I flew back into SFO today after a ten day trip to Southeast Asia. Like every trip I've ever taken anywhere, I was asked upon return if I was traveling alone. The officer, who appeared to be Chinese-American, asked this question in a variety of different ways like "Are you alone?" "Did you fly there alone," "Were you alone the entire time," "Were you on a group tour or just by yourself," etc.

Strangely, he also asked if I spoke Thai and Chinese, and when I told him I didn't, he asked how I managed to get around in Thailand and Hong Kong without speaking Thai and Chinese. Uh, other people speak English.

I've also been asked before "Why are you traveling alone" and other strange variations on the same theme. So why is there a CBP fascination with travelers who vacation alone? Is it that unusual? Does anyone else who vacations alone get these questions? Does CBP suspect that we are all drug smugglers?