Customs confusion
After sampling wines in Argentina's Mendoza grape-growing region in February -- and after learning that I could buy a bottle of this wonderful wine for about $6 in the grocery store -- I had to bring some home with me.
I had never brought back food products from foreign travels before, so I wasn't sure what the rules were.
Online research at Argentine Internet cafes didn't help. All I could determine was that I couldn't take it in my carry-on bags. It would have to be checked with my luggage.
Some of the Web sites and forums I searched said the rule was two bottles per passenger. Some said two per suitcase. Some said three bottles per person. It was confusing.
As we stood, bleary-eyed in the customs line of the DC airport way too early in the morning, I checked the box asking if we had been on a farm or ranch while abroad. My friend Laura and I had spent a day on an Argentine estancia, so I wanted to be safe.
One official said we'd need to go in the agriculture line to get our shoes sprayed or some such. But when we got to the agriculture line, they just waved us through and didn't bother.
So much for the security of our nation's beef supply.
That experience, coupled with this story I just read, shows just how confusing it can be to know what you can and can't bring back when you travel outside the U.S.
Have you ever had something confiscated by customs officials? Leave a comment and share.
