Saturday, February 25, 2012

Planning Your Return Trip

Được đăng bởi Travel - Leisure
By Greg Tilley


Most people are so excited about going on their vacation that they forget to plan their return home. Doing this can almost take as much effort as the initial holiday plan. But before you leave your home, it is better to think about your return. Here are some tips.

Return Transportation

You should confirm your return reservation at least twice, and at least 72 hours before your scheduled departure. Whenever possible, a written confirmation must be obtained. If you confirm your return reservation by phone, record the time, day, and the name of the agent who took your call. If your name does not appear on the reservations list, you have no recourse and may find yourself stranded.

When it Comes to Departure Tax

An airport departure tax on travelers, which can be as high as $50 is levied in some countries. Don't forget to ask the travel agent or airline about this tax. Make certain to have enough money at the end of your trip so that you will be able to get on the plane.

Immigration and Customs

There are times when a passport is required for your trip and if that's the case, then have it ready when you go through Immigration and Customs. Other documents, such as an International Certificate of Vaccination, a medical letter, or a Customs certificate of registration for foreign-made personal articles, should also be ready if you have them with you. Have your receipts handy, in case you need to support your customs declaration. When returning to the United States by car from Mexico or Canada, have your certificate of vehicle registration available. Packing your baggage in a way to make inspection easier would be a good idea as well. An example would be packing the articles you acquired abroad separately if possible.

Articles acquired abroad and brought back with you are subject to duty and Internal Revenue tax. As long as the traveler has been outside the United States for at least 48 hours, has not already used this exemption within the preceding 30 day period, and provided the traveler can present the purchases upon his or her arrival at the port of entry, then U.S. Customs currently allows each U.S. citizen to bring back $400 worth of merchandise duty free. The next $1,000 worth of items brought back for personal use or gifts are subject to duty at a flat 10% rate. (Things like 100 cigars, 200 cigarettes, and one liter of wine, beer or liquor may be included in your duty-free exemption.) Make sure you check for the latest information as this changes periodically.

In fact, in two groups of destinations, the duty-free exemption is actually higher. These are a group of 24 countries and dependencies in the Caribbean and Central America from which the exemption is $600, and a group of U.S. insular possessions (the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam), from which the exemption is $1,200.

Make sure that you declare all that you purchased or received as gifts overseas. Cooperate with the U.S. Custom agent if you are selected to have your baggage checked upon arrival and this would only take a few minutes unless you have something to hide. Be prepared to pay stiff penalties if you are caught with undeclared items.

Plan ahead - save time and money.




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