BootsnAll Travel Community

For those who have been unemployed and travling for extended periods, what have you put under "occupation" on the immigration cards? Unemployed? Your old job? Make one up? (architect?)

What has proven successful or a flag-raiser for you?

My old general title of Account Executive is nice and generic. I might put that or "Consultant" because with those occupations people generally lose interest instantaneously in any sort of conversation involving my line of work. Or, if I'm in business class and someone is insistent about giving me their card it is easy enough to give a 25-word-or-less description of your business, which can be modified as necessary.

In short, I would never admit to unemployed.

This one was always a bugger. Sometimes I just put N/A or NONE, other timesd I just put an old job down To be honest there was no method in my madness just whatever I felt like was the right thing at the time. I was never questioned over it whatever I put.

My previous generic industry title. Seems like immigration folk freak out when they hear "unemployed" Then again, I think only the UK was a problem, and those folks are a problem regardless.

"Student." <-- It helped that I had a student ID without an expiration date.

I've always wanted to put astronaut but have never had the guts. I just put admin.

I have to admit to playing on a form once...It was when our flight was delayed out of Santiago and we had to go back through Chilean Immigration to get outside at 1am already having been there god knows how many hours, to be whisked off to a hotel for 2 hours before they picked us back up again to take us to teh airport 5 hours beefore our flight!

Somehwat annoyed and frustrated...

I answered "reason for visiting?" With "because LAN cant get their flights sorted"

"How long are you intending to stay?" with "As little time as humanly passibel"

I think there were a few more pissed off type comments on there. To be honest I didnt really want to go out so if they'd have said I couldnt I wouldnt have minded.

I always put architect... but then again... I am an archiect...

Wow, that was something I had not thought about. The student one is a good one... I guess I am going to continue to put down my old occupation since I do plan on going back eventually.

How much does this really matter?