Exploited at the Airport! My Mom Denied Entry After Flying Across the World (To See Me!) ๐ซ๐๐ค๐ญ
What if you flew across the world, hours on a plane to be denied entry at your destination? Is that thought scary? It happened to my mom just a few months ago.
Travelers beware! Each and every country has power over you when you enter their 'property', their claimed land base. It is a "privilege not a priority" to gain access and once you are on their soil, your own government has limited capacity to help you.
Oh, I can tell you many-a- many stories of my struggles with border security however for the sake of this post, I'd like to tell you a horror story about the time my poor mother tried to visit me in Indonesia but devastatingly as I'm sure you can guess, didn't make it here.
Back in April, my mother finally gave into my months and months of pleading with her to come visit me in my tropical paradise. A very stuck in her ways type of gal, rigid with routine and comfort, my mum was complacent staying at home, in safety without having to take a 28 hour + journey to the unfamiliar, other side of the world.
See, it was my decision to move away from home right? I am the one who packed up and left behind the familiarity of the place that sheltered me and provided for me my whole youth. I am also the one who is now living in a phenomenally gorgeous paradise of magical healing powers so in opinion, it was in her best interest to come visit me!
Eventually after many tempting photos, and heart-wrenching phone calls, she agreed to take the plunge, overcome her fears and travel all the way from Canada to Indonesia to meet up with me. We actually had seen each other more than usual in the last year (2 times already!) once when I flew home for a week to grab some of my things and another when she met me in Mexico for a huge celebration! Since I left on the road, we go really long periods of time without seeing each other so when we get the chance, it's always really important to us to make it work, not knowing when the next time will be!
Momma booked her flight and as it got closer to day of arrival, I had everything all set for her. I had all of the fresh market produce ready in the fridge of our booked villa by the beach to make her delicious, nutritious, healthy meals! I had beer bought and chilling for her to calm down with, flowers in a vase, her favourite color, waiting to welcome her and a little gift bag of goodies I had collected for her from all over the world since I had seen her last.
I was so excited to show my mom, the woman who brought me into the world, my paradise. I was anxiously texting her the whole day she was traveling! When she landed in Shanghai, (I was watching her flight pattern and noticed she had landed) I sent her an excited text asking her to let me know when she got on the next flight which would land her in Bali so I could head over to the airport and be waiting for her arrival with open arms!
The response I got was an unforgettable nightmare.
My mother had never in her whole 50+ years traveled anywhere out of the country on her own. She's newly divorced from my overly controlling stepfather of my whole life and she's been trying to get out of her comfort zone ever since and assert her own independence. This was a huge deal for her and having everything planned by me was the only way she ever committed to going through with it.
Mom was just about to get onto her connecting flight to Bali when they told her she could not be accepted onto the flight.
She started panicking, sending me pieces of messages frantically seeking some sort of help as she was now stranded in China (which by the way, her whole peer group freaked her out about before she had even left the country, taking me hours and hours of convincing her she would be just fine landing in China! So, that didn't help one bit!)
"They won't let me on. I'm stuck!"
I was freaking out. I was waiting like a child at Christmas, counting down the minutes before I could go to the airport and pick her up and now, just as her plane was supposed to be departing, she was telling me she couldn't get on the flight!
"OMG what is going on mum?"
I started calling her like crazy... answer mom... answer.
Nothing.
What could be happening? I was stressing out, I felt so bad for encouraging her to do something she was so afraid of for it all to be going wrong. Knowing my mother and how much she has relied on others her whole life, having a constant buddy system to now being alone in probably the craziest situation of her life made me hyperventilate with anxiety.
I was in a ball on the ground, rocking back and forth, losing my mind wondering what was going on with my mom when finally my phone started ringing.
It was a terribly connected Skype call but through the crackling she was able to tell me that guess what?... are you ready for this?
Her passport was 3 days less than the required 6 month window before expiry!
That means a few things:
- When you pay for your passport, you're really getting 4.5 years not 5 (or 9.5 instead of 10!)
- They will let you fly across the damn world before they tell you this information!
- You won't be reimbursed for any of this so it's your responsibility to know the laws of the country you're visiting.
My mother had flown from Ottawa to Toronto, had a layover for almost 3 hours there, got on another plane, flew all the way from Canada to China to be told she could not board the aircraft to go to Indonesia.
Now before anyone starts playing devil's advocate, I understand that this is a fault of hers, a mistake and an oversight but I don't think she should have been allowed to board her flight out of Canada (and Air Canada has agreed with me on this, unfortunately their agreement doesn't undo anything that happened!)
First, China has strict visa requirements to enter so she should never have been allowed to get on the flight out of Canada to China if this was passport problem was existing! Second of all, now that she was in China, they were not allowing her to go to Indonesia and trying to force her to buy a ticket at the counter there to GO BACK HOME!
I could not believe my ears when she told me this.
My mom is super docile and easily influenced... she was being told to buy a ticket at the sales counter to go back home after traveling all this way and she was going to do it!
I was not going to let that happen.
I told her to sit tight because even if she was going home, buying a flight at the sales desk at the airport admittedly charges convenience fees making their prices surged in comparison to buying a normal ticket online was not going to be the way to go about it.
Knowing that, I was not letting her buy a ticket but she was being manipulated and the staff member there was trying to force her to buy her ticket then and there. (I had this happen to me once, remember in my Dominican Republic story? Luckily because of that, I knew we didn't need to be exploited.)
She couldn't leave the airport without a visa to China which she didn't have and any flight home last minute like this was absurdly expensive due to it being last minute.
Here's the scary thing to me. I know many travelers are like my mom! First of all scared to leave their countries in the first place because of the crazy fear mongering our news agencies love to spill all over the media for us to soak in. Secondly, anyone who feels brave enough to step out of comfort and attempt to experience a new culture might not really be up for a debate about customs, laws or what is right or wrong once they get there, leaving them a target for exploitation! In fact, a lot of travelers are really docile and end up spilling tons of money all to try to get themselves out of these crazy circumstances created by the officials who make piles of money off this type of thing.... Yes, I have paid my fare share learning these lessons.
Having to try to collect myself, I told my mom to just calm down, go sit down and I would take care of it all.
Being a seasoned traveler with every story in the book under my belt, I don't panic anymore when stuff like this happens. You need to remain calm and keep a collected head so you can figure out how best to solve your solution without falling into the trap of the fear and pressure put onto you by the officials.
First thing I did was call the Canadian embassy to find out her options.
The 6 month rule is strongly enforced by the way so keep that in mind when traveling as your travel plans could go sour fast, ask my mom!
The embassy actually couldn't do very much which was surprising to me! I had more suggestions than the lady I was speaking to. See, normally you could go to the consulate in the country you are visiting to have an emergency visa or travel document prepared but since momma was in China, she couldn't leave the airport without the proper visa and that was unobtainable.
Next step was to look at bordering countries, where could she enter without 6 months on her passport left to go to a consulate for the emergency visa?
We looked all over the map and in the end found Australia, South Korea and Hong Kong to be the only options for her given her Canadian passport. She ended up choosing Hong Kong as the embassy's crisis hot line operator told us she believed that my mom could get it all sorted out and be in Indonesia in a couple of days so after a promise from the embassy that there really was nothing they could do, I bought her the next flight into Hong Kong and told her to get her luggage and go find that airline's gate for her new flight.
The problem was that she had landed on Saturday and the consulate wouldn't be open until Monday so when she landed, she'd be alone for a few days across the world, in a whole new culture that she'd never been exposed to before! Not her idea of how she wanted to spend her limited vacation time.
I booked her a hotel online and sent her the information for when she landed. Of course by this point her phone was at the very edge of death and she was panicking not knowing how she would be able to get around or reach me. She did not have a power bank which is essential when traveling in my opinion!
By the time she got her luggage (thankfully she was able to!) and got over to the gate, she didn't have much time. I still hadn't received an email confirmation for the flight I had booked for her by the time she was standing in line at the airline's counter.
I told her to just go up to the desk and give them her name then let me know if it had gone through.
There was about a half an hour that passed when I heard nothing from her then I got a phone very distressed phone call.
"They don't have me on the list. I think I should just go home!"
Come on! Really?
I asked her what they told her and she said they didn't have any record of her on the travel registrar. By that point, she was about to have a meltdown. Prior to that, she was doing really well considering. I was proud of her for sticking through it, listening to my guidance and not giving up but I could hear the pain, confusion and exhaustion in her voice now.
"Mum, go back to the counter and tell them you're on that flight. Be kind but firm. Tell them you've paid for your ticket and you are going to go on that plane."
She resisted and pleaded with me to buy her a ticket home but I encouraged her to try once more before we gave up since she had already come so far.
Wouldn't you know it? She was on the roster now and would be boarding the flight in just minutes.
With a quick "I love you... I'm proud of you... I can't wait to see you..." I sent her off with some screenshots of her hotel information and my phone number.
It was so late and after all the stress, I ended up passing out while she was flying so when she landed, I didn't hear any of her calls.
She got into Hong Kong around 1am and being as shaken up as she was, was having a hard time navigating and figuring out what to do.
Hearing her retell this experience is unbelievable however she had a dead phone on her hands after trying to contact me for a while before leaving the airport. I am usually such a light sleeper, I would never sleep through a phone ringing but this whole fiasco did a number on me and I was out cold!
She eventually decided to get into a taxi and have him take her to the address.
As this story is lengthly but in my opinion riveting, suspenseful and worth sharing, I am going to share it in 2 parts (this being the first and the second to come!)
- Does momma get to Indonesia?
- Do we get to see each other?
- How does momma spend her time in HK?
- What happened with the airline?
All that and more, coming to you in the second part of this crazy tale! This ended up being the most expensive trip ever by the way! Always make sure to check your travel documents over before boarding as the airlines often make faults like this, leaving the expenses on your shoulders!
You can see my latest post from the absolutely insane time I ended up in some pretty unbelievable escapades in Dominican Republic by clicking here!
Hope you enjoy coming on board! These experiences must have happened to be shared! ;)
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
See you next time to find out!
XO,
Me, and my brother been prevented entry into the Philippines at least once. I've come and gone from the Philippines hundreds of times so I guess it was just a numbers game.
2 times I have been blocked entry, once I was denied boarding a connecting flight before even departing.
For my brother, he was denied boarding a connecting flight, TWICE IN THE SAME DAY, from the SAME airport, after correcting what they instructed him to.
A lot of people love travel and talk about how glorious it is. Once you arrive at your destination, yes it's fantastic, but for a frequent traveler due to non-tourism reasons, I dread anytime I have to go to the airport.
The redundant security, the obvious negligence, the empowered TSA (or whatever you call the equivalent in other countries), the small seats, immigration, baggage claim... oh god the terror! I dread every time I have to board a flight, international or domestic.
But i've had some great trips after finally arriving.
Lol I really have to laugh @sasha.shade, I think you and I could get into an all day discussion about this! ;) I completely agree with you... I whine like a baby about having to go anywhere for fear of knowing that there are always all of these silly possibilities that can occur. For me, traveling as much as I have, I have an abundance of these kind of horror stories as well... it's sad really and I have a vow to for as long as I can avoid TSA since they have consistently been unkind to me!
That is crazy to hear about your brother but seems about right. They tell you to do something that isn't right then punish you for it... yep.
I guess all you can do is laugh since it's the system we live in and unfortunately don't have any control over it :S
But totally on board with you- the end, getting there, that's the part that makes us keep doing it right? ;)
haha yes exactly. I remember being stopped by security once so they could go through my bags for suspicion of having a 'bomb'. They were wine glasses... How wine glasses look like a bomb, i have no idea, but i nearly missed my connecting flight because of it.
.
Just gotta keep reminding myself that the destination is worth the hassle. The trip it's self is awful hahaha. Not to mention i'm 6'3" and those tiny seats do not favor my knees.
OH MY GOODNESS... I can barely believe it.
They are all wacked out lol.
Power trips are heavily inflated in the border/customs systems too which make it so much worse.
Just remember the destination- yes! We can't complain about something that we let happen! It's this way because we don't fight it. I'll fight it with you if you want though! ;)
Hey @sasha.shade, I was able to get momma's experience! Here's what happened next! =D
You are killing me doing this in 2-steps. I will probably never see the second part since Steemit is absolute rubbish with keeping you informed about new posts. However, it was indeed a riveting story (had to check up what that means and that doesn't happen often). China can be a pain in the ass to travel to. I remember I was going to mainland China once, flying from Costa Rica (which is really the most difficult place to get to in America I think) WITHOUT a Visa. Can you imagine? I got in with an invitation though but it was a gamble and I knew that before I started.
I agree, keeping you calm is actually THE ONLY way to survive border switches. I have my fair share as well behind me and I banged my head not once but twice as hard as I could against an airport culomn. In Peru they didn't want me to leave because I didn't get a yellow feaver shot two weeks prior boarding the plane. In the US they put me in the box. And in Berlin I went to the wrong airport. Thinking about that now makes me want to stay at home forever. :D
Aww @flauwy I'm sorry, I didn't want to overburden everyone's attention spans! ;) I'll message you when I am done part two so you won't miss it because you're totally right about Steemit not having its act together on that front yet!
I generally avoid China, I think I have only flown in once just because of the stories I hear- I don't like messes at airports, I am always stressed out enough about flying as it is!
Holy cow! So, you were flying from CR to China and they let you in without a visa? AM I READING THAT RIGHT? That's crazy! You are so lucky :)
Haha OK so we are alike in this regard as I have so many of these experiences too even though I am a certified worry wart and double and triple check everything! I don't see why they have to be so intense about it, I mean it's just a freaking line in the sand lol
I always find once I get through, I never want to leave where I am again :P
The China trip was via HongKong, so I could board all the planes until then. The last flight required some phone calls and people inviting me on the main land. It wasn't easy but I got in.
Oh wow oh wow oh wow! @flauwy you're luck you got in! That sounds crazy! ๐ค
@flauwy as promised, here's what happened to momma!
Thx for the link. I enjoyed the 2nd part. As much as one can say that in that situation.
It's a good story to read, not to be part of, right? ;) I'll post part 3 soon <3 Gotta talk to mom first!
sounds like once again, laws are for the "little people". as so often seems to be the case, it's really more about "who you know"...
This is a very common mistake by inexperienced travelers. Having lived abroad for 10 years, you get to learn all the ins and outs of international travel and yes the 6 month rule is something people need to be aware of.
But my question to everyone out there is this. Why do humans accept being the only species on the planet that needs to check in with some authoritarian figure to cross an imaginary line? Do people even think about this issue, or are they just brought up believing that this is normal and it should always be this way. If you don't have freedom of movement, you don't have freedom, you just have a privilege!
Ahhh @tgheretic you are touching on my very questions! I actually started with that and ended up with my mom's story coming out. I will absolutely raise these issues in the second part and hopefully be able to open up a dialogue about it, get people thinking because you're right, it's ludicrous!
Scary thought. Your mum was very brave to go on a trip like this alone! And even manage to go through with it. Btw story well written, hope you will write the second part soon, so we can all read the whole story! :)
Hi @emmamia :) I never would have predicted this happening! I was so blindsighted! We need to make sure to double and triple check our documents when flying as they are really hard core about it!
Thank you so much, I love writing and love telling stories even more so mixing them together is what I have so much fun doing here! I should have the second part out soon, just waiting for some quotes from mom! ๐ค
Hi @emmamia here is the part you asked for! =D
Thank you!
Ahh man sorry to hear that. I guess China is super strict.
I have friends who told me that they were one day short of passport expiry but the counter didn't care at all. Probably pure luck or the country was more lax.
But I feel you, from where I am from, I have heard horror stories of Thai girls being turned away. Why? Because many Thai girls come here to work the sleazy nightlife scene. Officials are trying to counter that and as a result, many innocent ones fall get burned standing by the side.
Oh wow, as far as my experience has shown me, in general, passports are something serious that they do not take lightly. Your friends are super lucky. I know I have been in more than enough situations at the borders or airports that just make me never want to have to go anywhere ever again haha!
It's crazy to me but it's out system that we allow so, it is what it is and we just have to try our best to stay calm in these situations. I'm happy I was able to communicate with my mom because if it hadn't have been for the international calling plan I got her, she would have felt forced to go back home (could you imagine?)
Oh so she made it? Sweet!
Yeah that's scary for sure. Do your research first for real. I am from Singapore, so apparently my passport is super strong, even told to not put a cover on it so we can show it off haha.
Oh I didn't say she made it! I don't want to go on and give the ending away so I will have to let you know the rest of the story soon. What I can tell you is she's in Canada now! =D
I always do my research but sometimes weird things happen. It's a good reminder to everyone to take precaution!
Here's momma's story @aldentan! She had a lot to say about it!
Oh no, that's really not cool for your lovely momma! I remember the problem my wife and her parents got when they first traveled to come to Mauritius, the people in Paris just made them lose so much time that they missed the flight!
Oh no! That's awful and too common isn't it? It makes me so sad to hear that people are treated this way when they are just trying to get somewhere... I hope one day it will change! I'm happy to hear your wife ended up arriving to you :)
The travels and immigration to and from the states is a joke. I consider it one of the worst countries in the world in terms of HOW TO HANDLE immigration. They either do to much or too little. The Government needs a Elementary School in the White House!!!!
Hahaha @tellall I could tell you some CRAZY stories of me and the USA immigration (being Canadian) actually, there is some coming up at the end of my Dominican Republic confessions I am sharing right now... it's a nightmare lol!
Holy moly! Always check the passport! Even Indonesia won't allow that near expiration a date, as far as I know.
Can't wait for the next update!
Yes, I always check my passport but she was so nervous she didn't even think of it! Poor momma! Living here has sure caused my friends and family some issues :P Good thing it's such a paradise <3
No one at the Canadian airport reminded her? I always thought they won't allow ppl
a to go on board to leave the country when they see the passport is close to expire. Yes poor mother, must had been so stressful I can imagine. Plenty of hugs to her. Am sure she is in Bali by now????
No one told her, they just let her through ALL OF THE CHECKPOINTS and only told her when she was about to get onto the plane to Bali from China. To me, it's just crazy. She was so close!
She's not in Bali, she's in Canada which is good for her, I wish I was there too with this scary volcano scare :S
It's here! She definitely had quite the experience! ;)
enjoyed and am so glad your mom has your experienced help.. tell her hello for me. :)
Oh I will definitely tell her hi for you :) She's back in Canada now! I'll fill you in on all that happened in between in part 2 ;)
That's so sad ... Thank you for this story
Thank you for reading :) I'll be posting part two very soon!
I can not wait for it!
Hi @amedeo! Here's the next part of momma's sega! =D
I think the second part is better than the first. Thank you very much! : D
Oh wow, well then I am going to have to make sure part 3 is even better ;)
Glad to hear that :D