So between the biometrics, the fingerprinting, the iris scanning, the social media search, the security screening, and the usual questions from a customs officer, now how early do we have to show up at the airport for a flight to the US? Six hours?
Screw that. Maybe, I’ll go to England again. Or Australia; I liked it when I visited, and there is so much more of it that I’d like to see. Hong Kong? Why not? I just need to show up at the airport, present my passport and visa (if necessary) and ticket, and off I go. It’s just that easy.
All of the above destinations are now easier to vacation in than the United States.
It is astounding. Everything will be super-cheap (I mean, for you, not for us locals) but the only city that I think compares is Rio de Janerio, and I thought the food there was not up to standard! Maybe Melbourne, but I have not been there.
There are always dire warnings about gun violence, but those are limited to a small area where you will not go, because there is nothing to see there, aside from poverty. Theft is a problem, but this is a normal big city thing.
World class fine dining. Incredible nature. Our Mountain. Possibly the most beautiful road on the planet (BMW used it in an ad). Super friendly people. English spoken by everyone.
You can venture out of town and visit the best wineries in the world, and maybe take in a mini-safari to see rhinos, giraffe and elephants.
And yet, still really exotic for a foreigner. 100% would recommend.
No, you’ve got me enthused, and now really thinking. My (Australian, but he lived in Cape Town for a few years) brother-in-law and my sister have both been there. I’d like to see the tablecloth on Table Mountain, and the animals on a photo safari. And the wines! I’ve enjoyed South African wines here in Canada, and while “Two Oceans” may be a table wine to you, it’s pretty damn exotic to us. I’m sure that what doesn’t get exported is much better.
Great idea, thank you!
Oh, and to put this thread back on topic: Sorry, USA, you won’t be seeing me this year, or the next. I’ll reserve ideas about visiting again once you get rid of iris-scanning and photographing and fingerprinting, and return to being a respected member of the world community, instead of a laughingstock.
Good lord. I’d not give that to a desperate homeless person. And I have been a desperate homeless person.
Here, a fine example of our outstanding wines. Not sure if you can buy it in the USA, but the visit to the actual farm and meet the fairly eccentric winemaker (and his very loveable, and much more stable wife) is an experience you may not forget. Plus the very few guest rooms/hotel they run are 5 star on a 2 star budget.
I am an American and this infuriates me.
Plus I am trying to envision how this all works in real life not bureaucratic fantasy.
How exactly are you supposed to submit something like this? Do I friend them on Facebook?
If I had to do this, mine would look awfully suspicious because I have limited social media (Reddit, Facebook and You Tube) plus all of my family members are deceased.
Ditto. Not just on principle or economics, either. As an American who loves to travel abroad, this puts a big target on my back whenever I’m entering and visiting another country. Trump’s base of incurious, parochial xenophobes couldn’t care less.
I wasn’t planning to go the U.S. for tourism anyway but I was asked earlier this year by the company I work for if I was interested in relocating if the opportunity arose, and if so where.
I marked down several European countries as places that I would be open to relocate to (I would love to live in Europe for some years and travel all over the continent in the weekends/holidays) I pointedly did not mark the U.S. as a possible destination, IMHO the U.S. is not safe for foreigners anymore, specially if you come from Latin America, Africa or Asia.
And how will they react if you forget something? Every phone number for 5 years? Does that include the two week duration tourist sim card you bought on vacation 4 years ago? My Canadian phone plan sucks for international travel, so this is a thing I still have to do, if I want decent phone service, but there’s no way I’m going to remember that number.
USCustoms: “So, Mr Piper, your social media, please.”
Piper: “I’ve got a Facebook page thst I rarely use, a LinkedIn account for professional contacts. That’s about it. Oh, and the Straight Dope Message Board.”
USCustoms: “The what?”
Piper: “The Straight Dope Message Board. It’s a bunch of anonymous posters who chat about the world, politics, pet pix. Whatever comes to mind.”
USCustoms: “Talk about drugs?”
Piper: “Some do. But politics recently a lot.”
USCustoms: “Anything about the president?”
Piper: “Hoo-boo, you bet! The Pit threads alone are where Dopers really vent about the Orange Menace, the Grand Cheato…”
USCustoms: [on phone] “Hello, ICE? Could you send a squad of agents up right away, please? Got a hot one.”
As they take him away Northern_Piper continues rattling derogatory names for Trump
“Diaper Donny, The Orange Shitstain, Cheeto-Faced Shit-Gibbon, President Shitpost, IQ 45/47, Hair Fuhrer, Mr Potato-Head, Tan the Conman, Cadet Bone Sp…”
And now I’m tempted to only post the exact same post every day for five years, just to see how they react to that. It’s technically legal, and also an absolute “Fuck you!” “I spent five years on this shitpost just to specifically screw with you fascist pigs.”