liquidsuite

Hi there when I fly out to canada next month I am taking about 500 cd disc. Most are data disc for my work and some are pictures and videos etc. They all done have any lables and just normal disc. Just wondered as I aint been on a plane in years do they open your suitcases. Wondered if they will cause probs taking them with me. Might sound like silly to ask as I am sure its ok but I have not travelled by plane in years so not sure how things work right now. Also the xray machains will not damage cds will they? Maybe I should back them up also.

Cookie

That's a lot of CDs. We bought and hand carried over an external hard drive with all our files, data, photos, music etc on it. They are quite small these days and would take up much less room than all those disks. Just popped it in a backpack and told security what it was before they x-rayed it. Everything was fine.

We did carry over about 12 comedy/movie DVDs in our suitcase and they were fine too.

achanginglife

You could use USB memory sticks. I know you can get at least 2 Gig capacity on each for under 15GBP. see link http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/...&sourceid=9207 and maybe more, then just plug into any PC USB port. Would save a lot of luggage Louise

dbd33

I would be a little wary about trying to enter the country with a cache of unlabelled disks containing "pictures and videos", especially if you could easily be mistaken for Gary Glitter. I'd send this stuff through the mail, then you won't have to wait while customs men scan it all.

Souvenir

You took the words out of my mouth. That number of CDs adds up to a dreadful waste of luggage allowance and would, I imagine, attract a fair amount of attention from security/customs/thieving baggage handlers.

Stick it on a stick and stick in your pocket.

Madmac

Db - Do you often have a need to bypass customs with a cache of unlabelled DVD's and CD's?

Just curious.

dbd33

No, but that's what I do with stuff I think might cause me grief at the customs, marijuana, human and horse medications that are only available here on prescription being the recent examples. My ex had to stand around for ages while they fetched someone to translate a magazine she was reading. I can't be bothered with any fuss and so I think the objective at the customs is to seem as ordinary as possible.

Sean Boxer

I flew in from Heathrow to Ottawa ten days ago and customs went through virtually every graphic file on my laptop and USB drives (over 100Gb of files) - it took around 3 hours.

It wasn't a very scientific search, just manually having a root around anything with a JPG, MPG or MOV suffix - they missed a lot.

They did find my 'Sean & friends diving naked into a snowbank' video (available upon request) which they found very entertaining - they said there was no need for a cavity search having seen it - I think I scared them off.

I do have some, ahem, downloaded music but this didn't seem to be a problem so your music collection would be fine.

This isn't my area at all but if you have pirated software you should load it onto your computer instead of carrying over the actual discs - you'd get busted for sure.

jempee

HI. When we came over we had CD's in a case in our hand luggage. (worried about them being stolen from suitcase!) no probs. no one batted an eyelid. These consisted off photos on cds, music and movies. (photos and files also backed up on a memory stick)

we had a huge holdall full of electrical goods (laptops, dvd player, mps3, cameras etc etc) no one batted an eye lid or wanted to look at them. friends came through a year earlier with his cd collection and no one looked at them either.

dbd33

A friend recently came back from China with a big pile of pirate copies of Hollywood films. She said the customs were fine with that which I thought was a little surprising. I suppose they assume that the content is just going to be the same as the original.

Eastbound

HI
much the same thing had cds in hand luggage went through the xray machine but the customs guy wannted to know what the little plates were thought i was bringing food in or something but when i told him they were cds I showed them to him he was fine

Biiiiink

At best you'll get through fine but have a miserable flight because you'll be fretting about being detained for hours and chained to a radiator whilst they go through all 500 cds, and at worst, well, they will

Another vote for mailing them separately.

louise033

Don't forget, if you decide to mail them seperately, you will need to submit a goods to follw list to avoid having to pay tax.

cneldred

i brought a portable hard drive to take over all our photos, music, my accounts for last couple of years and scanned copies of important paperwork. In fact i brought a second one to duplicate everything and ask my sister to hold it (just incase). i picked up 160 GB ones for under a £100 each. Only a little bit bigger than an ipod and weigh next to nothing.

IanST2

hehehe wonder if the offer Duty Free Fixed Bracelets at Heathrow on the way out (maybe not fluffy ones)

Hmmm makes me wonder if my Buffalo NAS Box will get through