This morning, I mentioned the new site from the US Government – ESTA. It has been set up to fulfil a new criteria for those wishing to travel to the States on the Visa Waiver program. You now need permission to travel prior to commencing your journey.

I have it on good authority that the site is very simple to use, and the results from it (that is, the permission) also appears fairly promptly. However, it is the appearance of the site that is most surprising.

Obviously, with so much personal information being entered on one website, it is not surprising that there are a few security concerns about it. In fact, the makers of the site – the US Government – are so concerned by security that make it impossible for people to ignore how much information they will be requiring by having a warning box appear the moment you enter the first page.

Relaxed? Not really. The legalese states that no unauthorized persons should use the site. Am I authorized to use it? Nobody has told me. Nobody tells me anything. Nevertheless, maybe it is a good thing that people are made very aware that their information is secure – and woe betide anyone who tries to make it otherwise.

Now we’re into the site, I think it would be a good idea to compare the appearance of this site, to that of other US Government sites. I will take the most closely related – the United States Center for Immigration Services a.k.a. USCIS.

This is USCIS:

This is ESTA:

Personally, I find the USCIS site quite attractive. It has a powerful appearance, giving one a clear indication of the attitude that USCIS has about immigration.

The ESTA site is quite different. There are good bits – I like the simplicity of its layout. If you are not a native English speaker, I don’t think that you would have any problems finding the website in your language (although all the questions must be answered in English anyway). However, I also think that its simplicity may be its downfall as well. The site looks a little too hurriedly put together. Take the headline banner, for example:

I’ve blown it up – but it clearly shows that the image has been compressed to the extent that it has stopped producing crisp lines. I understand that this is a website that has been set-up so that it can be accessed by all walks of internet connection, but problems like that can be simply overcome by saving it as a different file – PNG, for example. A similar compression issue exists on the graphic in the middle. It may sound like a trivial thing, but it is this appearance that has led some people to believe the site to be a hoax.

I’m surprised, with all the resources the US Government has, that this site does not look as crisp and clean as their other sites – presumably as it must get thousands of hits a day (how many people fly from the UK to the US everyday?!)

I haven’t read about any problems with the site – so maybe the appearance is a work-in-progress. It may well be another hoop for the tourist to jump through – but it still beats queueing up in the rain to get into the Embassy for a visa.

On December 2007 I bought a ticket to fly to America on January 2nd. Everything went very smoothly. The ticket was emailed to me, I boarded the flight, I landed in America, and I successfully passed through immigration and customs. One of the joys of being British is that I don’t need a visa to travel to the States – I merely fill out a green piece of card on the plane and hand to the immigration officer with a cheery smile and welcoming “hello”.

However, things have changed. Since January 12th I can no longer buy a last-minute flight to America. Nobody can. Now, you have to buy your ticket well in advance, because you need to get permission from the American Government to even attempt to get into the country – and that could take days.

When I first saw the ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) website, I thought it was a hoax. It looks like a hurriedly built site – not anything like the crisp and clean US Government sites that I have got to know oh-so-well. The graphic on the top has been compressed too much, so now shows ghosting, and the title of the site is a rather ominous “welcome” – somehow I doubt the lack of capital letters is due to them wanting to be ‘funky and fresh’.

So, as the website explains (in a variety of world languages) I now have to tell the US Government all about my travel plans, wait about 72 hours, and find out if I wasted my time booking the flight. Of course, if I do get clearance, that doesn’t mean I won’t be allowed in the country – it’s still down to a subjective decision on the part of the immigration officer I meet.

I shouldn’t be annoyed. Most people book their flights well in advance. Most people will get allowed in. Most people have the internet. But what about those people who don’t?

Oh, and watch out for people offering their services in filling out these forms. This article explains all.

I’m back in the USA. It’s a great feeling – in theory, I shall never have to pass through American or British immigration by myself ever again. In fact, when I passed through immigration in Dallas, I was informed that it would be easier for me to have passed through with Heather – which was interesting, considering that, in Dallas, I wasn’t asked any probing questions at all, making it easily one of the easiest entries I have ever made. It was also the first time I had received a happy immigration officer – he noticed that I had never entered America through the same Port of Entry twice and asked if I was trying to collect the set!

So, now I am in America, and I have a funny feeling. Technically, it’s 7:04pm – but in my head it feels more like 3am. There is nothing positive about jet-lag. I have yet to meet someone who thrives on jet-lag; nobody goes on holiday to experience jet-lag. It’s horrible. Quite horrible.

As well as the premature tiredness, it is also very successful at disorientating me, confusing me, and zapping any ounce of proactivity I may have had. While I am passing the time in this state writing on the computer, poor Heather is at an orchestra rehearsal practising for two 4th July concerts. It felt a little strange for Heather to go to work at 3am – but I guess if we want to live in this country, we have to abide by its time-zone.

To help with the ’shift’ I take a herbal supplement: Melatonin. These small, unmarked, white pills (that always seems to get through airport security unchecked) are designed to naturally alter the chemicals in the brain so that we get tired and wake up at an acceptable time. On the whole, they work. However, they are quite reliant on the person actually remembering to take them. When you are very tired, this is not always possible.

At least it only lasts a few days, eh?!

One of the places Heather and I visited on honeymoon was Salt Lake City – a fairly vast city built solely for the purposes of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (or LDS for those in the know, or those who want to express their faith through their license plate). Salt Lake City is a beautiful place, their architectural style is very striking, and (on the whole) the people there are very friendly. Almost too friendly.

Since SLC is a place of pilgrimage, it is not surprising that there are tours available. There are also a number of “tour guides” who wander freely amongst the tourists to offer any ‘help’. For some reason, this made me feel very edgy. I felt that they had an alterior motive – that they were using this opportunity to convert as many people to LDS as they possibly could – starting with me. When I mentioned to one girl that I was on honeymoon I was immediately presented with a sheet of paper explaining the church’s beliefs in marriage. When I asked about the LDS’ view on woman in the church, the reply that came was very informative, but somehow a little too rehearsed. At the time I felt a little like they wanted me to cast-away my Anglican beliefs and immediately embrace their way of thinking. However, in hindsight, I think I was a little too paranoid.

It occurred to me that what I was presented with at SLC was not all that different from what I was presented with when Heather and I went on cave tours in Nevada and Montana. The Tour Guides on the cave tours were very eager to express how important the caves were, why we should treat them with respect, and what we can do to help maintain the caves. The Guides told us about how the different formations were formed, unbelievable as it sounded (”Really? It’s just dripping water!?”), and when I asked a question, the reply that came was very informative, but a little too rehearsed. I’m sure that if I had asked something in the visitor center, I would have been promptly presented with a handy pamphlet telling me all I wanted to know and more.

I don’t really know how to draw a conclusion from this post. It was just a thought I had, that I have now shared with you. Do with it as you want.