How Not To Get Offloaded

"I know! I have a plane ticket, I need to get there today. Do you know how much I paid for this? Why would you not let me board my plane? God damn it!"

Ha. Yup. That happened. No, not to me. But well, let's face it. This scene is quite normal. You see this is the reason why, some, if not most, of travelers consider Immigration Officers the hindrance to a happy and luxurious out of the country experience.

Who can blame them? After all, Immigration Officers really do get people offloaded. I bet you know someone who got offloaded already, or maybe you, yourself, got offloaded once or twice. They are poker face, stressed and heartless individuals, aren't they?

You can tell me all the bad experiences you had with them. Relive it. Remember when you first traveled? They asked you a lot of questions that you thought you were being interrogated. That moment when you were all nice and smiling to the person in the cubicle but he never bothered to take a glance at you. Ta da! You are not alone.

Why do they do these things to us? We worked so hard to get the money for that plane ticket. I bet you even haggled with your boss regarding your vacation leave. Or maybe your parents who doesn't want you to travel because you are too young for them, you don't know what is it like out there. Well, here is the other side of the story, babe.

The Immigration Officer is just like you. She got a job, same as you. As a call center agent, you need to verify information and help out your caller with the best that you can. As a banker, you need to verify accounts and assist your customer. As an architect, you want to know if your client has the capacity to pay for your designs. You get it don't you? She is definitely just like you. She wants to sustain herself and her family so she needs to do her job. And getting people offloaded, if necessary, is just one of hundred things in her job description.

But why do they need to offload people? Come on! Do they know how embarrassing it is? You might ask. Well, yes, they do know that. Here's the thing, they are not the reason why you get offloaded, it's you. Yup, you read it right. It is all because of you.

Oh no! Not because you are a first time traveler. That is not it. Not even because you don't have a regular job now. No, no, definitely no. Tell you what, it's because you are reading this! Yes, that's it. You are too afraid of getting offloaded. You read a lot of articles how not to get offloaded. Too much information. You start picturing all these bad things that will happen, until it happens.

So how can we solve this now?

First, I'll let you know a secret fresh from an Immigration Officer. They have a guideline! It's called Departure Formalities. No, it's not actually a secret but you are not aware of that because you're only reading travel blogs. How about reading it now? Get back here once you're done.

Second, Immigration Officers are spies! Yes, they studied human behavior. When they look at you, they'll know if you are lying or not. How can I say this? Hmm, are you familiar with the TV Series Lie to Me? So yes, just they're like the main character. So be mindful with your mannerisms in front of them. Plus you only have 45 seconds to gain their trust.

Lastly, Relax! Like seriously! If you're not an outlaw, do not act like one. Remember, they are just like you. Sometimes, if the agency allows them, they want to travel too. They'll undergo the same process as you. And they don't get offloaded because they know what you now know.

Safe Travels.