There are always certain things I’ll do before leaving for a trip – either international or domestic. Some you have to do, others will save you money or make your life easier.
Visas/Reciprocity Fees/Vaccinations/Safety/etc.
Most countries allow US Passport holders to visit the country for up to 90 days without having to obtain visa prior to arrival. We have only been to one country that required you get anything before arrival – Australia, which requires a small payment for an electronic visa.
Some countries (e.g. Argentina, Chile) make you to pay a reciprocity fee. Basically, these countries require that you pay whatever their citizens have to pay to visit the US.
I also always check if the countries require you have any vaccinations to enter or if you should receive any vaccinations for your own health.
The US government has a good site that summarizes most of these things. I’ll also look at the UK Travel website and the Australian Travel website for second and third opinions.
Though, if you find yourself looking at all this and thinking that it seems like you don’t need to do much, don’t worry. Many times you don’t have to do much. Of all the countries we’ve visited, we have not had to get a single vaccination and have only had to pay one small fee (Australia). That’s it. Most places are visa upon arrival.
But one thing I know I’ve mentioned several times is to always have your airline/hotel confirmations printed out. More than anything else, we’ve had to provide proof of onward travel and even that we had a place to stay once. Continue reading
