Every vacation starts with getting the correct set of travel documents, passports and Visas. We will discuss about the most usual travel countries specifics when it comes to passports.
A visa is an official document that allows the bearer to legally enter a foreign country. The visa is usually stamped or glued into the bearer’s passport. There are several different types of visas, each of which afford the bearer different rights in the host country. A country’s visa policy is a rule that states who may or may not enter the country. The policy may allow passport holders of one country to enter visa-free but not the passport holders of another country. Most visa policies are bilateral, meaning that two countries will allow visa-free travel to each other’s citizens, but this is not always the case. For example, Canadian passport holders may travel to Grenada visa-free, but Grenadians must apply for a visa in order to travel to Canada.
American citizens travelling to the UK for a vacation do not require to get a visa, but will need a valid passport. During your flight you will be asked to fill out a landing card where you’ll have to provide your name, date of birth, gender, nationality, occupation and the address where you will be staying in London that must be shown with your passport at the security control.
It’s easier than ever for Americans to visit Cuba, but layers of restrictions are still in place. True tourism is still not permitted; trips must be made according to one of 12 permissible categories. Your best bet? Arranging a people-to-people tour with a U.S.-based tour operator, or splurging for one of the new cruise routes. For extra information on how to visit this Caribbean island, read more here.
Some passports are much better than others. And let’s face it, just having a passport is a luxury. Most people don’t. I have a Norwegian passport, which is luckily for me one of the strongest. The visa situation: This can be a showstopper for some people, regardless of their passport or bank account.
With the exception of Turkmenistan, visas do not list the towns to be visited. The tourist-visa application for Turkmenistan requires you to list the name of every town you want to visit, and most of these places, excluding the capital, will be printed on your visa.
For example, if I come to the Area in January and stay for 60 days and then come back in June for 10 days, that counts as 70 days in 180 days. Only days you are in the zone during the period count. If you go on January 1st and stay 90 straight days, you have to leave and technically can’t come back until July 1st. However, not all travelers are allowed such freedom. Citizens from many countries need to apply for a Schengen visa ahead of time. You’ll be required to fill out paperwork beforehand and fly in and out of the country for which your visa is issued. (Even then, you still might not be granted a visa. Spoiler alert: citizens from African and Asian countries get screwed.)
So make sure your Schengen visa is ok. Do you need real genuine passports and have a question like: Can I enter the USA with less than 6 months on my passport? Yes, when traveling to the USA you need at least 6 months of expiry date after the planned return date. However, this rule is different for citizens of some countries, for example, the UK. This will be covered in detail in the next chapter.
