20 must-know tips for international travel

In today's post: Thinking near traveling outside the United States? Notice the answers to the nearly common questions nigh international travel + helpful hints for things you may non take considered!

I recently planned a trip to Republic of costa rica for my 20th wedding anniversary. I grew upwards traveling internationally fairly oft, just it'south been over xx years since the concluding time I left the land. So I was a bit intimidated and overwhelmed past all the things I didn't know: Can I renew my old passport or do I need a new one? How do I know if our destination will be rubber? Tin can nosotros drink the water there? Do I need shots before I go? What about exchanging money? And on and on.

These sorts of questions can make international travel intimidating, only they shouldn't keep any of us from planning an amazing trip! Today I'm going to answer the most common questions about international travel, show you lot where to go to get reliable information you can trust, and throw in a few helpful hints you may not take considered. Here'south to planning the holiday of your dreams!

Photo credit[ammentorp] © 123RF.com

Note: I'm sharing lots of info I've learned beneath, merely I'll also point you to sites where yous can get the best data for your international travel. Please visit these sites to verify the information that y'all need for your trip and practice additional inquiry as necessary.

How do I get a passport?

Well-nigh all international travel from the US requires a US passport. There are two types of passports: a passport book and a passport card. A passport volume is what you lot'll demand for well-nigh international travel, and it currently costs $110 for an adult or $80 for a child. A passport bill of fare is much cheaper ($30), but it is just valid for travel by land or sea to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean.

Visit the Travel section of the US State Department website for instructions on how to apply for a new passport or renew an expired passport.

It tin can seem confusing, but getting a passport is a fairly straightforward procedure. Y'all will be able to fill out the application form online, whether you are renewing or applying for a new passport.

For a renewal, you tin mail service in all the required paperwork and the fee. You'll receive your new passport in the mail.

For a new passport, or if your last passport was issued over 15 years ago, you will need to appear in person at a local passport role to plow in all your paperwork and pay your fee. Y'all tin can search your state name and "passport office" to figure out where to go and whether you can walk in or should make an appointment in accelerate. Even though y'all plough everything in at the office, you will receive your new passport in the mail.

For a new passport or a renewal, you volition demand:

• passport photo
• application
• photo ID and a photocopy of your photo ID
• proof of citizenship (usually either a birth certificate or an expired passport)

Your proof of citizenship will have to be submitted with your passport application, meaning they will accept your actual birth certificate or expired passport, non a re-create. Those documents will be mailed back to you, and they are ordinarily received a few days after the passport is.

Right now the State Department says the processing time for a passport is half-dozen-eight weeks. (You can check the link above for current information.) That means it's a skillful idea to apply for your passport about three months before your trip. If you are traveling sooner than that, bank check the website above for info on expedited service, which will require an is additional fee.

Helpful hint: Some passport offices can accept your passport photo, while other offices exercise not offer photo services. We found it simplest and cheapest to get our passport photos taken at Costco.

Helpful Hint: Once your passport arrives, make a photocopy of the page with your photo and passport number and place that in a separate area in your travel bag. If your passport is lost or stolen, having a copy volition make getting it replaced much easier! While yous're at information technology, take copies of your credit cards. If they are lost or stolen y'all'll want piece of cake access to your credit card number and the telephone number of the carte du jour visitor that's normally on the back. But remember to keep the copies is a rubber place.

Practise I need a visa?

A U.s. passport gives yous permission to leave and re-enter the Us. Your destination state may also require a travel visa which allows you to enter and stay in their country. The requirements vary on a country past country basis. Visit the Country Data page on the US Land Section website to learn almost the visa requirements for dissimilar countries.

What's the bargain with clearing and customs?

Y'all volition have to laissez passer through immigration and customs when you reach a foreign land and again when you return to the United States. Yous'll receive a form on your flight to make full out (one per family) and nowadays when y'all go through immigration (which is called passport control in many countries). The grade will ask for bones information including your passport number, where y'all will be staying, your flight number, etc. It will too enquire if y'all are transporting food, plants, animals, etc. When yous get to your destination you lot'll have to stand in a line to become through clearing (passport control) where an employee volition check and stamp your passport. Then your luggage will get through customs, which may include sending it through a scanning auto, or spot searches, or aught at all.

Sometimes going through clearing and customs takes fifteen minutes; sometimes it takes 2 hours or more. It varies by drome and fourth dimension of day. Retrieve that you'll go through immigration and customs after you land in each country, even if you lot and so accept another flying to some other city, so make sure you lot take enough of time in between flights to allow for this. For example, we flew back from Republic of costa rica via Los Angeles airdrome. Even though LA was not our terminal destination, it is where we went through immigration and customs and it took two full hours to exercise so. Luckily we had a long layover in LA and were able to make our next flight with no problem, simply many people in the line were maxim they were going to miss their connecting flights because the lines were so long.

Is information technology safe to travel outside the U.s.?

One of our primary concerns when deciding where to travel for our anniversary was safety. We wanted to know if crime rates were high in the areas we were considering, and whether we could trust that local police enforcement would be helpful if there was a problem. Information technology tin exist difficult to get accurate info if you're just relying on advice from other travelers, so I was happy to discover that the Usa Land Department publishes Travel Informational levels for all other countries.

Visit the Country Data page on the Usa State Department website and enter in the country you're interested in visiting. You'll discover a wealth of information about that country, including the Travel Advisory levels. The possible levels are:

• Level 1: Practise Normal Precautions
• Level 2: Exercise increased caution
• Level iii: Reconsider Travel
• Level 4: Do Not Travel

Helpful hint: Remember that theft is often an upshot in any tourist destination, even those with a Level 1 rating. Before you travel, buy a money belt or pouch that you lot can vesture under your shirt – these are much harder for pickpockets to get to. E'er be aware of your surround and don't exit property unattended.

Do I demand shots or actress vaccinations to travel outside the US?

Think that anytime y'all are planning to travel out of the country yous and your family should be up to date on all routine vaccinations. In improver, travel to some foreign countries will require vaccinations (or certain vaccines are heavily recommended). The best way to find out if the location you are traveling to requires boosted vaccines is to visit the Travel page at the CDC website and enter in your destination.

Once you find out what vaccinations y'all need, you tin can normally visit your local health department to receive the vaccines as well as a travel consultation. Going to the health section is a practiced idea as your doctor's office probably won't stock the vaccines that are only required for international travel. A travel consultation at the wellness department can help yous decide if you need new a new Tetanus booster or if any other recommended vaccines are out of engagement. Additionally, there may be specific vaccines or medications that are either required or highly recommended for travel to certain areas (i.e. places where Yellow Fever or Malaria are a known problem). Do non await until correct before your trip to do this! Some vaccines cannot exist given likewise shut to each other, and sometimes in that location are shortages on travel vaccines. For example, right now the Yellow Fever vaccine is required for travel to and from certain countries. Not only is there a current shortage for the vaccine, you are supposed to receive it at least 10 days before you leave, and you may not be able to receive it at the same fourth dimension you lot receive other vaccines. So advance planning is necessary.

Helpful Hint: If you are traveling to an area with mosquito borne illness, be sure to pack an effective bug spray. We used this issues repellant with 98% DEET when hiking through the pelting forest in Republic of costa rica. Please cheque with your physician for a recommendation, as products with this much DEET may not be suitable for children.

Helpful Hint: The CDC travel site also gives lots of other health information, similar whether the nutrient and water is condom to consume in the area y'all're traveling to. It's a good thought to read through the entire page for your destination.

Helpful Hint: Even if you are traveling to a country where the nutrient and water are considered safe to consume, it'southward possible to selection upward a problems your tum isn't used to, which may result in traveler's diarrhea. Visit your physician earlier your trip and ask about getting antibiotics you tin have with y'all only in case.

Will my jail cell phone work outside of the state?

Be sure to cheque with your cellular provider to find out what, if any, international calls and data are included on your telephone plan. Oft you can add a temporary international upgrade to your cell phone plan that will be MUCH cheaper than using your telephone without an international plan. The international plan may merely cover information, not calls. If this is the case, plan to utilise text and FaceTime talk instead of making calls.

Helpful hint: If your phone is unlocked, y'all may be able to purchase local SIM cards at your destination that provide you with a local number. This tin exist even cheaper than adding an international upgrade to your cellular program. Search for more than data specific to your travel plans.

Volition my electronics work in other countries?

There are 2 possible differences in electrical outlets between those in the United States and those in other countries: plug blazon and voltage type. Plug type is the shape/style of the plug, while voltage refers to how much electricity runs through the outlet. The United States uses 120 volts, whereas many international countries utilize 220-240 volts. And then if you plug your U.Southward. hair dryer into a 220v socket and turn it on, you're going to run into problems. If you plan to accept many electrical things (like pilus dryers) on your travels, you lot'll likely want a power converter, which converts both the plug blazon and the voltage for you. This post from REI gives a expert overview of plug blazon and voltages used in many different countries and can assist you observe the power converter yous need.

Helpful Hint: Bank check with your hotel to meet if they provide power converters in the hotel rooms.

If the merely things yous plan to plug in on your travels are cells phones, laptops, etc, yous might not need a power converter. Most device chargers accept dual voltage capabilities, pregnant they'll piece of work fine at college voltages. Check the small print on your charger and you'll likely see something like this: "Input 100 – 240V, fifty – 60 Hz." That means that charger is compatible with higher voltages, and then y'all shouldn't demand a power converter. Yet, you may nonetheless need a plug adaptor to make sure your plug will fit the sockets in the country you're visiting. Bank check with your hotel or accommodations for more info on what they recommend.

Should I exchange coin in advance?

You may wonder if you should exchange money before yous travel internationally, and how much. This will vary depending on your destination. If credit cards are widely accepted at your destination, you'll usually get the best exchange rate by using cards instead of cash. But be sure to tell the merchant you will pay in local currency; that means the credit carte company sets the substitution rate. If y'all tell the merchant you'll utilize your credit carte du jour and pay in U.S. currency, the merchant chooses the exchange charge per unit.

Helpful Hint: Cheque with your credit card company to brand sure they exercise not accuse a foreign transaction fee. Many do not, but some cards all the same do, and if your carte does you may end up with lots of actress fees!

Y'all'll likely want to carry some small bills in cash. Practise an internet search before you get to find out if the country you are visiting generally accepts U.S. dollars. If they do, yous tin can travel with some U.S. cash and use it for pocket-size purchases. You lot'll often receive local currency as alter, which you tin can employ for tips, souvenir purchases etc. If the country yous are visiting does not have U.S. dollars, you'll be able to commutation some money at the airport, although you'll likely get a improve rate at a local banking concern.

How exercise I figure out where to stay/what to exercise, etc?

These days it's easy to observe information online about hotels, condos, activities, etc. In fact, there's so much information that it tin can be overwhelming. Even though you can become lots of info online for costless, it can be helpful to purchase a travel book about the country yous're interested in visiting. That'south considering books are organized and generally very good at giving an overview of an entire land or area, while the internet is kind of a complimentary-for-all. A book can help you get familiar with the geography of your destination, which will make it easier to decide what general areas y'all'd like to visit. It tin too give you actually comprehensive information that you might miss if you merely rely on online searches.

Once yous have a skillful overview of where you'd like to visit, online research can exist super helpful. Specifically, read reviews. You can find online reviews for just most annihilation these days! I similar TripAdvisor – you tin observe reviews for hotels, beaches, excursions, restaurants, etc. You'll frequently get more information from other travelers' reviews than you can find on websites for some places you'd similar to visit. And you'll oftentimes be able to read reviews from just days previous, meaning y'all are getting updated information.

We oft volume condos through VRBO, Homeaway, or AirBNB. I LOVE that you lot tin can read reviews for each identify you're considering. Reviews volition oftentimes tell you whether the condo comes stocked with embankment gear and how well the air conditioning works, every bit well as how like shooting fish in a barrel the owner was to work with, where you can park, how far the condo is from local sights, etc.

Helpful Hint: Remember that in the U.S. we are really accustomed to air conditioning, merely it is not as mutual in other parts of the world! If having AC is important to you, be sure to verify that the identify yous stay actually has it, and cheque to run across whether it is central air that volition cool the unabridged place or simply a window unit of measurement that may only cool one room.

Helpful Hint: When reading reviews, don't fall into the rabbit pigsty. Past that I mean don't feel like yous demand to read every 1 of the 1453 reviews on the hotel you're considering. Also, don't believe every single affair every unmarried person says (some people will complain about annihilation). Just await through the almost recent couple of pages to get a full general feel for other travelers' experiences.

Obviously this doesn't cover everything yous demand to consider when traveling outside the United States, only this should cover some of the virtually frequently asked questions. If you have more tips for international travel, I'd honey for you to leave them in the comments – thanks!

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