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Brit here. Would love to travel to the States one day but it sounds like an awful hassle so I continually pick easier destinations. Even the whole "give up your

Brit here. Would love to travel to the States one day but it sounds like an awful hassle so I continually pick easier destinations. Even the whole "give up your social media passwords" is enough to make me go "meh..." Vancouver was lovely. Might be as close as I'll ever get....

xaranke 8y ago
As a Brit it's as simple as filling out an ESTA which is valid for 2 years, you shouldn't miss out on a very beautiful country because you couldn't be bothered to fill out an online form. In general, you shouldn't decide whether to go to a place or not depending on how easy the visa situation is.
- thebooktocome 8y ago
  The added time waste involved should get allotted with the rest of the travel cost, and judged likewise.
- Khaine 8y ago
  Unless your ESTA gets declined for any numebr of reasons. Then you need to get a visa.
curiousgal 8y ago
The US is worth the hassle in my opinion simply because of its national parks. I have never seen anything like them in the world, in the span of like 3 states (Utah, Arizona and Colorado) you can experience 3 different landscapes (otherwise found in at least 2 different continents/countries) and just feel, truly happy, unlike other touristic experiences. (At least in my case, something about nature I find so serene)
- adventured 8y ago
  It is funny in a way, the national and state parks may be America's best tourist feature hands down. It's a remarkable collection. Places like NYC can obviously be a great experience. The parks are pretty special though, a lot of the other typical touristy stuff you can more or less get in numerous other countries. And it's inexpensive, a $80 annual pass gets multiple people access to thousands of federal recreation spots and all 60 national parks.
- peachananr 8y ago
  That is the sole reason why I'm going to the US. National Parks!
sushisource 8y ago
The "give up your passwords" thing is not a real thing. It's only happened occasionally in one-off scenarios where power-tripping border agents overstepped their bounds, and I think has maybe been proposed, but is in no way an actual law.
- thebooktocome 8y ago
  You're being downvoted because it is a real thing. Even US citizens can be strongly encouraged (with threat of detainment) to turn over their electronic devices and surrender their passwords when crossing the border -- and remember, "the border" is legally defined as any location within 100 miles of a point of entry. From https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/05/576139303/u-s-customs-and-border-patrol-sets-new-rules-for-searching-electronic-devices https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/05/576139303... > CBP agents inspected 30,200 phones and other devices during [fiscal year 2017]. Therefore, it does happen somewhat frequently.
  - raquo 8y ago
    I can stand behind ideological refusal to travel to the US because of this, but in practical terms for an individual traveller a 0.007% chance is does not qualify as "somewhat frequently".
  - vesrah 8y ago
    You probably should have also posted the line right below the one you quoted, which shows that it is really not that common. > Officials stress that those searches represent just a tiny fraction of all arriving international travelers — .007 percent.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
elvirs 8y ago
are they actively enforcing the 'turn over your social media accounts' thing right now? I have multi friends and family who came to visit me in the states recently and nobody mentioned that. As a Brit, I don't think you will encounter any difficulty entering United States.
- SeaSeaRider 8y ago
  No they are not, his post seems to be political rather than factual.
  - 24gttghh 8y ago
    Seems pretty factual to me: https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/04/04/hand-over-your-social-media-history-before-you-enter-the-us/ https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/04/04/hand-over-your-s...
  - andybak 8y ago
    > Political I've got no beef with US immigration other than hearing repeated horror stories over the years from moderately reputable sources.
- r3bl 8y ago
  Nope, they are not actively enforcing this. I went into the US twice this year, received "random" secondary screening both times, but my laptop never left my sight, and they've never asked me anything about my online activity. Of course, I would still advise everyone to prepare themselves in case it does happen. I personally followed EFF's recommendations that they gave during 34C3: https://media.ccc.de/v/34c3-9086-protecting_your_privacy_at_the_border https://media.ccc.de/v/34c3-9086-protecting_your_privacy_at_...
outworlder 8y ago
Once you cross the border, the country is awesome. The (international) airports are something out of a dystopian novel. And the experience can vary wildly. I got the coolest agent ever at Atlanta – even after my fingerprints didn't match (consulate screw up), but that did cause me to miss my connecting flight. On another trip, the guy in NYC was apparently pissed at his job and was very rude. But all my paperwork was in order. Then you have a connecting flight, and you have to go through security again (but not border control), because the security areas are either not big enough or not properly planned. I have not had to give up social media passwords. Is that a new thing?
- Symbiote 8y ago
  The ESTA form now asks for social media usernames, although the box says "optional" and I didn't bother. Github is listed as an example social network.
- davidgh 8y ago
  When coming into the USA from an international location, the reason you have to go through security before catching your connecting flight is that the US won’t accept “implied screening”, meaning, screening that was done by another authority. It’s not about airport configuration or size.
  - CaptainZapp 8y ago
    I'd wager that the main reason is that the concept of transit is completely foreign to US airports. Even if travelling to a third country you need to go through immigration, customs, re-check your bags and go through security to get to your connecting flight. You cannot check your luggae through. A process, which is possible if you fly through virtually any other country. I wonder what this costs US carriers. For example: Flying from Zurich to Lima would be logical, connection wise, via Miami, Atlanta, or even New York. But I rather fly via Amsterdam or Madrid to save myself the hassle and the anxiety of missing my connecting flight due to innane, unnecessary procedures.
raverbashing 8y ago
> but it sounds like an awful hassle filling the ESTA form is an "awful hassle" now? Well the world doesn't run on free phone apps, as an entry process ESTA is one of the easiest. And btw the Brits should start preparing for longer lines when they get into mainland Europe
jdlyga 8y ago
That's only if you're applying for a US Visa. You brits get visa free travel, and are all welcome anytime.

xaranke 8y ago

As a Brit it's as simple as filling out an ESTA which is valid for 2 years, you shouldn't miss out on a very beautiful country because you couldn't be bothered to fill out an online form. In general, you shouldn't decide whether to go to a place or not depending on how easy the visa situation is.

thebooktocome 8y ago
The added time waste involved should get allotted with the rest of the travel cost, and judged likewise.
Khaine 8y ago
Unless your ESTA gets declined for any numebr of reasons. Then you need to get a visa.

curiousgal 8y ago

The US is worth the hassle in my opinion simply because of its national parks. I have never seen anything like them in the world, in the span of like 3 states (Utah, Arizona and Colorado) you can experience 3 different landscapes (otherwise found in at least 2 different continents/countries) and just feel, truly happy, unlike other touristic experiences. (At least in my case, something about nature I find so serene)

adventured 8y ago
It is funny in a way, the national and state parks may be America's best tourist feature hands down. It's a remarkable collection. Places like NYC can obviously be a great experience. The parks are pretty special though, a lot of the other typical touristy stuff you can more or less get in numerous other countries. And it's inexpensive, a $80 annual pass gets multiple people access to thousands of federal recreation spots and all 60 national parks.
peachananr 8y ago
That is the sole reason why I'm going to the US. National Parks!

sushisource 8y ago

The "give up your passwords" thing is not a real thing. It's only happened occasionally in one-off scenarios where power-tripping border agents overstepped their bounds, and I think has maybe been proposed, but is in no way an actual law.

thebooktocome 8y ago
You're being downvoted because it is a real thing. Even US citizens can be strongly encouraged (with threat of detainment) to turn over their electronic devices and surrender their passwords when crossing the border -- and remember, "the border" is legally defined as any location within 100 miles of a point of entry. From https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/05/576139303/u-s-customs-and-border-patrol-sets-new-rules-for-searching-electronic-devices https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/05/576139303... > CBP agents inspected 30,200 phones and other devices during [fiscal year 2017]. Therefore, it does happen somewhat frequently.
- raquo 8y ago
  I can stand behind ideological refusal to travel to the US because of this, but in practical terms for an individual traveller a 0.007% chance is does not qualify as "somewhat frequently".
- vesrah 8y ago
  You probably should have also posted the line right below the one you quoted, which shows that it is really not that common. > Officials stress that those searches represent just a tiny fraction of all arriving international travelers — .007 percent.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

elvirs 8y ago

are they actively enforcing the 'turn over your social media accounts' thing right now? I have multi friends and family who came to visit me in the states recently and nobody mentioned that. As a Brit, I don't think you will encounter any difficulty entering United States.

SeaSeaRider 8y ago
No they are not, his post seems to be political rather than factual.
- 24gttghh 8y ago
  Seems pretty factual to me: https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/04/04/hand-over-your-social-media-history-before-you-enter-the-us/ https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/04/04/hand-over-your-s...
- andybak 8y ago
  > Political I've got no beef with US immigration other than hearing repeated horror stories over the years from moderately reputable sources.
r3bl 8y ago
Nope, they are not actively enforcing this. I went into the US twice this year, received "random" secondary screening both times, but my laptop never left my sight, and they've never asked me anything about my online activity. Of course, I would still advise everyone to prepare themselves in case it does happen. I personally followed EFF's recommendations that they gave during 34C3: https://media.ccc.de/v/34c3-9086-protecting_your_privacy_at_the_border https://media.ccc.de/v/34c3-9086-protecting_your_privacy_at_...

outworlder 8y ago

Once you cross the border, the country is awesome. The (international) airports are something out of a dystopian novel. And the experience can vary wildly. I got the coolest agent ever at Atlanta – even after my fingerprints didn't match (consulate screw up), but that did cause me to miss my connecting flight. On another trip, the guy in NYC was apparently pissed at his job and was very rude. But all my paperwork was in order. Then you have a connecting flight, and you have to go through security again (but not border control), because the security areas are either not big enough or not properly planned. I have not had to give up social media passwords. Is that a new thing?

Symbiote 8y ago
The ESTA form now asks for social media usernames, although the box says "optional" and I didn't bother. Github is listed as an example social network.
davidgh 8y ago
When coming into the USA from an international location, the reason you have to go through security before catching your connecting flight is that the US won’t accept “implied screening”, meaning, screening that was done by another authority. It’s not about airport configuration or size.
- CaptainZapp 8y ago
  I'd wager that the main reason is that the concept of transit is completely foreign to US airports. Even if travelling to a third country you need to go through immigration, customs, re-check your bags and go through security to get to your connecting flight. You cannot check your luggae through. A process, which is possible if you fly through virtually any other country. I wonder what this costs US carriers. For example: Flying from Zurich to Lima would be logical, connection wise, via Miami, Atlanta, or even New York. But I rather fly via Amsterdam or Madrid to save myself the hassle and the anxiety of missing my connecting flight due to innane, unnecessary procedures.

raverbashing 8y ago

> but it sounds like an awful hassle filling the ESTA form is an "awful hassle" now? Well the world doesn't run on free phone apps, as an entry process ESTA is one of the easiest. And btw the Brits should start preparing for longer lines when they get into mainland Europe

jdlyga 8y ago

That's only if you're applying for a US Visa. You brits get visa free travel, and are all welcome anytime.