As someone who travels a lot, people often ask me the same question: What’s the number one thing I should know before visiting a destination?
Usually my answer is something practical—bring small bills for tipping airport porters, or keep coins handy for luggage carts. Those little tips can make life easier when you land somewhere new.
But when it comes to Turks and Caicos, the answer is surprisingly simple.
Bring a pen.
I know—it sounds ridiculous. You’re flying to one of the most beautiful places on Earth, with powder-white beaches and water in every imaginable shade of blue… and my biggest tip is about a pen. But trust me on this one.
Turks and Caicos is one of the last destinations I visit regularly where travelers still have to fill out a physical immigration card before entering the country. And every single time I land, I watch the same scene unfold.
The plane touches down. The cabin lights come on. People begin gathering their belongings. And then suddenly…
Panic.
Someone realizes they need to fill out the immigration form. Then someone else notices it too. Heads pop up. Seat pockets are searched. Backpacks are opened. Someone asks their partner, “Do you have a pen?” which is quickly followed by the universal travel response:
“No.”
And just like that, the cabin turns into a small, polite crisis zone as people scramble to borrow a pen before joining the customs line.
To be fair, Air Canada deserves some credit. On my last few flights they’ve started handing out the immigration cards earlier in the flight, which helps a lot. But more often than not, the forms still appear during that hectic final descent when everyone is trying to pack away laptops, raise seatbacks, and mentally prepare for landing.
That’s when the pen hunt begins.
On my last trip, I decided to come prepared. I tossed a few extra pens into my carry-on, and when the usual mid-air panic began, I passed them to the couple sitting beside me. Not only did it save them a bit of stress, but it also made me feel like the most useful person on the aircraft for about five minutes—which is a rare travel achievement.
One more tip while we’re here: fill out every single section on the card. Even the one that asks how you heard about Turks and Caicos.
If you leave something blank, the customs officer will politely send you back to finish it—and yes, that means stepping out of the line you just waited in.
The officers are always friendly (in true island style), but they do take the forms seriously.
So if you’re planning your dream trip to Turks and Caicos—thinking about turquoise water, boat days, beach sunsets, and rum punches—just remember the one item that will make your arrival smoother than you’d expect:
Bring a pen.
It might be the most valuable thing in your carry-on for the first ten minutes of your vacation.