[throwaway7312]

US citizen here. Haven't visited the US in years. Myriad reasons why, but the CBP policy is part of it. Just don't like the idea of people demanding I let them go through my stuff, but also don't like the idea of sitting around for 8 or 9 hours or having my machine confiscated if I won't give up the password, either.

I should also note that at least as a US citizen, having traveled through some 40 or so different countries, US customs is the third most unfriendly customs I have traveled through. Only ones worse for me have been Canada (last trip to Canada was likely the last I will make after my last customs experience there) and Czech. I feel much more comfortable visiting supposedly authoritarian countries than I do the United States.

[smcl]

I’ve heard Canada was bad from a few different people, that’s so surprising!

Czech Republic is an odd one, I’ve not had any problems personally and I’ve flown in and out of Brno and Prague a few times (though I prefer Vienna). Mind sharing what happened, purely to satisfy my curiosity? I had a weird issue when one customs guy was trying to tell me that I reported my passport missing a year prior, and he got extremely frustrated that I couldn’t understand what everything was saying. Nothing came of it, it was just a few confusing minutes with an obviously flustered person who was refusing to believe my Czech was as terrible as it was.

[singingboyo]

As a Canadian: what's bad about Canadian customs/border crossings?

Can't say I've ever had a problem, but then I'm also a citizen, which may make things different.

[smcl]

I haven't been, so I can't say. From what I've read the tricky things are just the same as the USA - arbitrary stoppages for weird lengths of time (causing missed flights) by surprisingly rude or invasive people. Again it's just what I've read, but it stuck in my mind as unexpected because it flies in the face of the Canadian stereotypes.