Anyone who travels, or doesn’t, pretty much knows that Africa is full of requests for unexpected ‘fees’ from just about anyone who thinks they can get away with it.
Here are a couple of evasive moves that have worked for us:
Throw around what ever names you’ve got up your sleeve. When the customs officer asked how we could ‘come to an understanding’, if we didn’t have an invitation letter to fly, we responded with names of big wigs. He recognized one of the names and that was then end of that. Bon voyage!
Avoid, avoid, avoid. On the other side of the flight we were hit up again for arrival taxes. We basically just refused and then the customs officer didn’t know what to do. They eventually went away. When I flew out again today they didn’t even have the nerve to try again for more!
Please also note that this was for an internal flight within a country we have already paid an entrance visa for. This really doesn’t make much of a difference in a country like the DRC.
I’m flying out tomorrow night and will have my own personal expeditor to grease the palms of anyone at the airport who might stand between me and the plane. He’ll take me directly to the plane itself. Not a bad service to pay for around here.
Wish me luck!
Miel
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