Americans are a tough and stubborn people. Despite our love for shopping, we’re often frugal with money. Which means that when we feel sick before a trip, many of us have the inclination to “tough it out” and travel anyway. Especially if the trip uses scarce vacation time, or airline tickets that would be expensive to change.
Plus, for domestic travel, I can’t remember ever seeing someone stopped and barred from boarding a plane because they looked to have a bad cold or flu.
But this week, due to tight availability for frequent flier award tickets, not to mention my son’s wish to see Macau and our family’s desire to pack as much as possible into 10 days, I have been through six international security checks in Asia in as many days.
Not only are customs officials interested in stopping the spread of H1N1, they aren’t kidding around either.
At each airport or border crossing, whether it’s been a quick transit connection in Seoul, Korea, a ferry ride to or from Macau, or a flight from Hong Kong to Vietnam, the health questionnaire has been more detailed as the immigration form.
Besides the health questions, the authorities want a detailed list of the countries you have recently visit, your residence contact information for the next week, your cellphone number and your email address.
And regarding your health, not only do they want to know if you have had a cough, fever, runny nose, sore throat, etc., but also they are checking.
Border agents not only talk to you, many of them have temperature sensing devices that they hold to your ear to check for potential fever.
Nowhere does it say what happens if immigration officers decide you cannot travel, nor do the airlines address that point when they pass out the health forms. Although considering that a majority of airline tickets have penalties for changes, clearly this must be an issue.
Personally, while I saw a significant percentage of travelers with face masks, I didn’t see anyone pulled aside specifically for suspected H1N1. Although I heard stories from airline and hotel personnel that this is happening.
Now, Asia has been through a serious situation with avian flu, so perhaps they are more vigilant than elsewhere. And perhaps part of the reason behind these lengthy questionnaires is to deter rather than catch sick travelers.
In any case, it appears as if health concerns, as well as terrorism, will be a major issue for international travelers this fall and winter. So even if you are one of the “toughest” travelers, take care of yourself. Deciding if you are well enough to fly may not be your decision.
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
