Here we are on our 2014 vacation and something I learned very quickly is customs agents and border patrol officers just don’t get us and what we are trying to accomplish in our travels. Yes…we don’t travel like other people. We know that. Here is how the conversation went with the Canadian customs agent in Calgary.

Note: We are thankful for those people who work to protect our borders. We do not want this to come across as disrespectful at all. We appreciate the job they do, but we can tell that most people don’t answer their questions the way we do.

CCA: Welcome to Calgary. What’s the purpose of your trip here?
K: We are on a family vacation.
CCA: How long are you staying in Canada?
K: We are driving to Montana today.
CCA: So….how long are you staying in Canada?
K: A few hours. But we are coming back to Canada next week.

His look didn’t share our enthusiasm. :-/

A few hours later we drove through one of the most beautiful US/ Canada border crossings ever (outside of Waterton Lakes, Alberta). Here was that conversation:

USBP: I need your passports and I need you to roll down the back window.
K: Here you go.
USBP: How long have you been in Canada?
K: We flew into Calgary this morning.
USBP: How long have you been in Canada?
K: Our flight landed at 10am. (By this time it was about 6:00)
USBP: And we are you headed?
K: We are going to drive through Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, back up through Montana. We will then return to Canada to fly home.
USBP: (looks confused) Why didn’t you just fly into Montana?
K: Calgary had many more flight options and much better prices (actually, since we fly with miles, it was a great option).

He didn’t look impressed. :-/

Yes…we might fly to a place that seems out of the way and make travel plans that seem illogical, but that’s what makes our family unique…or at least our family’s slightly crazy travel coordinator.

PS: Sometime I’ll have to write about the Canadian border agent in Ontario who couldn’t understand why we would go back into Buffalo, NY just to eat Buffalo wings. 😉