PASSPORT TIPS
- PASSPORTS EXPIRE WITHIN 6 MONTHS: many countries will not allow you into their country if your passport expires within 6 months. (Bahamas, Turkey, Thailand and Vietnam are a few examples).
- BLANK PAGES: Some countries require you to have more than one blank page in your passport (Mexico, Canada, Germany and the UK) and some require more that 2 blank pages (such as Iceland, Italy, Singapore and Sweden).
- ISRAEL STAMP: Some countries will not let you in if they see your passport has been stamped in Israel (Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Sudan). Depending on the customs officials, Israel may stamp your passport on a separate form just make sure to ask.
- DAMAGED or WORN: Worn or crinkled passports are not allowed in come countries. Countries may prohibit entry or exit if your passport looks damaged or worn. Sometimes lamination will lift off the corner of a passport, this could make an immigration officer feel that you may have replaced the photograph or information with someone else’s photo. Protect your passport in a waterproof case.
- COPIES: make sure to make a copy of your passport and keep it separate from the original passport. This way if your passport is lost or stolen, you have a copy and it will be easier to prove your citizenship when you go to the US embassy for help. Even better is to sign up for a free Dropbox.com account and keep your copies in the cloud on the Internet. This way if both copies are lost, you still have another backup.
A COUPLE OF OTHER TIPS that go along with a passport:
- VISA: know exactly how many days before your visa expires. In the Bahamas it is 28 days. Visit visahq.com for details on most countries.
- ONE-WAY TICKETS: Keep in mind most countries need to see proof that you booked a ticket out of their country. I have a house in the Bahamas so I never know when I will be coming back. In that case, I have to book a ticket for the day of travel and then use the airlines 24 hour cancellation policy to cancel the ticket just to show I have a ticket out of the Bahamas.
CURRENCY
CREDIT CARDS:
It’s important when choosing a credit card that you make sure to read all of the benefits they offer.
- TAKE TWO: Make sure to take a minimum of two credit cards with you on your trip. Sometimes while traveling credit card companies will shut off your card thinking they see suspicious charges. Make sure to call your credit card company before you leave to tell them in which countries you will be making charges. However, this does not guarantee that they still won’t shut off your card.
- TRAVEL INSURANCE: Some credit cards offer built in travel insurance if you purchase your tickets with their credit card. I have included a section about travel insurance at the bottom of this page in case your credit card doesn’t offer insurance. Click here for more trip insurance tips. The types of insurance credit cards tend to cover can range from:
- lost/damaged/ or delayed baggage
- delayed/ cancelled or interrupted trip reimbursement
- Rental car coverage
- Medical evacuation and travel accident insurance
- Medical and dental protection
- EXCHANGE RATE: You may be asked if you’d like to pay in US dollars or the local currency. Ninety-nine percent of the time paying in the local currency will have a better exchange rate. Some credit cards offer you the lowest exchange rates within the month of purchase. Others offer no foreign transaction fees.
- EARN MILES: Many credit cards let you earn dollars off your next flight with each dollar you charge to the credit card.
- FIRST BAG CHECKED FREE: You can check your first bag free with some credit cards.
- PRIORITY BOARDING: Priority boarding is another perk some credit cards offer.
CASH:
Some countries do not accept credit cards (such as Cuba), so you want to make sure you have a means to obtain local currency. Typically finer hotels, banks, airports and money exchanges can exchange your dollars for local currency. It is best to obtain local currency prior to leaving your home if at all possible. This way if you land in a location where you cannot exchange your currency, you will have something to pay with.
One of my friends arrived late to an airport and everything was closed. She had no currency and the country did not accept credit cards. Instead of being able to take a taxi to her hotel, she ended up sleeping in the airport until it opened in the morning. Her hotel would not cancel her stay at such a late date so even though she did not stay at the hotel, she still had to pay for the missed night.
It’s always better to change your money back to US dollars (or your country’s currency) before you leave a foreign country. For example, in the USA, there is no place to change Cuban pesos back to US dollars (this includes banks). So unless you like to keep Cuban pesos as a souvenir, exchange them back prior to leaving that foreign country.