year old Registrar of a national organization!, I am old, I do not want a strip search, it's invasive, look at me! do I look like a terrorist? I have green eyes!! I was trying anything, I am a mother of 2 sons! I am catholic (well not practicing tho haha).. PLEASE! don't to this, my husband and a friend from high school are waiting!! I mean then I really started crying I was afraid, what the heck was going to happen, I couldn't get my husband.. after 20 minutes of back and forth the woman says, alright you can go (after I showed her my scar from my recent hip replacement)... it was to say the least: surrealistic.. I was so afraid, I had had a bad experience a year earlier at Bergstrom airport where a girl gave me an internal pat down, it was shocking, upsetting and really sick.. I said to her "hey you just went to places neither of my husbands did" I mean I was in such shock, ugh the whole both times was a nightmare.. So back to LA, I finally got out and had lunch. I swear I have PTSD when I fly since then, you have NO control. I have flown and nothing like situation since 2010, but none the less, it's scary.

These things only happen to me usually.

 

[chrono]

@arkieb1 Almost all the Chinese women in Malaysia do not change their name to the husband's when they get married so I am puzzled by this.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I never had a terrible flying experience but I've only been on a plane a handful of times.

But these stories remind me of why I avoid flying at all costs as well as cruise ships, you are at their mercy.

 

[whitewave]

9 years ago my husband and I went on a western Mexican cruise starting and ending in LA. I'm 58 yrs old and hubster 60. So the cruise went fine..so I had just been to my high school reunion 2 weeks earlier in CT. Saw many people for the first time in 40 years, one guy I bugged incessantly in French class was one of them.. So back to the cruise, we get off and ferried over to LAX to catch the flight home to Austin, we are standing on HUGE long line of people, so I turn around in this line and behind me is the guy from high school that I bugged (who was a CEO of a huge. Fortune 100 company btw, he was nice and said I didn't really bug him, but I did). Anyway it was great and we talked as the line progressed, we had time so he asked if we wanted to have lunch together, Sure! so I go through security and I get stopped, nothing new I had a hip replacement a few months earlier BUT this was unusual as I tested positive for explosives, lol yup EXPLOSIVES, here I am a chubby, older chick with a hat on from Mexico, tan, and peeling and I test positive for explosive devices.. sooo my husband and friend from high school wait for me while I get whisked away to a 'private room' where there are 2 people who were temps for Homeland Security, they test me again I again test positive, then the big boss lady comes down from upstairs (whatever that meant) and she enters and says 'we are going to do a strip search of your body' WELL... one can imagine I wasn't doing that.. no way no how.. so I began with my soliloquy "I am a 58 year old Registrar of a national organization!, I am old, I do not want a strip search, it's invasive, look at me! do I look like a terrorist? I have green eyes!! I was trying anything, I am a mother of 2 sons! I am catholic (well not practicing tho haha).. PLEASE! don't to this, my husband and a friend from high school are waiting!! I mean then I really started crying I was afraid, what the heck was going to happen, I couldn't get my husband.. after 20 minutes of back and forth the woman says, alright you can go (after I showed her my scar from my recent hip replacement)... it was to say the least: surrealistic.. I was so afraid, I had had a bad experience a year earlier at Bergstrom airport where a girl gave me an internal pat down, it was shocking, upsetting and really sick.. I said to her "hey you just went to places neither of my husbands did" I mean I was in such shock, ugh the whole both times was a nightmare.. So back to LA, I finally got out and had lunch. I swear I have PTSD when I fly since then, you have NO control. I have flown and nothing like situation since 2010, but none the less, it's scary.

These things only happen to me usually.

Oh my, you were probed??

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

9 years ago my husband and I went on a western Mexican cruise starting and ending in LA. I'm 58 yrs old and hubster 60. So the cruise went fine..so I had just been to my high school reunion 2 weeks earlier in CT. Saw many people for the first time in 40 years, one guy I bugged incessantly in French class was one of them.. So back to the cruise, we get off and ferried over to LAX to catch the flight home to Austin, we are standing on HUGE long line of people, so I turn around in this line and behind me is the guy from high school that I bugged (who was a CEO of a hjuge. Fortune 100 company btw, he was nice and said I didn't really bug him, but I did). Anyway it was great and we talked as the line progressed, we had time so he asked if we wanted to have lunch together, Sure! so I go through security and I get stopped, nothing new I had a hip replacement a few months earlier BUT this was unusual as I tested positive for explosives, lol yup EXPLOSIVES, here I am a chubby, older chick with a hat on from Mexico, tan, and peeling and I test positive for explosive devices.. sooo my husband and friend from high school wait for me while I get whisked away to a 'private room' where there are 2 people who were temps for Homeland Security, they test me again I again test positive, then the big boss lady comes down from upstairs (whatever that meant) and she enters and says 'we are going to do a strip search of your body' WELL... one can imagine I wasn't doing that.. no way no how.. so I began with my soliloquy "I am a 58 year old Registrar of a national organization!, I am old, I do not want a strip search, it's invasive, look at me! do I look like a terrorist? I have green eyes!! I was trying anything, I am a mother of 2 sons! I am catholic (well not practicing tho haha).. PLEASE! don't to this, my husband and a friend from high school are waiting!! I mean then I really started crying I was afraid, what the heck was going to happen, I couldn't get my husband.. after 20 minutes of back and forth the woman says, alright you can go (after I showed her my scar from my recent hip replacement)... it was to say the least: surrealistic.. I was so afraid, I had had a bad experience a year earlier at Bergstrom airport where a girl gave me an internal pat down, it was shocking, upsetting and really sick.. I said to her "hey you just went to places neither of my husbands did" I mean I was in such shock, ugh the whole both times was a nightmare.. So back to LA, I finally got out and had lunch. I swear I have PTSD when I fly since then, you have NO control. I have flown and nothing like situation since 2010, but none the less, it's scary.

These things only happen to me usually.

@Tekate traumatic.