Crossing the border with an Airbnb reservation?

[roxysmum123]

I have a quick weekend trip coming up for the August long weekend, but I'm getting paranoid about crossing the border this time. So many stories of people getting banned or turned away in the media right now are making my anxiety twitch. I know these are few cases among the thousands that cross every day but the anxiety is real.

I cross at Buffalo and sometimes get questioned more when I'm only going for a weekend. They usually ask where I'm staying (I'm a 30-something female, I can see how that activity can look suspicious) and I'm wondering if I book an Airbnb for the night before the flight if that'll cause more questioning? Would it be better to spend the money on a 'real' hotel?

I know this is ridiculous, but I really don't want to get turned around at the border or excluded from entry for a time.

 

[cdnSpinalTap]

I personally would not worry about it. If you are not doing anything wrong and you tell the truth, it's really up to the border agent at that point and it's literally out of your control.

What I would do is be completely prepared with your itinerary and reservations printed out and ready to show to the border agent. I am sure others will have additional tips.

 

[pigletto]

Shaming someone for normal concerns is something you won’t get from me . Inevitably someone will come along who rolls their eyes , that’s on them .. so stop apologizing for being worried . The reality is that things have changed to some degree and concern is natural. The best anecdote for worry is to be armed with facts though, so good for you for asking !

I really can’t say for certain but I don’t think an Airbnb reservation is any better or worse than any other . We crossed at Buffalo in January with an Airbnb reservation in Tampa and we weren’t questioned any more or less . I would highly suggest having copies of your reaervation information that are easily accessible in case you are asked but would assume you will be ok .
My sister who is a student in Tampa comes back and forth often and the status of her Visa really concerns her at present , but to date she’s had no real trouble . She is limiting her home visits at this time though.

Hopefully someone will come along with better advice . Just wanted you to know you had been heard and that we had no issues with an Airbnb reservation in the winter .

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

What????
I live in the Buffalo area.
I went over to Canada to eat at Swiss Chalet a few weeks ago.
When we cross we are always asked a number of questions about where we are going how long we are going to be there.... Its just the norm as a US citizen entering Canada so why would questions not be asked to Canadians entering the US?
Just tell them where you are going and how long you'll be here and be honest and you'll be on your way.

 

[Donald - my hero]

What????
I live in the Buffalo area.
I went over to Canada to eat at Swiss Chalet a few weeks ago.
When we cross we are always asked a number of questions about where we are going how long we are going to be there.... Its just the norm as a US citizen entering Canada so why would questions not be asked to Canadians entering the US?
Just tell them where you are going and how long you'll be here and be honest and you'll be on your way.

The OP wasn't saying that she didn't expect to be questioned, in fact mentioned that she is USED to it, but was rather asking if staying at an Airbnb might be more problematic than a hotel.

My suggestions are exactly like others but i would just add one other tid-bit: there's no need to say what type of accommodations you're staying at, all you need to have handy is the exact street address, including ZIPCODE and having a copy of the reservation is a great idea. Simply saying you're going from ___ date to ___ date, staying at ____ address. If they ask why you're going, just tell them the main reason of your visit ... you didn't say WHAT you're doing but your answer could be shopping, visiting friends/family, whatever.

You'll be fine, just take a deep breath, have all of your info tucked inside your passport so you don't forget/misplace it and you'll be good to go. The trick is to only provide exactly the information they ask, no more, no less. Have a GREAT time!

 

[roxysmum123]

What I would do is be completely prepared with your itinerary and reservations printed out and ready to show to the border agent. I am sure others will have additional tips.

I really can’t say for certain but I don’t think an Airbnb reservation is any better or worse than any other . We crossed at Buffalo in January with an Airbnb reservation in Tampa and we weren’t questioned any more or less . I would highly suggest having copies of your reaervation information that are easily accessible in case you are asked but would assume you will be ok .

My suggestions are exactly like others but i would just add one other tid-bit: there's no need to say what type of accommodations you're staying at, all you need to have handy is the exact street address, including ZIPCODE and having a copy of the reservation is a great idea. Simply saying you're going from ___ date to ___ date, staying at ____ address. If they ask why you're going, just tell them the main reason of your visit ... you didn't say WHAT you're doing but your answer could be shopping, visiting friends/family, whatever.

Thanks so much for your feedback, I haven't had printed itineraries or travel info for years but I will definitely do that for the weekends trip. I'm hoping to have a good experience and to calm my fears for other upcoming land crossings (I just love the Buffalo airport so much!). I got a bit of the third degree when I did a weekend trip in May (wanted very detailed answers about my work), and now I'm in an industry that's on the tariff radar so I think I'm just hypersensative to the whole thing....plus I'm an anxious person to begin with. Thanks again, I appreciate it! Off to book my Airbnb stay

 

[starvenger]

Well you could show them the reservation on your phone but I wouldn’t want to hand over my phone to any customs agent, anywhere. I’ve nothing to hide but I hate people looking at my phone.

 

[keaster]

Just have a printed copy of your reservation, you shouldn't have any more or any less issues than a hotel reservation!

 

[roxysmum123]

Well you could show them the reservation on your phone but I wouldn’t want to hand over my phone to any customs agent, anywhere. I’ve nothing to hide but I hate people looking at my phone.

Lol same, I'm paranoid a friend of mine who often sends me inappropriate comments will have a new racy thing to tell me at the exact moment someone else has my phone lol .

 

[isabellea]

We have Nexus and usually cross at Lacolle/Champlain or 1000Islands but we were never asked for an address or hotel name when crossing and in the last 10 years we probably went to the USA at least 20 times. They only want to know where we were going in very general terms (camping in North Java, NY, Disneyworld or St. Pete Beach for example). If you're worried, just have a printed copy of your reservation.

 

[LittleFlounder]

I recently stayed at an Airbnb property in the US...at the airport while going through customs, they asked me how long I was staying, what the purpose of my trip was(vacation) and where I was staying. I simply gave them the exact address of the Airbnb...and that was it. They didn't question me any further.

 

[lolomarie]

Honestly, it's so unfortunate, but I think it is dependent on the colour of your skin. Our best Muslim friends originally born in Pakistan got turned away. If you're white, the chances of that happening are less. I would be more prepared with the pp advice depending on that. Sad world we live in now. Obviously these are not my opinions.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Also it depends on whether the locality you are travelling to has recently cracked down on AirBnB... I can imagine Japanese customs agents turning people away if they mention "renting a place from some locals", for example.

 

[pigletto]

Honestly, it's so unfortunate, but I think it is dependent on the colour of your skin. Our best Muslim friends originally born in Pakistan got turned away. If you're white, the chances of that happening are less. I would be more prepared with the pp advice depending on that. Sad world we live in now. Obviously these are not my opinions.

It’s a completely different reality for non white travellers and it is very sad . My family business does a lot of travel to and business with certain middle eastern countries , and we are not strangers to extra scrutiny because of it. I can only imagine what it’s like for some .

 

[lolomarie]

It’s a completely different reality for non white travellers and it is very sad . My family business does a lot of travel to and business with certain middle eastern countries , and we are not strangers to extra scrutiny because of it. I can only imagine what it’s like for some .

It is very sad. Our friends have decided to avoid travel to the US all together because they feel they are not welcome. Nicest people in the world. Breaks my heart for them.

 

[mankle30]

I have a quick weekend trip coming up for the August long weekend, but I'm getting paranoid about crossing the border this time. So many stories of people getting banned or turned away in the media right now are making my anxiety twitch. I know these are few cases among the thousands that cross every day but the anxiety is real.

I cross at Buffalo and sometimes get questioned more when I'm only going for a weekend. They usually ask where I'm staying (I'm a 30-something female, I can see how that activity can look suspicious) and I'm wondering if I book an Airbnb for the night before the flight if that'll cause more questioning? Would it be better to spend the money on a 'real' hotel?

I know this is ridiculous, but I really don't want to get turned around at the border or excluded from entry for a time.

I have had those fears when crossing the border and my wife (who is from India originally but a Canadian citizen) really gets nervous crossing the border, mainly because a lot of the stories of people getting turned back have involved people of colour, so your fears are definitely understood!

I travel to the US quite a bit and have found that the amount of questioning really depends on the US border agent. But I also agree that the truth shall set you free! As a law-abiding Canadian citizen visiting the US to spend your hard earned cash on American companies, they have no valid reason to keep you out of the country and, while the agent may not know what Airbnb is, if you explain it patiently (say it's like "Uber" but for accommodations), there's no reason not to let you in.

Full disclosure, I have a NEXUS card which generally makes things smoother (and gets me into the shorter lines) but when I travel to the US with my wife (who doesn't have a NEXUS card), we go to the regular lines and have had some strange questions.

Still, do what's right for your pocketbook rather than what you think would make things easier at the border. Having all the paperwork ready is also a big plus.

 

[starvenger]

I think saying “vacation rental” might be descriptive enough. It’s not the original intent for airbnb but it’s basically where they’ve ended up. I do like the “Uber for accommodations” description though.