First time international travelers: How to Avoid Getting OFFLOADED?

First-time international travelers: How to Avoid Getting OFFLOADED?

Congratulations everyone! Finally, we are back to slightly "normal" days. I say slightly normal since this is not really how we use to be before the COVID-19 breakout but at least we can now travel like before. I know many of you have been dreaming to fulfill the bucket list that you made when while doing your online meeting during quarantine days.  This is your chance to start making into reality all your dream travel. And since, surely you have made big savings during those years that we can do nothing but stay home, travel is now very possible. 

But, wait! Is this your first international travel and you're still afraid to experience being offloaded? Being "OFFLOADED" is actually a pretty common nightmare that most first-time travelers experience. What is "offload" anyway? OFFLOAD is when you are not allowed to travel by immigration. This usually happens to first-time travelers with none working visas but most commonly to young travelers of working age. Working age? Well, these are the 20-ish to 40-ish, I would say. But, note that getting offloaded does not happen only to first-time travelers, it can happen to anyone though. Reasons for being offloaded may vary from one person to another. Sometimes it is because you lack a certain document, or health reason, attitude could also sometimes becomes a reason, and crime. BUT, the most common reason is that the immigration officer is not convinced of your motives to travel. They suspect that you will be "TNT" in the country you are going to or they are trying to protect you from being a victim of human trafficking (especially if you are meeting your boyfriend or girlfriend that you met on the internet). 

What should you do to avoid being offloaded and convinced the immigration officer about your travel motives? Here are some practical tips that are really effective.

A. Tell the TRUTH- even if you are so good in lying, immigration officers are good at detecting if you are saying the truth or not. They are like walking lie detector machines. That is their profession and they face all those kinds of reasons every single day. So, make sure your motive is really just to travel and nothing else. Your eyes and body language will always speak the truth for you. 

B. Complete Documents- make sure your documents are complete. If you are working, make sure that you can show evidence of your current work, and that you have a letter of absence from your company. Anything that you can use to show that you are really working. The immigration officer usually asks this to make sure that you are really coming back to the country because you still have the commitment. Sometimes they will also ask for insurance but not all the time. Also get ready with your bank statement, at worst they would ask for it. 

C. Printed RETURN TICKET- it is a must that you have a return ticket. Even if you are going to stay long in one country, or you are going to many different countries, as long as you're a tourist traveler you should have a return ticket printed. 

D. ACCOMMODATION BOOKINGS- you should be able to provide an accommodation booking for the country that you are going. If you are staying with a friend, you can ask for a statement letter from that friend and a copy of their passport and id card bearing the address. 

E. CREDIT CARD- if you buy your plane ticket using a credit card make sure, the card is under your name or you bring that card with you. Do not ask a friend to buy your ticket using their credit card. USING CASH is always an option. This is a common mistake in buying a plane ticket and usually causes OFFLOAD.

F. CONFIDENCE- be confident when facing the immigration officer. If you're too nervous they would usually suspect that you are up to something. Keep calm even if they set you aside. 

G. Do NOT GIVE ALL YOUR DOCUMENTS IN ONE GO- When it is your turn to have your passport stamped make sure you only give the officer the documents that they need. Usually, that would be your passport, id, and boarding pass. Do not give other things. Yes, I said you should have all the other documents ready but do not give them when they are not needed, just wait for the immigration officer to ask for them if he needs to see them. 

(When you've set aside for further questioning)

H. BE CONSISTENT- usually the immigration officer will ask you the same question but in different forms (wordings). Be confident and consistent with your answer. 

I. Be Polite- sometimes we feel angry about why are we investigated even if in fact we are actually telling the truth but remember always that these people are just doing their job and part of it is to make sure that you will not be harmed in other countries in which we do not hold the law. Part of their role is to doubt the intention of everyone. It is not true that when you are being held for a long time in the immigration, the officers are waiting for the "under the table". No, they must have seen something that needs a thorough investigation. Just keep calm if you are telling the truth and you have all the documents with you, no need to worry.

J. KEEP IN MIND YOUR BOARDING TIME- make sure you know your boarding time. You can always tell the immigration officer your boarding time at this certain time so that they can accommodate you first and if there are needed documents you can get them that way you will get the in time for your boarding time.  

K. INFORM YOUR GROUND CREW- usually in the immigration office there are some airline ground crews on site. They are the ones who try to see if they have passengers being held in the immigration, you can tell them that you are at this flight number so that they know your situation, or they can also inform you when it's almost boarding, or at least they know where to find you when it is already last call. 

L. DO NOT MENTION UNCLEAR RELATIONSHIP- if you are going abroad to meet someone maybe your girl or boy you meet from the internet unless he is the one giving you the invitation to get the visa, no need to mention him or her. If you get a tourist visa and your reason to visit that country is just to tour around, do not mention any relationship or that you are going to meet a certain someone. If you do so, this will cause you another trouble and they will look for more evidence and documents. They will look for photos and all your message exchanges will be asked for. To avoid further delay better keep it secret. 

(personal tip from my experience)

M. TRY TO CHOOSE THE OFFICER in your OPPOSITE SEX- personally, as a woman I prefer men officers. So, I try to make sure I get the man officer questioning me instead of a woman. Why? Because I feel insecure when talking to a woman officer. Imagine the effect of insecurity plus nervousness. It is crazy. So, just try to see what you prefer and help you not to get too nervous and maybe have an eye for it. 

I have never experienced being OFFLOADED but I almost did. That was when I first traveled abroad. I was approved by the immigration officer just in time for my boarding.  And that was one of the most stressful times in my entire life. I am a Filipino and so far the most strict immigration is the Philippine Immigration, and they say if you pass the Philippine Immigration, the rest would be too easy. 

But there is no need to get discouraged or afraid, just be yourself, be TRUE and follow your dream travel. 

Bon Voyage everyone!