Poppa wrote:

"As far as I'm concerned, anyone hoping to "sing for their supper," busk, and/or play a few low-profile gigs as way to defray part of the expense of international travel should be treated as a private citizen and left alone."

I agree, but it ain't the reality. I was asked once to do a fill-in gig (and open mic feature) for a musician who arrived at Boston Logan Airport with his guitar and a box of CDs and was immediately sent back to his native country. It's getting harder and harder to "sneak" into a foreign country to just "sing for their supper, busk, and/or play a few low-profile gigs".

All I can say is if you choose to do this, know how to do it and be very very careful. It's not worth getting caught.

Debra Cowan