Feature photo by Kai Hendry. Photo above by betta design.

While I was on safari in game reserves all over Kenya, I was informed by my tour operator that my visa for India (which she had kindly offered to procure for me in Nairobi ) was ready, and I was all set to catch my cheap flight from the UAE to southern India.

Two rude surprises greeted me in the capital after my return however. One was a bill for $60.00 in taxi fares for repeated trips to the embassy’s consular section (which for some reason took 11 days to issue a $75.00 visa that should have been granted in 28 hours).

The second was far worse: an ominous rubber-stamped notice appearing at the bottom of the pasted-in visa:

Possession of a valid yellow fever certificate is necessary for entry into India on this visa.

With no time to do anything about this obstacle before my flight took off from Nairobi, I did the only thing possible under the circumstances: I panicked.

Then I convinced myself I could talk my way into India without getting the certificate. I decided I would try and get the certificate during my morning layover to change planes in Dubai.

English is widely spoken among the Indian medical personnel that staff most of the UAE’s hospitals, and luckily I was able to obtain my proof of vaccination with plenty of time to spare to catch my $160 flight from Sharjah to Kochi.

But since the shot costs $50, I ended up being penalized a total of about $125 for getting my visa in Nairobi instead of the U.S. The lessons learned from my brush with near-disaster are what follows:

Photo by Jeffrey Beall.

1. Plan way ahead!

It is important to know the visa requirements of all the countries you intend to visit on your trip outside your country. American citizens will be happy to know your tax dollars are at least paying for a good resource where you can find this out (and rightly so, since it is your U.S. passport, issued by your government, that determines what visas you will need).

This page will also let you know about any travel advisories (warnings about unrest where you are traveling, etc.) and immunization requirements.

2. Be ready to pay up front.

Americans have been quite spoiled, since there are agreements with so many countries that require either no visa at all, or allow you obtain one on arrival at your destination (such as the airport in Nairobi, Kenya, for example).

Still, quite a few want their visa money up front: India, which charges a basic fee of $73 for U.S. passport holders, is a prime example. (This is for a six-month visa; longer ones, or multiple entry ones, cost more.)

3. Study every detail of the visa requirements.

Photo by wallyg.

Your passport may need to have at least six months’ validity remaining before it expires; or you may be required to have two completely blank facing visa pages in your passport.

Case in point: I once saw a couple denied boarding on a SAA flight to South Africa because the check-in clerk noticed their two empty pages were not facing each other; it made no difference that the South African visa only took up one page!

Some countries, notably Brazil, have started to retaliate against U.S. citizens to protest what they consider unfair treatment of their own citizens.

Brazil officially insists that there is no fee for a tourist visa for U.S. citizens, but their website also says: “American citizens must pay US$130.00 processing fee per visa in reciprocity for an identical fee charged to Brazilian citizens applying for a U.S. visa.”

4. Get your visas lined up before you go.

Obtaining visas in the U.S. is usually more straightforward than in other countries. They are more likely, for example, to have reliable office hours. (When I was in Kenya, the Indian consulate in Nairobi suddenly simply stopped processing visas for a couple of days; during Semana Santa in Latin America visa sections may close for a whole week.)

Even in the U.S., getting a visa can take a while. In a big city like Los Angeles, for example, India requires that your passport be mailed to their office in San Francisco; you have to wait for it via return mail. That is the reason I never got mine in the U.S.; I did not want to be without my passport for that long.

If you are in a big hurry, there are travel document services that can get you visas on an expedited basis – usually for a hefty fee. And as I found out in Nairobi, even a “free” service can end up being expensive, if the expenses add up. So the advice bears repeating: get your visa in a first world country, and do it yourself.

Photo by TangoPango.

5. Make sure your medical travel documents are in order.

With smallpox now eradicated, cholera off the International Health Regulations list for some time, and most other immunizations a matter of personal choice, really the only one that matters is yellow fever. But it can be a big hassle.

As I discovered, it makes no difference whether you have been in a geographical area with yellow fever or not: Kenya – as is most of sub-Saharan Africa, and some of South America – is on a list of nations designated by India and many other countries as requiring proof of yellow fever inoculation in order to be permitted entry.

In fact, even if the proviso is not stamped in your passport, you can be denied entry: had I had an Indian visa issued in the U.S., for example, and flown into India directly from Kenya, I still could have been denied entry.

Moreover, the taboo list can extend back a few months. You know that question on customs and immigration forms innocently asking which countries you have visited on your current trip? If you naively put down Kenya or Uganda or anther suspect country, you could conceivably find yourself in a sudden heap of trouble.

My advice? If you have Africa or South America on your travel radar (even though Asia has similar climate zones, it seems to be immune), get a yellow fever shot from a duly authorized immunization center when it is convenient for you. The good news is that the official World Health Organization International Certificate of Vaccinations is valid for 10 years.

So even though the seemingly high price of $50 for one measly shot seems to be standard the world over, the amortization rate (only $5 a year) is favorable. And they throw in the yellow (coincidence?) “medical passport” for free!

Feature photo by angela7 Photo by wili

Common scams / scam-artists and how to recognize them

Unofficial “Moneychangers”

Changing money is an activity that should be confined to banks and licensed establishments, or ATMs, which will dispense cash in local currency. Avoid moneychangers who approach you on the street or in terminals promising you a better rate; these guys are skilled at counting out money and then palming some of it back as you conclude the exchange.

Finally, if you must transact business with these people, do it at a table or other surface where the money can be counted out into visible piles. Be prepared for them to balk at this suggestion.

Shortchanging

The most common scam is shortchanging, because it takes advantage of foreigners’ inferior knowledge of the language, abetted by lack of familiarity with the local currency. It works on every level, from cheating backpackers to fleecing the rich.

I knew one French traveler who financed his trips by routinely shortchanging drivers from the UK when collecting tolls in Calais. Take your tine and count your change carefully before walking away from the cash register.

The Bus Ticket Switch

A bit more sophisticated than the wrong change con is the bus ticket switch: you pay for a round-trip ticket but are given a one-way ticket. The first way to avoid this is to get to the station in plenty of time so you’re not rushing to buy a ticket and running to catch a departing bus. Secondly, as above, get into the habit of counting your change slowly and out loud after this (and every) transaction.

If you are victimized, don’t be shy about approaching the police, especially if the country has a Tourism Police Force (as Honduras does). Just be aware that following through could cut into your travel time.

The “Friendly” Local

Be slightly wary of friendly people who offer to be your guide. This is a tricky situation, because some of your best travel experiences can be spending time with local people.

If they suggest going to a restaurant, be prepared either to pay for them or explain that you can not afford a restaurant but you’d like to buy them a cup of coffee, or a beer, etc. If they offer to take you somewhere in a taxi, use your best judgment in deciding how far it is and if it is worth your time and money to go there (and back). If they’re genuine, you can always beg off and say you’ll meet them there the next day.

One of the best ways to prepare for these eventualities is to carry small souvenirs of your home city or country that you can dispense as little thank-you gifts to all sorts of people who show you kindnesses.

Taxis

Watch out when taking taxis. If there is a meter, insist on using it. If not, or if it is “broken,” negotiate an agreed fare in advance. It is inevitable that once in a while you will fall victim to an unscrupulous driver who takes the long way or pulls something else.

Border crossings call for extra caution: buses are preferable to taking taxis; some taxi drivers have been known to rip foreigners off by taking them to fake checkpoints, or to lie about border crossing hours of operation in order to snag an extra fare late in the day.

Photo by -just-jen-

How to avoid getting scammed, or at least deal with it

1. Nothing takes the place of preparation.

I learned this from legendary basketball coach John Wooden, and it applies to every stage of life: school, work, marriage and of course, travel.

In the context of travel, preparation includes studying maps, routes, guidebooks and all other materials that give you as clear a picture as possible about traveling from Point A to Point B, as well as stopovers in between.

Remember that maps can be deceiving if you fail to factor in topography: what looks like a short city walk can take forever if it involves climbing a steep hill; differences in altitude between cities can mean tremendous variations in temperature. I remember a long, freezing night in a bus because I failed to take altitude change into account.

And remember that while maps indicate roads, they generally won’t tell you the bus routes that travel those roads, or give you information about border crossing points. If using public transportation, it is important to check and coordinate schedules as well. Getting stuck somewhere with few options makes you more vulnerable to rip-off artists.

It is always helpful to learn in advance a few words and phrases in the language of the country you are going to. This is especially the case when it comes to numbers and currency; if you have a total mental block in this regard, do what many merchants do when conducting transactions: carry a small calculator (most cellphones are equipped with them).

Finally, no matter how prepared you are, once in a while things are going to go wrong. This leads us to #2.

2. Go with the flow.

Your mental health is connected to your physical health and general well-being. One of the biggest energy drainers is ranting and fuming about things that are not under your control.

As trite as this sentiment may seem, try to make the best of a bad situation. If you are unexpectedly stuck in the same city a night longer than you’d planned and you liked the vibes in the hotel you stayed in the night before, go back and find the people you enjoyed talking to, or take the opportunity to make new friends.

Try a restaurant you didn’t have time for earlier. Or, make it a really early night and catch up on some probably much-needed extra sleep.

Meditation is a great coping mechanism when things do not go as planned. If there is anything I would do differently from when I started traveling 30 years ago, it would be to have learned to meditate much earlier than I did.

Photo by fabbio

3. Carry proper identification, backup I.D. and supporting documentation.

Make sure your passport is not only valid and legible but has at least six months left before it expires, as well as enough empty pages left to accommodate several large visa stamps. Be aware of your destination countries’ visa requirements and any other rules for entry.

Some countries have the ridiculous requirement that you must have two facing empty visa pages; I have seen people denied boarding on their flight for not having their empty pages opposite one another — even though upon arrival and departure, the immigration agents paid no attention to this detail!

Make several photocopies of your passport’s front pages, your driver’s license(s) and your credit/ATM cards. Keep one copy with you or your traveling companion (separate from the originals) and one with reliable relatives or friends at home. Scanned digital copies stored online or on a thumb drive should work just as well.

This Backup Principle applies to all sorts of situations, not just data. For example, if you need to wake up at a certain time, try to arrange a wake-up call as well as setting your alarm clock. If you’re traveling in a non-English-speaking country and you have a medical condition, carry a translation of your condition and know the generic names of any medications.

In a previous article, I wrote about the advisability of carrying a letter from your congressman or senator to present to authorities in times of need. This is less important if you are not traveling in third world countries or crossing land borders.

Still, if you are planning on spending more than a month in one particular country, it is a good idea to register with the embassy or consulate of your home country.

4. Practice money vigilance.

Just about everyone knows by now that travelers’ checks are a thing of the past; with ATMs in every country now, the new money is plastic. I am in the habit of carrying three cards: two ATM cards (stored separately on my person, with precautions taken against pickpockets) and one credit card. (One does not need two bank accounts to have two ATM cards; you can get prepaid ones these days.)

Overkill, you say? Perhaps, but consider this: aside from the threat of one being stolen, my bank once temporarily suspended my card, “for my own protection.” While I was furiously running around India trying to get a machine to cough up enough money to buy a bottle of water, a letter was sitting in my mailbox at home saying that the bank had frozen my account because it had detected “suspicious activity.”

What had set off alarm bells at the bank? Sudden ATM withdrawals (my own, needless to say) from different cities in India!

The credit card is handy for larger or unexpected purchases, like plane tickets. It is useful not only in emergencies, but if you buy a ticket from a discount operation, you can later dispute the charge if the ticket turns out to be bogus in some way.

5. Know when to travel alone, and when not to.

This rule applies to couples traveling as a single unit as much as it does to those traveling solo. There are times when even those who prefer to travel alone are well advised to seek company, especially when walking at night in an unfamiliar city.

Whenever you’re crossing borders, a busload of people is a safer bet than going alone, since there will be locals traveling as well. Moreover, it is good to have someone who might be able to carry a message for you in case your crossing is delayed for some reason or other.

On the flip side, there are occasions when you will want to experience certain things alone, or shared only with a special someone. For example, you may want to rush through a museum in order to move on to other things, while others would choose to linger.

One experience I had would never have been the same had I been even with one other person. When visiting Tikal, a gentle rainshower began to fall. The lone group of tourists there ran for shelter. Suddenly, I was left all alone in the main plaza. As the rain abated to a fine drizzle, the silent place enveloped me in a magical way.

Don’t miss: for more on travel scams, check out BNT’s Top 10 Travel Scams (And How To Avoid Them).

Photo by Andrew Miller

It has long been known that land border crossings can be anxiety-provoking affairs. I first learned this sad fact of travel life as a backpacker in the mid-1970s.

Although I had not anticipated this particular problem in advance, I found that I had stumbled on a solution when seeking a way to avoid shakedowns by Mexican police and other corrupt law enforcement personnel.

If you have never written your congressional representativebefore, on the eve of your trip is the perfect time to start.

Power Of The Pen

Your best weapon against attempts at soliciting bribes and other hassles instigated by officialdom is the power of the pen — especially when wielded by an elected representative of the superpower of the western hemisphere.

Before traveling anywhere, contact the local office of your representative in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Tell them that while you are not planning on traveling anywhere dangerous, you can never be too careful; therefore, you would like to have a letter from the office of the Congressperson requesting, akin to what it says in your passport, that the reader grant safe and secure passage to the bearer of the letter and extend every courtesy to speed the traveler on his/her way.

When you present the letter, be sure to say something like “the Congressman/woman is a friend of mine (my parents, my boss, etc.), and he/she will be notified if I am in any sort of trouble.”

In fact, if you know someone who knows the U.S. rep (or someone on his/her staff) well, ask him/her to request the letter, which can then vouch for you, the traveler, as a person of good character. Of course, if you know someone who knows your Governor or U.S. Senator, you can go with that option.

Take A Letter

Another kind of letter worth having is one from an international organization with branches in the United States and the countries you are visiting.

For example, the Sister Cities organization twins cities and towns in the United States with counterparts in other countries.

Check whether your city has such an arrangement, and have the appropriate person write you a letter of introduction to the liaison person in the foreign city you plan on visiting. If necessary, show the letter to the border official and tell him that you are expected by a very important person in his country.

This can be even more influential than the congressional letter, since the correspondence involves a local.

Be creative and obtain as many letters as possible; most people have ties to more than one city: where you grew up, went to college, where your parents are from, etc. And who knows? You might decide to look up the local Sister Cities committee and be pleasantly surprised with a warm welcome.

Work On Your Charm

Of course, it is altogether possible that with a little charm and an inexpensive gift of friendship, one can avoid either the necessity of brandishing the letters on official stationery, or at least mitigate any unpleasantness caused by having produced one or both of them.

Travel with a stash of souvenir-type gifts that you can give out as gestures of good will, or with some inexpensive electronic gadgets that appear impressive.

In the former category can be things like bottle openers, key chains or baseball caps with symbols of your home state, city or university. The latter could be items like laser pointers, calculators or digital mini-voice recorders. Don’t carry too many of any one thing, lest you be accused of trying to do business or importing commercial samples.

In an offhand way, indicate that it gives you pleasure to give gifts that are reminders of your home, or small tokens of appreciation to people that are helpful to you in your travels. You can even say something like, “I don’t know if you are permitted to take gifts in your job, but I would be pleased if you would accept this [whatever the gift is or symbolizes].”

In the case of a present that does not have an obvious connection to your city or state, you can suggest vaguely that it is manufactured by a “friend of the family.”

Keep Your Cool

I can assure you that if you keep your cool and carry yourself with confidence, you will sail through border crossings that sometimes trip up other travelers who are less prepared.

And once you have used these tips and passed your first customs-and-immigration test, you will have the tools and self-assurance to start to relax and truly enjoy your adventuresome journey.