Robots, tools & Canadian border crossing!

[dtengineering]

Great! Delighted to see you coming up this side of the 49th. Hopefully the Calgarians will give you the same warm welcome that we always received in Portland and Seattle. I'm hoping to be able to volunteer there myself... so we'll see you there!

The first thing I want to say is that we're really lucky. Although our border is a bit of a hurdle, it is nothing like what some of the overseas teams have to deal with. I took our FRC team across the border many times and now organize VEX bus trips to competitions in Seattle twice each year. We've never had a problem so long as everyone had their documentation in order.

So here's a list of things that I think about when travelling from Canada to the USA. There may be specific things about coming up to Canada, of which I am unaware, but my understanding is that you'll actually have a more difficult time getting back into the USA (which, as much as we'd love to have you here, is probably pretty important to you) than you will getting in to Canada. Ironic, eh?

Oh, yes... this all applies to driving across land borders. If you're flying then you need to meet additional air travel documentation and packing requirements.

Anyway, here's some things to consider:

Passports:

For coming in to Canada, technically, Americans don't need a passport. However you do need a passport to get back into the USA, so make sure all the students have a passport. The Canadian border guards will want to see your passports on your way "in" just to ensure that you don't get stuck in Canada.

There are alternatives to passports such as "Passport Cards" and Enhanced Drivers Licenses... but really, passports are the gold standard. Everyone who might ever even think about crossing a border should have one.

That said... there is a little known exception to the "passports required" rule for minors travelling as part of a school or community group. We've used it once or twice when someone forgot their passport... but now we check everyone's passport before they get on the bus.

For students who are not Canadian or American citizens, it may be necessary to have a visa. This can usually be managed if you start early enough, but does require some extra work.

Medical Insurance:

Thankfully we've never had a claim, but I automatically add the cost of travel medical insurance to the cost of the field trip. It's usually less than ten bucks per kid, and if they are double insured... so what. Hopefully most of your students are covered by some form of medical insurance, but do make sure it covers them while they are out of the country... and if you don't want to dig through all the documentation to make sure, then I'd suggest doing as we do and just buying a travel policy for every kid. You also need to be clear to parents that pre-existing medical conditions are not covered under most travel insurance policies. Kids who are actively being treated for an ailment will likely require addtional care when preparing travel insurance documents.

Permission Forms:

I've never had a problem getting the kids across the border using a school field trip permission form signed by a parent, and detailing what the event is, where they are going, and how long they will be there. It was brought to my attention today that there is formal documentation available for taking a kid out of the country, recommending signatures completed by parents in the presence of notaries and all... but really, that is more to do with young children of divorced parents travelling with one parent. No border guard has ever assumed that I am spiriting dozens of disparate teenagers away from an ex-wife as part of a custody battle! But do ensure each kid has a permission form, and keep a copy of the form for yourself.

Criminal Records:

You'd think I wouldn't have to mention this... but I mentioned it as a joke one day after checking off everyone's passports for the PNW regional, and it turns out one of the kids had been talked into doing something stupid the previous summer and was on probation as a result. It resulted in a week of hasty research that concluded that young offenders would be really, really wise to stay home until their record is cleared. Don't assume that good kids won't have criminal records... this kid was a great kid... he'd just done something stupid.

Oh yes... almost forgot. Cell phone roaming plans. Bell Canada, Telus and Rogers have all asked me to encourage your students to use plenty of data and make lots of long distance calls while they are up here... the premium on international roaming call time and data is outrageous. It is also possible that some "pay as you go" phones may not be set up for international roaming and simply won't work.

So.... that's the people part....

As for the robot we always shipped FedEx, and completed the forms that FIRST and FedEx provided. We never really had a problem. No doubt FIRST has some relevant forms to help with the bag and tag cross-border transportation of robots, or some of the eastern teams will have more recent advice.

For the tools we always carefully packed the tools and took inventory of all our boxes. We were never asked for a list of the tools and spare parts that we were bringing with it, but we were prepared. Taking a photo of what's in a box, and combining it with an itemized list will not only be helpful if you are asked "what's in the back of the van?" but will give you the confidence to answer the question in a competent and relaxed manner.

Don't mention any "give aways" or promotional materials you are bringing unless asked. Have them listed on your inventory as "team buttons", of course, but not "team buttons to give away at the event". The border guards will want to be comfortable that everything that you bring into the country will be heading back home with you. Always answer honestly if asked, of course... but be discrete in what you volunteer.

There are a bunch of other obscure rules surrounding things like unfinished wood needing to be marked as to its place of origin (designed to prevent tropical pests from crossing the border in shipping pallets, if I recall) detailing the radios (shouldn't be a problem now that we use wifi instead of 900MHz radios) and such, but honestly...

The border guards can tell we are geeks from a mile off... and they tend to like that. Be polite, respectful and organized and while there are nightmare stories out there... I've never had a problem. Most of the time we get a friendly "welcome" and wishes of good luck and a good time from the border guards.

If you are travelling in multiple vehicles, convoy up and hit the border in the same lane, one after the other. After all, maybe one car of teenagers is faking a robot tournament in order to engage in human trafficking, narcotics, or terrorism... but what are the chances that three van loads are?

Coach the kids on speaking to border guards. Make sure that they know that border guards are not police... police need "cause", border guards can rip your car to pieces and send you home for saying something stupid or looking at them the wrong way. Have them pull their hoodies down to show their faces and pull out their earbuds as you approach the border. Practice some "yes sir!" and "No m'am!" and make sure the kids all know where you are going, where you are staying, and for how long. Wearing a robot shirt doesn't hurt either.


Here's hoping it all goes well and you'll be sharing our favorite cross-border joke on the return trip:

Border Guard: "Anything to declare?"
Team: "Oh, just these trophies!"

Jason

P.S. I'm mostly joking when I say this, but in light of Washington's recent referendum (which is getting LOTS of positive attention up here, by the way) do remind kids that even if they think it is cool or funny to bring a gram across the border that it can result in serious consecquences for everyone in the vehicle... not that robotics kids need any artificial highs, of course. Undeclared weapons will also result in jail time, regardless of whether they are licensed in the States. I don't expect either would be an issue... but then again, I didn't think that criminal records would be... until I mentioned it.

P.P.S. Food... in short if it is healthy or good for you, it can't cross the border. Packaged crud and candy? Bring it on! (The kids are going to hate that one, aren't they?)