Canada and U.S. Prepare for Women's World Cup Border Traffic

The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup began this past weekend in Canada. The month-long competition will take place across the entire country, spanning six host cities, including Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton.

The organisation made a wise decision spreading out the locations, taking into account travel and lodging accommodations for players, staff and fans. In fact, soccer fans from all around the globe are making their way to the cities listed above to support their clubs. While most fans have to fly over the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans for a chance to see their teams play, some Americans are just a three or four-hour drive away.

For this reason, Canada Border Services Agency and United States Custom and Border Protection are working together to make the heavy flow of road traffic bearable for travelers. According to CBSA spokeswoman Jacqueline Callin, "We always encourage people to use the Emerson Border Crossing if they can," which she claims is the most prepared to handle traffic 24 hours a day.

The greatest challenge the border services divisions will face is maintaining the same security protocols and procedures while handling the increased levels of traffic. Chris Misson, public affairs liaison for Customs and Border Protection, assures that these safety procedures will not be ignored because of the increased border traffic: "We're definitely going to treat it just like we would any other time and make sure we're on the top of our game, making sure that we're not forgetting about that aspect of the job."

• Travel during non-peak hours (between 3 p.m. and 6 a.m.)
• Prepare travel documents in advance for border agents
• Have knowledge of your vehicle's contents and declare those items
• Know what items are prohibited from crossing the border, especially food (poultry items from North Dakota and Minnesota are banned in Canada, for example)
• Do not attempt to transport guns or other weapons across the border