It’s been a long transcontinental flight, but in just a few minutes your plane will land. Although you are excited to get back home, there is still one hurdle that you must clear—getting through customs.

Our last post looked at some general tips for getting through customs. Today we examine the issue of duty (import tax) and the amount of exemptions each traveler is allowed.

As you enter the U.S. you are required to turn in a customs declaration form. You must state on the declaration form how much you paid for the items you acquired abroad and are bringing with you back into the U.S. This must be listed in U.S. currency, so it is a good idea to keep track of the currency conversion rate when you bought the items. The price declared should include taxes. If the item was a gift, you have to estimate the fair market value. You can group items on the declaration form, such as “souvenirs,” rather than trying to list out every item.

Most travelers returning from most countries are allowed to bring in up to $800 worth of items before being subject to paying any duty. It is less if you have been out of the country for less than 48 hours or you have been out of the country more than once in a 30 day period. Family members who live in the same home and return together to the U.S. may combine their exemptions and fill out one declaration form.

One of the most confusing issues for many travelers has to do with items that they bought abroad in duty-free shops. Since it is duty free, do these have to be declared? The answer is yes, and the reason surprises many. Duty-Free shops do not mean you don’t have to pay duty on them. It just means that the country where you bought them did not charge any duty or taxes on them. They are still subject to U.S. exemption limits and duties.

The $800 personal exemption applies to items for personal, household or gift use that you are carrying with you (as opposed to mailing it back). If you do not declare something that should have been declared, you risk losing it if the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) discovers it. “If in doubt, declare it,” advises the CBP.

You can mail gifts worth up to $100 to others without being subject to any duty. You don’t have to declare these since they are not accompanying you. The exception to this is if you are returning from a U.S. possession (such as Guam). Details on this, as well as other information related to clearing customs can be found in the CBP publication Know Before You Go. The 68 page document can be downloaded at http://bit.ly/9S1B53.

In our next post, we’ll explore what not to bring back with you. Some of the things may surprise you!

“The flight attendants will be coming through the aisles to pass out customs forms.” That announcement signifies that your long international trip is almost over. Soon you be landing back on U.S. soil which means you will need to have your paperwork ready for customs. If you have never had this experience before, then it is important to know ahead of time what to expect and how to prepare. If you are leading a team of people, you will want to make sure that everyone in your group knows what to expect.

First it is important to understand what takes place with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Once you exit the airplane you will go through two checkpoints. The first is where you show your passport and customs declaration form to a CBP agent. The agent may ask you details about your trip, including how long you were gone, the nature of your trip, etc.

Next you collect your luggage and go through a second CBP checkpoint. Even if you are connecting to another flight, at your first point of U.S. entry you must collect your luggage, clear customs, and then re-check your bags.

The first checkpoint focused on your passport and being allowed back into the country. The second checkpoint focuses on your luggage and what you are bringing into the country. You may be asked about anything you are bringing back to the U.S. that you did not have when you left. CBP may examine your baggage.

There really are two issues that CBP addresses once it lets you back in: are you bringing in anything that is illegal or banned, and do you owe duty (import tax) on the items you acquired abroad and are bringing back. We’ll deal with both of these in detail in upcoming blog posts. For now, here are some general tips to prepare you for your CBP encounter.

• –Keep receipts of all your purchases abroad in one envelope. This will make filling out the declarations form much easier. You must declare anything your bring back that you did not have when you left the U.S. This includes some things that you may not normally think of, such as if you had alterations made to a suit you already owned. It also includes any gifts that were given to you while abroad. In addition, items bought in duty-free shops and items you brought home for someone else also must be declared.
• –CBP suggests trying to pack the things you’ll need to declare separately. This will make the process go much quicker if CBP wants to inspect them.
• –If you are traveling with new (less than 6 months old) electronics, such as a camera or laptop, make sure you carry the receipts showing that you purchased them in the U.S. CBP can make the assumption that if it is new then you bought it while you were gone. If you don’t have the receipt, there is a form that you can fill out in advance. The form and your electronics must be brought to a CBP office or to the CBP at the international airport from which you are departing. You only have to complete the forms once, so be sure to keep them for any future trips.

In our next post we’ll explore the issue of duty, including how much you are allowed to bring back before being charged, what to do if you are traveling as a family, how to handle mailing items home, and whether “duty-free” shops really are “duty-free.”

Long haul flights are usually considered to be any flight over six hours.  Travelling between London and New Zealand, at the extreme end, is more like 26 hours plus a bit of hanging around at an airport halfway through.  It’s a long way, but there are ways of making the trip more enjoyable than your average endurance test.    

1. Bring good reading material. Even if you don’t consider yourself much of a reader, you will be glad to have an interesting book and some magazines on hand.   
2. Flick through the on-flight entertainment while it still worth the viewing effort.  Later in the flight you will be tempted to think that nothing is worth it.  Having flagged in your mind a couple of ‘good to see’ films, you can come back to them later.
3. Drink lots of water.  It is easy to get dehydrated while flying. Also, drinking lots of soft drinks can actually add to your sense of jet lag, so they should be avoided.
4. Have a little bag with in-flight essentials – reading glasses, a pen, book, tissues and moisturiser.  A bag with a string you can hook over the seat catch in front of you is handy. 
5. Wear flight socks.  They may not look particularly cool but your feet will thank you for it at the end of the flight. 
6. Wear loose clothing.  Fashionably tight jeans will not allow your body to swell with the pressure changes and will feel constricting and uncomfortable.
7. Wear shoes that are loose and can accommodate swollen feet and ankles at the end of the flight.
8. Take a travel pillow that will support your neck and head well.  
9. Exercise your feet and ankles during the flight and make sure you stretch regularly. Many of the in-flight magazines have suggestions on exercises you can do in your seat. You also will want to get up periodically and walk around.   
10. Don’t count the hours (or minutes).  Set your watch for the destination time and just settle in for a relaxing time.  After all, how often do you get to just sit around and relax for 10 or 11 hours?        

And most of all – try to sleep as much as possible and get out into the sunlight as soon as you can at the other end.  You’ll be surprised at how well you feel. Long haul flights are still a long haul, but by following these simple tips you will feel better when you arrive.              

We were surprised a couple months ago when an airline came out with a cookbook. Can an airline really offer something that you would actually want to eat if you had a choice? While most frequent flyers have their share of food horror stories, there actually are several airlines known for their excellent cuisine—and not just in first class.

Although determining which airlines have the best food is highly subjective, we noticed a few airlines show up in all the surveys that we researched. Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific are usually one or two on everyone’s list. No surprises there as these two airlines consistently rank well in over-all quality. Some may be surprised to learn that Turkish Airlines is often slated in the number three position.

Singapore allows Suites, First and Business class passengers to “book the cook” and pre-select their meals from a large menu. While economy doesn’t have quite the same options, Singapore does offer a nice fare. “For greater appeal, our in-flight menus are created to reflect the culinary influences of the regions we fly to,” said the airline in a statement. In 1998 the airline establish its International Culinary Panel—a group of award-winning chefs who advise the airline’s own chefs on creating unique dishes. It is Singapore that came out with a cookbook earlier this year.

How many planes can boast of having rice cookers, toasters and skillets on board? Cathay Pacific airplanes do—enabling flight attendants to cook to order rice, toast and eggs. Passengers must really love it since the airline served more than 100,000 pounds of eggs last year. The airline also offers 20 types of special meals that can be ordered at least 24 hours in advance of a flight. These include gluten-free, bland, dairy-free, diabetic meals and more.

If you would like to actually see what some of the meals look like from these top carriers, visit www.airlinemeals.net. This is a website dedicated solely to airline food. Besides pictures of the “best of” meals, you will also see some of the “worst meals”–pictures that will make your stomach churn. The site encourages travelers to take pictures of their in-flight meals and submit them. Thousands of people have. You can search for food pictures for specific routes, dates, and aircraft type, in addition to the airline.

While Singapore, Cathay Pacific and Turkish may lead the way, it is important to note that most international carriers have really “stepped up their game” when it comes to their food offerings. This is especially true for long-haul flights. So you may or may not get a lot of sleep the next time you fly, but at least you will be well fed.

As we saw in our last post, changing planes within an airport can be stressful but changing planes between airports can be a real challenge if you are not prepared. Today we look at ways to transfer between New York City’s three major airports: JFK, LaGuardia and Newark (New Jersey).

Between Newark and JFK there is the option of shuttle services or the airport train and mass transit. Although it is the least expensive, the train/mass transit approach involves several train changes and takes about 90 minutes.

State Shuttle can make the connection airport to airport in 90 minutes at a cost of $30. Their website is very basic and does not provide good information about their airport transfers, so the best bet is to call them directly at 1-800-427-3207 to make reservations.

ETS Air Shuttle makes the trip for $29 and 60 minutes travel time. Shuttles run from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

ETS also operates a shuttle between LaGuardia and JFK for $12 and takes 20-30 minutes. LaGuardia shuttles run from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Reservations are not necessary for ETS. Just go to the Ground Transportation counter across from baggage claim in all terminals and there will be courtesy phones nearby that ring directly to ETS.

Between JFK and LaGuardia there are two shuttle options in addition to ETS. All County Express  costs $16 and takes 45-60 minutes and New York Airport Service Express is $13 and takes 45 minutes.

All County Express operates 24 hours a day and can be contacted at the Ground Transportation center. New York Airport Service departs from JFK every 30 minutes from 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and from LaGuardia every 30 minutes from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. 7 days a week. Buses stop at every terminal at the public transportation bay.