Crossing the border with an apple wasn't a good idea
Something totally unexpected almost ruined my holiday. And it can happen to you, too.
Some time ago I was flying to the US for a short holiday. It’s a 12-hours flight from Europe to Los Angeles, luckily I was flying business class.
I usually take some snacks with me on such long flights -not because I’m worried to get hungry (that’s definitely not the case in business class), but because healthy snacks help me avoid the effects of jet lag. This time, I took a few apples.
“Cabin crew, 10 minutes to landing”
This is usually the signal: I start packing my stuff and get ready for disembarking the aircraft.
“Welcome to Los Angeles International Airport””
“Cabin crew, disarm doors”
Time to leave the aircraft. Before leaving, I double-check that I took everything: One hand trolley and my backpack.
Plus one apple that I didn’t eat.
No problem, I’ll eat it or throw it away at the airport, I think.
Time to disembark the aircraft. After walking a few minutes, I reach the customs. There are several kiosks where passengers entering the US are required to fill in a self declaration.
I’m on a rush because my flight was delayed and my next connecting flight will be leaving soon.
After answering all questions on the screen I move on -me, my suitcase and my apple. I couldn’t find one single trash bin since I disembarked the plane, so I still have the apple with me.
I hand out my self declaration to the customs agent. He looks at me.
“Sir, what about the apple?” He asks.
“I’m sorry, what about it?” I reply.
I genuinely had no idea…
“It looks rotten” the agent says.
Admittedly, the apple didn’t look good. Almost creepy. Maybe jet-lagged after that long intercontinental flight.
“You are not allowed to take that with you.”
“Oh….never mind. I’ll throw it away.” I reply. “Can you just point me to a trash bin….?”
“I’m sorry, that’s not possible. You’ll have to go to an Agriculture officer for a screening.” And he points to an office behind him.
I start sweating. Did I make a mistake? What is going to happen now? Entry rejected? A fine? Arrested, even?
Honestly, it was not the first time I was travelling to other countries. Not even the 100th. But this…this was the first time.
“Oh, sure!” I answer -while I think to myself “Oh gosh!” and start walking towards that office.
Me and my (rotten) apple.
This apple was becoming a liability.
Why but why didn’t I just leave it on the aircraft?
I arrive at the office. “Good afternoon, Officer. I have this apple….”
“You’re not allowed to carry it with you.” He tells me. “We’ll need to confiscate it and screen your baggage!”
Now I’m getting really anxious. The officer instructs me to put my baggage on the belt. While it enters the X-ray machine, I start thinking: Did I leave anything else inside? Another apple maybe?
Endless moments…
The screening goes well. The officer reminds me about the rules and I am allowed to proceed to my connecting flight.
Lesson learned.
Ever had a similar experience or another weird travel story to share?
Would love to hear about it in the comments!
About me:
As a passionate traveler and airline & hospitality expert I've been lucky to experience travel from behind the scenes -From crossing the Andes by bus, to flying Business class to the Maldives.
Some fun facts about my trips:
I’ve visited 5 of the 7 New World Wonders
Lowest point I’ve reached: Death Valley, California at -86 mt (-282 ft) altitude
Highest point I’ve reached: The Andes, 5,050 mt (16,568 ft) altitude
I've stayed at 100+ accommodations, from a tent in the Savannah to a houseboat on a French river
I’ve travelled 350,000+ km across 45+ countries and 5 continents by bus, car, boat, bike, hiking and so much more…
In my blog Beating Jetlag I share my travel experiences, insider tips and behind-the-scenes content for smart adventurers, as well as travel marketing advice for Creators. You can read more about me here.
😂 oh no same happens when we traveled to NYC for honeymoon. It was a banana 🍌 I thought I would go to prison.
I'm from Germany. Where are you from? The picture looked as if it was somewhere in Germany.
Talk soon, Kristina
This resonates quite close to home for me.
In our case, a banana was the culprit and it was at a land crossing from Canada to the US for a camping trip.
A number of years ago, our family set out to go to Letchworth State Park in New York State. Behind our car, we towed a pop-up camper. We got to the border and the customs officer saw the banana in the centre console. (My husband always carries "car fruit" when he drives).
Of course the agent asked what else we had packed since it was obvious we planned on staying in the US.
He directed us immediately over to secondary inspection where we had to vacate the car and assist in opening the camper to view the fridge. Now anyone who owns a camper knows that these things are very tightly packed. In order to get access to the fridge, the entire camper needs to be lifted.
Anyway, they proceeded to confiscate all our fresh produce, meat and fire wood and served us with a fine.
Lesson learned. Any time after that, we kept a grocery list handy that identified which products we purchased in Canada and which we needed to buy in the US.
Never caused an issue after that.