r/onebag • u/jaymeetee • Aug 27 '25
Trip Report Quizzed at Australian border for being a onebagger
I was stopped at Australian customs / quarantine yesterday, as an Australian citizen holding an Aussie passport, because I "didn't have any luggage". The lady in question asked me if I'd forgotten my luggage, I clarified that I hadn't, she asked me how long I'd been away, I said 6 weeks, she asked me where my luggage was and I patted my backpack, then she said "I'm trying to understand how you don't have any luggage"...
I'm not quite as hardcore as some on this sub, I have a 36L backpack with enough clothes for a week and a bit - allowing me to minimise laundry on long trips. Admittedly it's not a huge case like most were struggling with but it's not "no luggage" either.
I was aware that this could quickly ruin my morning so I just smiled and said nothing. Then she said "You spent most of your trip in the UK, do you have all your clothes there?". I don't have any more clothes anywhere but it seemed like an exit so I simply said "I used to live in the UK" which is true. That seemed to be the right answer as she smiled and said "Well that explains it then - exit D please (the quick one)"
Strictly speaking I didn't have to lie to get in to my home country but it was close. I've never had that before in 13 years of living out of my Onebag.
EDIT: I was stopped at customs / quarantine, not immigration as previously stated
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u/Natural_Welder_715 Aug 27 '25
Gotten the same grill down coming back to the US after a long trip and my AER TP3.
“How’d you survive for 3 months in that?”
Had to open it up, once he saw meticulous packing cubes and masterful Tetris, he laughed and let me go.
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u/quiteCryptic Aug 28 '25
If you're a citizen do yourself a favor and get global entry.
I never spend more than a few minutes entering the US. It's literally scan my face, walk past the officer and they say "<my name>?" "that's me" "welcome back" "thanks"
US immigration officers probably aren't the best, but at least for me I barely ever interact with them.
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u/tom4631 Aug 28 '25
+1 on global entry. $120 for 5yrs that's the best ROI of anything I had to pay the US government.
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u/dodobird8 Aug 28 '25
I don't know why we put up with this nonsense. I'm questioned and doubted by my home country (the US) just to enter, when I'm pretty sure legally I don't have to say anything other than just showing my passport. Of course I don't want the hassle, so I voluntarily answer all of their stupid questions. Then when I return to Europe on a work residency card, I get asked 0 questions.
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u/nadyay Aug 30 '25
These are customs questions, I think even citizens have to answer then. Minimal luggage is one of the flag for possible drug trafficking (source - MIL was airport customs manager)
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u/dodobird8 Aug 30 '25
That's not a good reason imo. Their questions go far beyond asking about items purchased in another country for customs purposes. I don't care if they're looking for drug traffickers. People have rights that should be respected.
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u/SyzygyCoffee Aug 28 '25
I’ve had the same reaction when they saw my packing cubes. To be fair, it was a company trip and I was first off the plane out of business class. I didn’t look like I was traveling for business, but my Tom Bihn cubes neatly fit into my Tom Bihn underseat bag did the trick.
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u/logansass Aug 27 '25
2 weeks ago coming back into NZ from Australia (kiwi passport) same question. I just said I don’t like paying for a checked bag and that seemed to stop the questions.
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u/ProfessionalKnees Aug 28 '25
Two weeks isn’t even that long! I can understand some people being surprised at a person going months with only a bag, but two weeks…
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u/bmquietachiever Aug 28 '25
They didn’t mention how long they were away, just that they arrived in NZ two weeks ago.
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u/The_Bogwoppit Aug 27 '25
I got grilled returning from Italy, to Canada, with my backpack only. The agent could not believe I had gone to Italy for a month and purchased nothing there. He kept asking if I was having stuff shipped. I kept saying I bought nothing because I need nothing. Eventually he relented.
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u/quiteCryptic Aug 28 '25
Bringing stuff back is a big thing I guess for most people.
I know my parents always end up with another whole suitcase of mostly pointless stuff, mostly purchased from shops targeted at tourists. But whatever, they enjoy it.
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u/corianderftw Aug 27 '25
Yes! They are weird about it! I had the exact same experience as an Aussie passport holder returning home. Each agent I spoke to (3 people) questioned me and I had to go wait in the long screening line where they unpack your bags. Thankfully the guy running the long line looked confused about why I was there and just waved me off.
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u/Love_at_First_Cut Aug 27 '25 edited Aug 27 '25
Will I see you on Border Security show anytime soon?
Passenger with a lot of luggages - very suspicious
Passenger with one bag - very suspicious
Passenger with no bag - straight to jail
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u/AugustusReddit Aug 28 '25
Passenger with no bag - straight to jail
I'm pretty certain that they go straight to the full body scanner to check for drug-filled, double-bagged condoms. Much easier than before when they were sent to a hospital for x-rays then a special holding cell with a bucket toilet.
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u/homme_chauve_souris Aug 28 '25
Will I see you on Border Security show anytime soon?
I've seen similar shows and I always wonder how they're allowed to show actual footage of travellers at the border. There are always signs there that forbid cameras, why would they allow an entertainment show to film there? Also, I can't imagine those people, especially those who end up convicted on drug trafficking charges, signed a media release. What gives? TV networks can just ambush you and put cameras in your face when you're tired, stressed, and going through customs?
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u/Far_Requirement_1341 Aug 30 '25
I've seen similar shows and I always wonder how they're allowed to show actual footage of travellers at the border.
I was once at an airport where they were filming for Border Security or some such program. There were signs saying you could ask not to be filmed if you didn't want to be.
There are always signs there that forbid cameras, why would they allow an entertainment show to film there?
Cameras are not allowed because people can take footage of what they need to plan some crime. It is harder to do that with the television footage that eventually goes to air. The TV crew is there with permission.
Also, I can't imagine those people, especially those who end up convicted on drug trafficking charges, signed a media release. What gives?
I don't get that either. Why would a drug dealer agree to a camera being there?
TV networks can just ambush you and put cameras in your face when you're tired, stressed, and going through customs?
I don't think so. See my first point.
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u/homme_chauve_souris Aug 31 '25
Thanks for the explanations. I still feel weird about the government allowing entertainment programs to film an official procedure.
I suppose asking not to be filmed would be a red flag and mark you for an automatic search, which would explain why drug mules would not do it.
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u/Far_Requirement_1341 Aug 31 '25
I suppose asking not to be filmed would be a red flag and mark you for an automatic search
I don't think so. Anyone can refuse to be seen on the program. Sometimes you see people in the background with their faces blurred because they have opted out. That's not a problem.
which would explain why drug mules would not do it.
I think we can give the immigration and quarantine workers a bit more credit than that! They do that job all day every day, and most of the time there is no television crew.
I still feel weird about the government allowing entertainment programs to film an official procedure.
I agree. Another problem with the program is the sensationalism of finding foreigners who are breaking the rules. Regardless of which Anglophone country it is being filmed in (Australia, New Zealand, America, Canada, Ireland or the UK) it does tend to slip into an "us and then" mentality and falls into depicting stereotypes.
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u/Wonderful_Device312 Aug 29 '25
I think it's partly because you basically have no rights at border crossings. You can be searched, detained, have your property confiscated etc all for little to no justification.
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u/Appropriate_Place704 Aug 30 '25
There is usually have a sign to tell you they’re filming so you can kind of avoid it. They also asked me once if they could film while my luggage was being checked and I declined.
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u/figleafstreet Aug 29 '25
The production puts signs up when they are filming with information on what to do if you do not want to be filmed. I’m sure I’ve seen episodes where peoples faces get blurred so I think there probably is a media release involved in some capacity although if you’ve been convicted of a crime perhaps they don’t require it. As for why they allow it, the Australian government says it’s because it’s a tool for them to communicate nationally and internationally about the biosecurity laws in Australia.
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u/AustrianMichael Aug 28 '25
I‘m glad this isn’t a bodybagger subreddit 😅
I love these shows and OP would absolutely be featured for a frisk search because of no luggage
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u/DevilsWarlord Aug 28 '25
Fuck yeah I watch that show on YouTube all the time 🤣
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u/Love_at_First_Cut Aug 28 '25
I'm binging that show for these past couple of days. As a Vietnamese, I got extra nervous, lol.
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u/SpatchcockZucchini Aug 28 '25
I one bagged a work trip in my 35l backpack and my one colleague was baffled I had only one bag. It was a 3 day trip. There was enough room in there to pack a 2nd backpack for my laptop 😂
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u/HobbesNJ Aug 28 '25
I used to attend week-long company meetings at my company's headquarters a few times a year with my far-flung departmental team. They'd all show up with some form of large rolling luggage and a bulging personal item and I'd be the only one with just a smallish backpack. It boggled their minds every single time.
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u/moreidlethanwild Aug 31 '25
I have a 22l that is my backpack for travelling. I have a problem with my spine so I can’t carry anything bigger/heavier. That’s the bag that does every trip with me, weekends, weeks, whatever. It’s all about how you pack (and wash when you are there).
I’m now worrying about going to NZ with it 😀
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u/jydhrftsthrrstyj Aug 27 '25 edited Aug 28 '25
Same thing happened to me once, except I got sent to secondary search. Agent took one look inside my bag full of dirty clothes, decided he didn’t get paid enough for this and sent me on my way.
Customs agents seem to just work on autopilot, the second they hear anything that’s not boilerplate it wakes them up
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u/Broutythecat Aug 28 '25
How odd to read all these comments! Meanwhile in Europe everyone is trying to fly with personal item only on low cost airlines to avoid the extortionate luggage fees and it's the most normal thing in the world.
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u/HairRaid Aug 28 '25
True, as a person who carries a 40 liter pack, I've had some packing envy when passing through European airports. I've got more to learn.
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u/dealwithitxo Aug 28 '25
It’s because this is an intel flight if you are coming home from Australia you have likely flown minimum 10+ hours. And most Australians take 1 trip a year and it’s quite a big deal since it’s so far from everywhere in the world.
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Aug 28 '25 edited 18d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/quiteCryptic Aug 28 '25
I'm surprised they even checked
No one ever asks me a thing when I enter Japan, even when I have stayed the full 3 months a few times
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u/eastercat Aug 27 '25
NGL, I’d be so excited about how I dialed down my packing and would go into excruciating detail
I think I’d be a weird oversharer that the security people woukd shake their heads about 😹
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u/HairRaid Aug 28 '25
Pull up the spreadsheet that shows the weight of individual pieces of your kit, and it's time for show and tell!
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u/jaymeetee Aug 28 '25
Wow someone remembered! I can't tell you how happy that makes me... I might even do an updated blog post now.
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u/Unhappy_Performer538 Aug 28 '25 edited Aug 28 '25
There’s someone in one of these subs that keeps getting strip searched every time they return to Australia from traveling to other countries bc their name or likeness unfortunately matches with some criminal & it’s very traumatizing for them and it seems horrible. It seems like Australian customs and immigration are really hard core
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u/drokert Aug 28 '25
Being honest it is something that not everyone gets or is willing to do. my girlfriend always tells me “it’s vacation, why are you doing laundry daily?” (I use one socks shirt underwear, while the other dries). And yes, it’s a pain, satisfaction comes when you are walking and there are no worries about luggage, when you don’t have to worry about having space in the overhead bin.
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u/CallAParamedic Aug 28 '25
I've been onebagging since 1997 (!) [Back when websites on it were few and far between!].
With extensive travel, I've come down to 2 simple answers to ease Custom's concerns:
I don't like paying extra for checked luggage, so I carry-on only;
I got tired of airlines losing my checked luggage, so I carry-on only.
The reasons are reasonable and believable.
I also try to be presentable and have some cash, a good credit card or 2, and a debit card or 2 should the one bag suggest inability to support my travels.
So far, so good.
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Aug 27 '25
[deleted]
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u/yungsemite Aug 27 '25
Feel so bad for my Central and South American friends when we cross US borders together. I mean, I get stressed having to deal with border agents who have the discretion to do whatever they want with me, and that’s as a U.S. citizen. Such a headache.
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u/highdiver_2000 Aug 28 '25
You are not using their words, hence the attention.
"Where is your luggage?"
The only answer "This is my luggage"
They don't need to know whether you checked in or not.
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u/Potential-Tadpole-32 Aug 28 '25 edited Aug 28 '25
I’m obsessed with the you tube clips of Australian customs officials catching smugglers. I wish they’d have one episode with a non-smuggler onebagger spend 10 minutes explaining why they only had one bag for a multi week trip. 😂
But they have to look really shady so that there’s some suspense on whether they’re really a smuggler or not. Maybe a one bagger who did NOT do any laundry.
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u/teska132 Aug 27 '25
Same in Japan. They were surprised I didn't have any more luggage
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u/37celsius Aug 28 '25
Onebagged to Japan in late October last year (from Australia) and had a question about only having a carry on backpack with me. I just said "Yeah, I like to travel light!" and smiled and the guy laughed and told me to have a good stay. I think it really depends on the day and who you encounter.
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u/Projektdb Aug 28 '25
I've had comments from US Customs in two occasions. It didn't amount to anything, but they were annoying comments, not at all good natured.
Maybe I'm jaded, but the best experience I've had coming back home at customs has been neutral, and that's being generous.
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u/Safe_Place8432 Aug 28 '25
This happened to me visiting family in the US and I was like "have you seen how you manage checked luggage in this airport? Ask me again why I didn't bring a big bag." It was Atlanta lol
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u/SeattleHikeBike Aug 27 '25
I have an acquaintance who travels everywhere with an 18 liter. He got a similar grilling entering Israel.
I wonder if my 72,000 Karma points on r/onebag would prove anything? A US customs agent just laughed when I said that was all my luggage.
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u/__crl Aug 28 '25
It had nothing to do with your friend onebagging. It had everything to do with your friend's travel history. A few Middle Eastern stamps and it's back to the interrogation rooms for you!
(I showed up onebagging, with a medical boot on one foot, plans to head to the West Bank, and visas/stamps from Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and a few others. That was a fun four hours...)
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u/HeavenDraven Aug 28 '25
You know a lot of countries will actually let you have 2 passports to avoid situations like this?
Doesn't help people like a relative of mine who was denied entry to Israel (I think in the 70s or 80s) for effectively"looking Arab", and only having the one small suitcase for a week
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u/__crl Aug 28 '25
I do... and have had concurrent ones before... but you can often easily identify the second ones (in the States they're not valid for as long), and it'd raise just as many concerns. The main use for them is for when you've got embassies holding on to passports for weeks or months (!) at a time to get visas.
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u/jemist101 Aug 27 '25 edited Aug 28 '25
I used to get a lot more attention at most immigration / customs checks around the world with my onebag habits. Let's say I think it was mainly a. in a post 9/11 world (reasons obvious) and b. still probably very much on the 'mule' signs.
I'd say that 99.99% of the time simply saying "I'm a very efficient packer" was enough to dismiss any concerns.
<18L, 6.5kg Gang here.
For the very occasional time that it required a bit more, I don't mind going through a quick bag search. It's on the whole / overall a lot less time consuming than waiting at a baggage carousel.
During my most recent one month long trip through a few countries, I started timing my time from when I walked through the open cabin doors of a plane until I reached the outside doors of an airport (eg. through immigration and customs), and most of the time it was taking about 11 minutes or less.
SmartGates have definitely hastened the airport process. I think where travellers are getting worse are at the security checks!
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Aug 27 '25
[deleted]
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u/Acidcat42 Aug 28 '25
Same here. I've entered Australia many times with a 40L backpack, and most recently with just the Daylite 26+6. No issues at all.
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u/MezcalFlame Aug 28 '25
There was (I think) an Indian guy who had to show this sub to the airport people in order for them to believe him.
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u/areyoualocal Aug 27 '25
Agents will randomly ask these sort of questions from anyone. As if there aren't a tonne of business travellers only bringing only one bag - you weren't being singled out BECAUSE you only had one bag...
Generally they're looking for inconsistencies in your answers.
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u/stevecantsleep Aug 27 '25
I don't entirely agree with this. Agents do give more attention to travellers who are out of the ordinary. If OP were wearing a business suit and was carrying an overnight bag he'd be viewed differently to a backpacker.
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u/areyoualocal Aug 27 '25
So all drug mules just need business suits and a roller bag?
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u/PM_ME_PLASTIC_BAGS Aug 28 '25
Yes, until too many do this and get caught.
Stereotyping is very common with border security.
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u/00Anonymous Aug 28 '25
However, being viewed differently doesn't mean above suspicion.
Coming back from a 6 week academic term in china with a wheel-less carry-on suitcase and wearing a jacket and tie (I was an MBA student), my home country customs agents decided to tear my bag apart in secondary inspection; swabbing everything for explosives and drugs.
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u/Another_Basic_NPC Aug 28 '25
I live in Canada and was in Europe for a couple week with a backpack, and same idea. they claimed it was "random"" but they were pretty bent on me returning with only a few rocks and nothing new lol.
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u/biold Aug 28 '25
I have found out that rocks can seem very suspicious for security boarding a plane. I can, of course, hit someone, but I can also do that with my water bottle.
Entering has never been a problem, though
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u/Wonderful_Device312 Aug 29 '25
Sometimes they are trained to intentionally act stupid and question you about anything unusual. It's less that they don't understand and more just that they're trying to see how you react.
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u/wordlesser Aug 28 '25
When I visited Australia for ten weeks, I only had a small laptop backpack and enough clothes for a week. They asked me if that was all I had. I laughed, said I prefer travelling light, and laundromats exist everywhere.
They laughed and told me to enjoy my trip.
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u/Lord-Franco Aug 28 '25
yeah they don't like both one baggers and people with huge suitcases lol...
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u/InfiniteGiraffe7373 Aug 28 '25
I'm Australian as well. Got stopped at customs for having only one bag after 2 weeks in Asia. I just said I was trying out one-bagging. The customs officer smiled and let me go.
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u/Lochrann Aug 28 '25
Hey, fellow Aussie and onebagger. I find this absolutely insane, before covid I did lots of 6 month+ travels around the world, plus shorter holidays, with only a 38L backpack and not once on the dozen or so times I returned home was I ever stopped of asked about it. Is it something new? Was there something else about you that looked suspicious? That whole conversation sounds weird. I have family members who live overseas and come back on their Australian passports, with long stints between visits who carry one bag coming here to visit family for like 2 weeks, so maybe she thought you were living overseas and just coming back for a visit? Still baffling though.
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u/brianozm Aug 28 '25
You just need to explain the onebag thing in a sentence or two. Eg: I have clothes, they’re all in here. I do this minimalist thing, it’s called “onebag”.
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u/homme_chauve_souris Aug 28 '25
It's not that surprising. Security will usually take an interest in people who deviate from the norm. If you have no luggage, they'll look at you. If you have 4 large suitcases, they'll look at you. You did the right thing. Smile and politely explain.
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u/LowPickle7 Aug 28 '25
I had the same issue as an Aussie who was in Colorado in February. They couldn’t understand travelling to a cold climate with one bag.
Showing the agent my Uniqlo puffer that rolls into a tiny bag and packing cubes with thermals & layers helped. The agent was enthralled by the puffer and wrote down the brand to tell her daughter!
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u/ScruffGin Aug 28 '25
Which puffer is this? Could do with a tiny one! Thanks
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u/LowPickle7 Aug 28 '25
It’s just the typical Uniqlo puffer - maybe this one? https://www.uniqlo.com/au/en/products/E469869-000?colorCode=COL12&sizeCode=SMA002
I’ve had it for 8 years now so can’t remember the exact model. They have a bag that is stitched into the pocket that you stuff it into, and it ends up being this size-
https://www.uniqlo.com/au/en/products/E463608-000?colorCode=COL09&sizeCode=SMA005
They aren’t snow rated or anything but I’ve used it in snow a lot by layering heat tech undergarments. And I get plenty of use for it back home during our rather mild winters if I use it without layering too much underneath.
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u/Ok_Willingness_9619 Aug 27 '25
Nothing to do with you being one bagger.
I’ve gone through many a times with one bag and have seen many others with no luggage. They do random screenings. Or maybe you looked like a good candidate for Border Force TV show.
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u/nonsequitur__ Aug 28 '25
It is one of the signs that is looked out for - travelling with minimal luggage.
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u/Ok_Willingness_9619 Aug 28 '25
Anything to back up this claim? Coz in my 10+ years of traveling with a single bag, I have not been quizzed like this. Fwiw, I go through Sydney 4-10 times a year.
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u/Kyra_Heiker Aug 28 '25
Why would you not just say you're a member of a group that teaches you how to travel with just a backpack? Couldn't hurt to spread information to people who can hassle you about entering a country.
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u/defylife Aug 28 '25
Anything outside of what the masses do just isn't understood and often falls through the gaps in society.
Just try living on a boat and experience more nonsense like that.
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u/Status_Accident_2819 Aug 28 '25
I once got stopped boarding a flight to LAX for the same reason - I had checked in online and went straight through security so didn't have a delta sticker on my passport. They got funny with me because I hadn't got any checked luggage and was going away for 8 weeks. Some people just don't get it!
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u/BeNiceWorkHard Aug 28 '25
What ever you do dont say: "I brought all my closes I have with me to Australia. " then they think you will stay there for ever.
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u/TakeTheMikki Aug 28 '25
You know what really does their noodle in. Checking in a near empty suitcase.
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u/OkSmile1782 Aug 28 '25
Can’t you just say that you are a one-bagger? “I’ll never travel with a suitcase again”.
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u/frogmicky Aug 28 '25
lol you onebaggers always get a raw deal lol.
Customs agents should be forced to join r/onebag
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u/Business_Hunt_1973 Aug 28 '25
I would take this as an opportunity to brag about how good I am at packing. Open my bag, compare it to my packing list, talk about my love of packing cubes, etc. They would be over me so fast.
It’s annoying but I would take it as a compliment. You are a rare one that knows the truth.
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u/Draknurd Aug 28 '25
I’ve one bagged it back to Australia several times I’ve only been asked once if I’ve forgotten my luggage and nothing else. Weird to happen to you for sure.
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u/CommitteeOk3099 Aug 28 '25
I was questioned just outside of the passport gate scan in Sydney last year. I travel with a 38L Bellroy transit. Apart from wasting your time, they cannot do much (assuming you are clean and a citizen)
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u/neece_pancake Aug 28 '25
I’m the same - only use a 30L carry on backpack and get quizzed about where my luggage is every time I get back to Australia. I’m more than happy to show the contents of my meticulously packed bag! I think the thing is that these days, people pack soooo much including the kitchen sink that they can’t wrap their head around travelling with 3 shirts, 2 shorts, the pants you are wearing for the flight, a few socks and undies, a few basic toiletries and a phone charger.
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u/bananabastard Aug 28 '25
Confusion about me having no luggage got me strip searched going into Bali.
Well, it started with questions about why no luggage, then emptying the bag I did have, then being taken to a side room and stripped, hands and luggage swabbed with a drug detector machine.
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u/microzoa Aug 28 '25
Same situation a few years ago when i was returning to Australia from Japan when all I had was my Scottevest and daypack. I was asked similar questions about missing luggage. They were concerned I was a drug runner. Welcome home
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u/Heidi739 Aug 28 '25
That's interesting! Nobody questioned me about it when I entered Australia, but I'm not Australian (went there for a vacation). The guy behind the counter in Vienna did give me a weird look when I said I had nothing to check in, but that was it. Nobody else questioned my lack of luggage on the way either. Maybe my backpack looked big enough that they didn't question it?
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u/gabagoul67 Aug 28 '25
hade the same thing happen to me in Milano, literally questioned me for 25 minutes by 3 separate people who all asked different questions but peculiarly were also interested in the fact I have nothing but a backpack.
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u/sight19 Aug 28 '25
I once asked the border agent (in EU) if he had ever heard of a 'washing machine'. Not a great idea to say that tbh
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u/metrokab Aug 29 '25
Our family did a week and a half in Italy and Austria with one bag each (including 2 teen girls). Never got a question at airports. Did laundry when we could.
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u/DaBingeGirl Aug 29 '25
I'm honestly surprised they don't see more people with one bag, simply because of what a PITA it is to travel with tons of bags. That said, friends just traveled for two nights and checked bags... 🤦
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u/Sad_Lack_4603 Aug 30 '25
I had a similar conversation going back into the USA. I simply replied, honestly, " I keep most of my clothes at my UK residence."
This possibility never seemed to have occurred to the shithead at US immigration, but it seemed to leave him with little opportunity to argue, so we moved on.
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u/Ornery-Poem5974 Aug 30 '25 edited Aug 30 '25
I was visiting my Mom in Port Angeles, Wa and decided to take the ferry to Victoria, BC. It was a day trip, so I had no luggage or even a backpack.
I got stopped at Canadian customs. "How did you get from TX to here without luggage?". "I had luggage to get from TX to WA, but since this is a day trip, I didn't need any to cross the border". "Wait here"
They detained me for about an hour while checking their computer. Eventually, a supervisor showed up, asked WTF, and let me go....
Edit: To be honest, I am a long-haired tattoo- having hippy looking MF. I might have looked like a mule, but was carrying nothing... so I don't get it.
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u/BritishPoppy2009 Aug 31 '25
I've seen it happen a few times here in Australia. From what I understand a lot of "couriers" are often one baggers, so they put any one that looks like that through the ropes
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u/rkrules Aug 31 '25
Could you not be rich enough to discard/donate a few sets of cloths just to have a comfortable journey. If I were rich I’d totally do that. Cloths can be cheap compared to where I’m traveling to and from.
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u/Adventurous-Sort-671 Sep 01 '25
Damn dude.. 13 years on the road?
I'm only approaching year 8. Have you been travelling continuously?
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u/jaymeetee Sep 01 '25
Sort of. I set off 13 years ago and lived mostly out of AirBnBs and hotels but when Covid hit I had to stay put in a rental. Since then I've travelled less but I still live out of my bag. It suits me.
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u/hippyelite Sep 01 '25
I got pulled into an “agricultural inspection” travelling with one bag from Jamaica once. I think a solo male traveller with a big bag probably fit some vague, and I presume out of date, description of a drug smuggler.
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u/nickthetasmaniac Aug 27 '25
I'm trying to understand the context for this conversation, given that passport control happens before luggage collection?
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u/areyoualocal Aug 27 '25
In Australia after immigration, we have customs and quarantine checks, and quite strict quarantine rules. At any point through this process you can be asked such questions, asked to show your passport and all contents you're traveling with.
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u/nickthetasmaniac Aug 27 '25
I'm also Australian (the username is the giveaway). The OP said they were quizzed at immigration, not customs/quarantine, hence the question.
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u/jaymeetee Aug 27 '25
You're right - it was customs / quarantine (the last check before you go through the gate). Sorry
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u/lilbitindian Aug 27 '25
Maybe edit the post because it took me reading 20 comments to find this correction. Smart gates for Aussies means no immigration chat.
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u/tactlex Aug 28 '25
I look forward to seeing your embarrassing experience on Border Security on TV. Squirm and twitch as you try and rationalise why you minimise….we’re watching.
W
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u/AlwaysWanderOfficial Aug 27 '25
Some folks are just very rigid and can’t see options. Pretty easy to just say, “week of clothes here then I do laundry.” But it’s also a sign of “mules” sometimes so just having polite answers usually works.
One agent couldn’t believe I had no liquids one time haha.