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22 Oakville Beaver Weekend Sunday, October 10, 1999 tra v e l with An O akville B eaver A dvertising F eature To advertise in this section call 845-3824 Fax:337-5568 Travel BOOK YOUR EXCURSION NOW! PRINCESS CRUISES' CARIBBEAN AND PANAMA CANAL PASSENGERS Be honest when going through customs Sometimes, going through customs seems like one more tortuous step of a weary flight home. Just when you are tired and yearning to escape the anonymity of airports, you still face those uniformed customs officials. You may resent this waypoint on your trip, but the fact is, customs is there to protect the country's citizens and industry. Make it easy on yourself. Find out before your return what items are allowable, or what your claims and exemptions are. Be up front about purchases, and willing to show them to customs offi cers. The more prepared you are, the quicker you will be processed. Customs officers are seasoned peo ple-judges. They are aware of most smuggling or customs tricks in the book. The majority of people are not crim inals, but they may be unprepared for the type of questions officers will ask, such as the purpose of your trip. Here are some conditions that might raise an officer's eyebrow and prompt questioning or inspection: You've been in a sunspot for two week, yet you don't have a tan or any sun-related products. You're returning from a country known to be a source for illegal drugs. You're back from an extended trip but have nothing to declare. You paid full fare for a ticket for a very short stay. You are returning from an embar goed country from which imported goods are prohibited. The best advice is to be aware of allowable items before dishing out money in a foreign country and before hitting customs on the way home. Here are some tips: It's not a good idea to bring home food (especially meat and fruit) or agri cultural items from a foreign country. Many of these are prohibited to prevent the introduction of disease or pests. Even between the U.S. and Canada, it's not permitted to bring fresh fruit -- which means you could end up stand ing at the customs desk gobbling down those illegal apricots. Did you slip a piece of crumbling monument into your bag? Be aware that there are some customs regulations and international treaties which ban the import of artifacts and cultural property. Don't purchase pirated copies of things which are copyrighted: If customs offi cers find pirated items such as tapes, books or software in your luggage, they'll be confiscated. Don't purchase prod ucts made from wild animals or from endangered species (that turtle shell carving you bought from a beach stall in the Caribbean could be ille gal). If you are carrying pre scription medicine, make sure it is properly identified. Bring along a doctor's pre scription to prove that you need these medications. If you do have articles to claim, don't understate or misrepresent their value. Not only will you have to pay the duty on the actual value, you will also owe a penalty, and your article could even be seized. Not a great way to end a trip. Keep all of your purchas es and receipts together in an easily accessible place in your luggage so you are ready when asked by cus toms. The more compliant you are, the less suspicion you raise. Customs agencies have a random compliance policy, which might mean that you are singled out for a random, more detailed customs inspection. Rest easy -- those chosen are not ordinar ily singled out for detailed inspections. Information gathered on these random searches helps the customs agencies to target which cus toms requirements travellers frequently overlook or do not fully understand. Custom ers officers are not there to ruin your day. In fact, many are downright personable. If you have nothing to hide and you've done your homework, you would be breezing through the lineup and well on your way home. Karen O liver of UNIGLOBE, Glen Abbey Travel, helps travellers from Oakville, 827-7272, smooth any bumps encountered when on the road. can now reserve in-port excursions in advance with a new pre-cruise reservation option for local shore tours. You have a choice of GOLF, SAILING, SNORKELLING and other options. It's a great service being provided by more and more companies, so you can make your decisions in advance, and GET THEM CONFIRMED NOW, rather than waiting and not knowing if you will get on the excursion of your choice or not. You will have your confirmation in hand before you depart from your home. THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY IN CANADA IS TOPSY-TURVEY in the ownership department of our two major carriers at present. Fortunately it is business as usual by both for now, which is in the best interest of you the traveller. It is also BUSINESS AS USUAL with two of our major vacation suppliers SUNQUEST/ALBA and SIGNATURE, as their British owners were not allowed to operate under one roof. Anti-competition was a major part of the decision, which bodes well for Canadians, as it keeps these two firms as competitive as ever for your business here. A ruling by the European Commission wouldn't allow the buyout by Airtours, owner of Sunquest/Alba, of First Choice Holidays which owns Signature Vacations. H w DAYTONA BEACH IS OFFERING CANADIANS SAVINGS IN JANUARY. Tourism officials have introduced a discount program called "Canadian Sand Dollars" that provides savings of up to 35 percent at attractions and restaurants, at-par hotel rates and two-for-one offers Travellers must show proof of Canadian residency when redeeming a Sand Dollar coupon. To receive a free booklet of Canadian Sand Dollar coupons, call 1-800-854-1234. ? ? ? Jerry and Anneka are coming to show slides of their amazing Riverboat, the M/V Rembrandt van Rijn. Considering all the major cities in Europie are built on rivers, does it not make sense that the best way to see all these beautiful cities is by luxury 90 passenger riverboat where you unpack once, live in a smokefree environment and have everything paid for up front in Canadian dollars? If this sounds interesting why not come and enjoy an informative afternoon with Jerry and Anneka Van Dyke as they present their annual Fall Travel Show and Reunion. A s usual there is no admission charge and you are under no obligation. This is strictly an information session and no sales will be made. J erry and Anneka will also show slides of our Winter Long Stay programs in Portugal and Spain along with updated slides of our whole year 2000 schedule. Be sure and come early to get a good seat! T ra v e l Show M O R E ITINERARIES Hundreds of Caribbean & Mexican Riviera Cruises to choose from this winter. Enjoy the selection and convenience of booking ahead. M O R EC R U IS E S D ID Y O U K NOW : ROYAL ` AIRLINES offers a booklet of ten return flight coupons from Toronto to either Halifax or Montreal - interested? Toronto Oakville Sun. Oct. 17 Thu. Oct. 21 1:30 pm 1:30 pm The Old Mill Holiday Inn G R E A T VALU E FO R YO U RW INTER HO LIDAY 1 -800-265-8174 email: tours@jerryvandyke.com · http://www.jerryvandyke.com 7fo 7» ^ » /a / HCarnival. fo u r K j r t d f t u t , . » ONE WEEK CRUISES FROM *400 USD " P > id^edA inK eU '7 'u tv c t & @ n u iA e O ^ ic ia ld Book before Oct. 15th and Receive a complimentary Carnival Beach Towel, plus a Konica Disposal Camera m 825-5555 2 3 5 9 L ak esh u re R d . W . * * » <» * * » * « » . « * ** T O -rrg g a S KAREN UMELWBE 257-8747 2387 T ra fa lg a r R d . Also in Halton Hills and Milton wt'SSI S tr e e t S . O n ta rio UNIGLOBE GLEN ABBEY TRAVEL 2441 Lakeshore Road W. Bronte Village M all or Tel: (905) 827-7272 Fax: (905) 827-7285 dr S r TM&ild 7k Since t* /6 f dr