Countries with Hard-to-Get Visas for Americans

If you are planning to travel abroad and explore what’s beyond your time zone and demographics, the first things you need to comply with are your visa and passport. You can personally go through the tedious and daunting application process or you can find online visa service providers to do the difficult tasks for you. These companies can also help you pinpoint the countries where visas are specifically hard to get for Americans. If you deal with the right visa or passport application services, you just might secure that much-coveted requirement for entry to these countries:

Cuba

Although with a close proximity to the United States, Cuba is deemed so close yet so tricky to enter for Americans. The truth is that the Cuban government is quite open to American tourists. It is the U.S. government that does not allow its citizens to visit Cuba strictly for tourism purposes. The State Department is quite stringent in their visa requirements especially if your destination is any of the remarkable places in Cuba such as the famous Varadero Beach. Cuba does have their popular free universal health care and other baits for tourists but Americans need to have purposes other than tourism to secure a permission to set foot on Cuban soil.

Libya

Due to the civic issues and security concerns in the country, Libya is even much stricter in issuing visas to American tourists. The Libyan government has, in fact, issued visas to Americans since June of 2010. However, despite allowing Americans to visit, the process of getting approved from the embassy is a daunting and painstaking journey.  American travelers would have to hurdle tons of requirements and difficulties before they can have that sought-after visa. Americans that have dual citizenship and would use their non-US status to secure a visa to enter Libya are in even much deeper trouble because when discovered, imprisonment is one of the penalties to face.

North Korea

Aside from the obvious reason that the country does not have their embassy in practically any parts of the globe, North Korea is quite difficult to visit because visa application process is quite lengthy. Although Americans may visit North Korea, getting your visa approved is long and difficult, not to mention a sanctioned guide will be virtually accompanying you at all times once you are on North Korean soil. Your sanctioned guide will be the one who’s in deep trouble in case you want to venture off the beaten path to sightsee. Book your tour to the country and have your visa submitted for approval but make sure you use a trusted online visa service for a risk-free and time-saving application process.

Saudi Arabia

Yes, Saudi Arabia Visa is in the list. American tourists are up for a long and overly stringent visa application if they choose to visit and explore the Desert Kingdom. All visa applicants must comply with the needed requirements particularly a local sponsor and several months of preparing for the application and waiting for it to be approved. Your passport must not also have an Israeli stamp on it if you don’t want to jeopardize your trip and say goodbye to an adventure in this interesting kingdom in the Middle East.

Iraq

Another destination in the Middle East also requires a hard-to-get visa but it’s worth the shot especially if you want to see the exotic and beautiful scenic spots in the country. The Iraqi embassy should basically grant you a visa first which you can get in Washington. However, if you don’t have the time, you can always get assistance from online visa service providers. Other requirements include a valid passport that is still validated for 6 months. You may also get an Entry Visa Approval Memorandum which could be obtained through the Interior Residency Office. US tourists must also willingly submit to a mandatory blood test upon entry in the country.

A lot of countries are welcoming to American tourists with easy to get visas or no visa requirements at all. Hire an established and trusted online visa service company if you are adventurous enough to visit the countries on this list.

Save

Save

Save

The post The Most Difficult Countries to Get Visas for Americans appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

When I was renting car in Europe, US or Canada, I never did think or care how much fuel I can fill into car tank. Usually was no problem to find gas station near by. But it didn’t work in this case. Thought I was renting smallest campervan it still was using about 15 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers and with 55 liters tank I could drive maximum 370 kilometers (230 miles). It meant I needed to stop at every road house for refueling and I had carefully to check any side trips I wanted to take. Did I have enough fuel to get back on road.

When you know your tank capacity and how much fuel your car uses per 100 kilometers or miles it is easy to calculate an distance you can drive. But I created this calculator to make it even more easier.

Rental companies provides all data you need to calculate it and it is important to know how far you can go with your car in such remote places. It makes you to look to your road trip planning with different approach. Can you reach every place with your car without auxiliary fuel tank. I hope this calculator will help you with your next road trip planning in Australia.

Save

The post Gas mileage calculator for travelers appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

There are two main ways to make sure you get a good price. You can book early with a holiday company who offer early bird deals for those organised enough to be booking their holiday in October for the previous summer, or you can leave it to the week before to book and secure a great price by taking what’s available at the last minute.

The great thing about leaving everything to the last minute is that it adds to the excitement. You can also do a long range weather forecast to make sure that you’re not about to book yourself somewhere to stay if it’s going to rain all week. And with the stupendous choice of cheap flights around, you can choose to go somewhere that you might not necessarily have chosen if you were paying the full price.

However, by adopting this approach, you do risk having limited choices on where you might go. But bargain holidays can often end up being the best experiences, especially if you are going to a place that you’ve never visited before. As you don’t spend so much on the holiday, your expectations tend not to be so high, so when you end up having a fantastic time, it’s that much sweeter than if you had paid a lot for it.

Another way to keep holiday prices cheap is to choose your accommodation carefully. Even if you only eat breakfast in every day and still eat out for your main meals, you’ll reduce the overall cost of your holiday. And you could just as easily eat in for most of your meals, as long as you have a small kitchenette in the apartment. However, with many of the holiday companies offering all-inclusive deals on complete holidays, sometimes this is the cheapest option open to you. And it saves the hassle of having to cook while you’re supposed to be putting your feet up and relaxing!

Unless you enjoy your home comforts when you’re holidaying, another way of drastically reducing your holiday costs is to opt for a hostel. Hostels often get a bad reputation and many people don’t even consider them when planning their holiday. However, hostels have really improved in recent years. If the thought of spending the night in a dorm full of bunk beds doesn’t appeal to you, many hostels offer private and double bedrooms for that extra privacy. Many hostels include breakfast and, if your hostel has cooking facilities, you can eat very cheaply by preparing your own meals. Some hostels even have Jacuzzis and swimming pools! The great thing about this type of accommodation is that there’s always the opportunity to meet new people if you choose and hostels generally have a wealth of information available when it comes to planning your daily activities.

In terms of sightseeing forward planning is again a good idea. It’s always nice to wander around a new place and see what you discover but, if you know you are a fan of museums for example, check the tourist information office to see if you can purchase a discounted ticket that covers all the museums in the area or may be you even will get a list of free museums. Of course, there’s usually a variety of activities you can do that won’t cost a penny!

The best policy is to decide what kind of holiday you’re after and then how flexible you are about location and accommodation. Then it’s down to lots of internet searches until you find your ideal holiday at a price you like!

The post How to reduce your holiday costs appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

ATOL was first introduced in 1973, but in recent years, there have been significant changes in the way that holidays are sold. Principally as a result of the Internet. As regulations were written prior to these develompents it has led to confusion for both consumers and the industry, as such changes were needed to bring ATOL into line with recent changes to holiday booking processes. As a result, changes were made to the ATOL scheme in April 2012

ATOL provides financial protection for consumers in the event of their ATOL holder going out of business, however, the number of holidaymakers that are ATOL protected has reduced considerably in the last few years due to changes in the ways holidays are sold. The ATOL reform is intended to ensure that more air holidays are financially protected.

A certificate will be provided at the time you book your holiday, this will detail whether your booking is a package, flight only, or flight plus. You will also see specific details about your booking on the certificate, for example the number of people travelling, flight details etc.

On the CCA website you can check an ATOL of a company against their database.

Wanderforth provided very nice infographics below to make it easer understand how it ATOL works:

The post ATOL reform appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

Easier said than done? Not really. With a little advance planning, travelling can be made easy.

Stay in a nearby hotel so you don’t miss your flight! There’s nothing worse than waking up on the morning of your flight, with suitcases not completely packed and your passport somewhere in the kitchen drawers. Trying to rally the troops can be a stressful time so why put yourself through it? Get everything packed up and ready to go the day before; put your important documents safely in your hand luggage and book you and your brood into an airport hotel for the night. If you’re flying from Heathrow, the airport hotel offers good sized family rooms at affordable prices, meaning you can start your holiday on a chilled note.

On the morning of your flight, hop on the shuttle service which will take you directly to Departures. How easy is that? No need for car parking at the airport, no need for rushing furiously to get there on time. Just let the shuttle service do the work for you. With the hotel’s Wi-Fi, why not check in online? Save the hassle of the queues at the check-in desk and do it in advance. On the day, just drop your luggage at the baggage drop and off you go. All you have to do is float through security and kick back in the departure lounge.

Before the day, be sure to check all the important documents. Can you imagine finding that your child has an out of date passport that you have forgotten to renew, the day before your holiday? The sheer thought of venturing to London to get a fast track passport is enough to send anyone into a panic. A little forethought will eliminate the risk – just keep track of the expiry dates. Remember, a child’s passport is only valid for 5 years, so you have to get them renewed more often than your own.

For the onboard journey, be sure you have enough to keep the young ones happy. Everyone who is occupying a paid seat has hand luggage allowance – use it. The fabulous children’s suitcase, the  Trunki, is conveniently sized to count as hand baggage and can be filled with all manner of toys, games and books to make the flight a little easier. Stock up on goodies before you reach the airport to save your cash.

With the seasons changing and winter on our doorsteps, why shouldn’t you escape for a while with the children? From winter sun to an outdoor holiday in the mountains, enjoy a family holiday without any stress.

The post Travelling with the Kids: Keep the Stress at Bay appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

The post What is best time go to … appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

The post Create your dream adventure appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.

Even identically named holidays can happen not on the same day. Like New Year celebration in most countries is on 1st of January, but Chinese New Year is on February 14th, 2010 and date is different each year. In most countries Christmas Day is on 25th of December, but orthodox celebrate it on 7th of January. Thanksgiving in US is on fourth Thursday in November, but in Canada – on on the second Monday in October. This list is almost endless, as even in different states or provinces of the same country holidays can be on different days. For example Labour Day in Australia in 2010 – on March 1st in WA, but on March 8th in VIC and TAS. Probably on any day of year it is possible to find country which has holiday on that day.

Personally I prefer not to travel on such days (local holidays is exception). Not only because it is more difficult to find accommodation and it is expensive, but also grocery shops, gas stations are closed earlier or totally closed during these days, national parks are getting crowded. It easy avoid these days by looking to calendar and here is starting point with listing of public holidays in different countries.

The post Trip planning. Check public holidays appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.