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taking my travel scope through customs?

Daniel-K

By Daniel-K
in The Astro Lounge

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Supay

Supay

Posted
Posted

I'd like to know too, as we are intending to visit my girlfriend's family in the Philippines next spring and they live out in utterly dark rural areas. I have already warned her that I'll be buying a solid little refractor to go with us.

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Ben Ritchie

Ben Ritchie

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It's fine, usually it goes straight through, a couple of times i've had to take it out of the case for someone to check it - just a glance. Only issue was with a PST, which is a sealed tube that shows nothing indoors...

For coming back to the UK it's worth bring the receipt, so you can show you owned it before you left (...and aren't trying to dodge tax...)

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sgazer

sgazer

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I've just taken my kit via Frankfurt to Japan. I had my 1000d, lens, filters in hand luggage and 2 tripods and SLT GOTO mount in my suitcase and had no problems with customs (although they didn't appear to check).

Might be a different story when we go to Oz, all suitcases seem to be checked. Last time we were questioned as to whether we'd had food in the kids push chair....err yeah they're kids, they eat food (normally very messily)! You can't even get a spec of dust through customs there in case it impacts on the environment somehow.

Main problem was Frankfurt, I'd just bought some water and Rightguard in the terminal at Birminham airport to take on the plane and it was confiscated by security whilst going to the next plane in Frankfurt airport just 2 hours later! I can only presume that some flights arriving there for internal transfers don't have the same no liquids policy.

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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I took my travelscope through Irish and Spanish customs a couple of weeks ago. Nobody batted an eyelid. No questions were asked and nobody even opened the bag to check it out. I suppose on the xray machine a scope looks like.................well a scope. I also had 4 EP's and 2x barlow in the bag.

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great_bear

great_bear

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The problem is about import duty.

As said in the previous post, a receipt or other proof of ownership is a good idea if you have it.

As for liquids, no, you can't usually take typical drinks bottles into the departure lounge any more. You can only take small shampoo-type bottles. Our local Pound Store sells bottles of appropriate size so you can put whatever you like into them.

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

Posted
Posted
The problem is about import duty.

As said in the previous post, a receipt or other proof of ownership is a good idea if you have it.

As for liquids, no, you can't usually take typical drinks bottles into the departure lounge any more. You can only take small shampoo-type bottles. Our local Pound Store sells bottles of appropriate size so you can put whatever you like into them.

When my mother travels and wants to bring cosmetics or whatever on the plane as hand luggage she puts whatever it is she takes into urine sample bottles. Funnily enough they contain 100ml of liquids etc. My uncle is a customs officer and he told he about it.

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dogfish

dogfish

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I took my Megrez 72FD through customs (and back) in a Peli case, so as hand luggage (tripod in suitcase in the hold). This was a couple of years back and TBH I was expecting to see concern on the faces of the customs people, but they didn't bat an eyelid. I guess if you do that job, you quickly get to see everything it's possible to see going through the x-ray machine. The point about receipts is probably wise if travelling outside the EU, but apart from that I'd have no worries about doing it again.

HTH, Martin

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FraserClarke

FraserClarke

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I suspect you'll usually be fine as everyone else is saying. Most customs/security people are very sensible and will just be interested and let you on your way after a quick chat. I have however come across the other type who get it into their head that they are not going to let you get through with whatever -- and that's basically the end of it. The only option then is to check it in, or miss the flight and buy another one for when they've finished their shift.

I'd ask yourself how you'd feel if you were made to check the telescope in, and make sure that your packaging gives it a damned good chance of surviving in the hold if needed.

(in my particular case, the €10,000 piece of glass survived being checked in thankfully!)

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Euan

Euan

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Similar story here, a few years back I took an ST80 and a tripod mount to Corsica wrapped up in a backpack and it was surprisingly easy

I wouldn't risk putting anything with any glass in it into the hold, I've had a tool kit that went through that and came out pretty worse for wear at the other end

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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As has been said above..............customs officers have seen it all before, so a simple scope does not amuse them nor arouse their suspicions.

I mean...............just how the hell can you convert a travelscope into a deadly weapon?

It cant be done REALLY. Yes the objective lens can be smashed and used to maybe cut someone..............but by the time you do that...........the cabin crew and fellow passengers will be all over you like a bad rash.

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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The ONLY fun i have ever had with a customs officer was when i was flying back from Brussels to Dublin. I bought my mother a birthday present (a HUGE lump of crystal glass). It could be hand held and crush a human skull with ease. It went through the x-ray machine in Brussels and then a customs officers asked me to open it so he could inspect it.

I'm a funny git..................i told him that i would prefer if he opened it.

This gift could easily have caused fatal blunt trauma to a human skull but once he saw what it was he cleared it is part of my hand luggage.

He did his job VERY WELL. He saw i was disabled and not very likely to try any funny stuff with my big lump of glass.

Thats what makes a customs officer GREAT. They read the people and the contents of their hand luggage and put 2 and 2 together and arrive at 4.

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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Ah yes, this is crucial

"MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THE HAND LUGGAGE RESTRICTIONS"

You really do not want to have to check it into the hold!

Once the scope is within the weight and size dimensions of hand luggage..............it will sail through customs.

From Ireland..............the single piece of hand luggage allowed has to weigh 10Kg or less and the size of it has to be roughly the size of a small bac sack.

You dont need to be able to store it overhead. You can store it under your seat.

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FraserClarke

FraserClarke

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could easily have caused fatal blunt trauma to a human skull

That's precisely why I wasn't allowed to take my lump of glass on as hand luggage. A fair comment, I suppose -- but when I pointed out it was the same size and weight as my laptop, the response was; "Ah, but that's OK because it is electronic".... errrrmmmm...

I thought I'd better not point out the power-cable come garote-wire next to it... :o

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Supay

Supay

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Posted

Can anyone recommend a good travelscope? It'll be going from the UK to the Philippines and we're likely to travel on a decent airline rather than a budget affair, so hopefully can take the scope on as hand luggage.

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Leegsi

Leegsi

Posted
Posted

Email/phone the place your flying from.

We have just had an email from Gatwick saying its fine to take a scope on as hand luggage.

This is the reply from them:

From: enquiries@gatwickairport.com

To: @hotmail.co.uk

Subject: Re: telescope

Date: Sat, 4 Sep 2010 15:18:49 +0100

Dear..........,

I can confirm that provided the travel telescope fits within your hand baggage there will be no problem taking your telescope through Security.

Yours Sincerely,

Elaine Code

IPA

London Gatwick Airport

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