Visas and Vaccinations

Whenever I book a ticket it usually involves the “where” and “when”, followed by a “How” to map the journey. Somewhere along the way the “who” to travel with pops up. Then finally comes the “what” else. The most important part of what else is the V thang: Visas and Vaccinations.

To get entry into most countries these days you need your passport to be valid more than 6 months, valid visa if not exempt, and an International Certificate of Vaccination (That Carte Juane or Yellow card issued by the World Health Organization).

Visa

Passport

Below is the top 30 passport ranking. Having a certain citizenship helps in the long run. The passport power rank helps you evaluate how strong your passport is and the stronger the passport the cheaper it is to travel the world as paying $40-$50 per Visa can add up in the long term.

Travel facts: All passports are categorized under 3 colors: Red, Green, and blue.

Visa Type

The visa type varies for each passport nationality and basically falls under five main categories when it comes to types of Tourist Visas shown below, some countries allow multiple methods as well:

1. Visa required prior to Arrival: These are the stricter countries that require pre-registration of your details before arrival. Visas are often stamped into your passport at the local embassy before travel. Belarus, China, Cuba, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine are good examples here.

2. eVisa/eVisitor/ETA: Some countries need digital registration to enter into a country, it is the equivalent to an ordinary sticker visa into the passport. It is all done via an official government website. When arriving at the destinations passport control, customs can see you have valid entry so they simply stamp your passport and let you pass without the need for a sticker visa. Australia and America are good examples here.

3. Visa on Arrival: : A lot of countries offer visa on arrival which you get for free or purchase at the airport. This forces the traveler to select one of the larger port of entries in the big cities so this rules out border crossing. This often results in large queues at the main airports. To avoid the queues it is wise to visit the local embassy if available to get a visa in advance stamped into the passport. It usually takes 3 days maximum for this.

4. Visa Free/Exemption: : This is when your passport nationality allows your visa free access into a country for a period of 15 days to 3 months. Dependent, Disputed or restricted territories have stricter time frames from 24 hours to unlimited. Best to check the Embassy website for the time period of free entry. Most free visas are single entry.

5. Freedom of movement: This is very common in the Schengen region where moving in the European Union is simply driving across the border or not having to bother with passport controls. Usually if you are coming from outside of Europe your passport is checked at the point of entry and stamped. This is getting stricter now after the Refuge crisis and countries in Europe are enforcing new emergency border controls. Other similar setups are the Economic Community of West African States, Trans-Tasman etc.

How do I check if I need a visa for a certain country?

Best way to start is to simply use the stand alone application below to check if you need a visa.

Visa Checker:

Any other visa tips I should know?

Remember most countries have their own government websites that one can use to pay the Embassy fees only and no third party service fees. For Example, my recent eVisa to Cambodia was done via https://www.evisa.gov.kh/ and Myanmar eVisa via http://evisa.moip.gov.mm/HowToApply.aspx. Make sure the sites are “.gov” to ensure you are at the official Government portal and not an third party agency.

Using the above sites allowed me to save approximately $120 US dollars should I have gone with a third party. Cambodia is an example of a country that offers the option of visa on arrival or eVisa.

Vaccination

While the entry restrictions are enforced mainly in African countries, some Asian countries do check this as well where the travellers agenda involves high risk areas where diseases such as yellow fever are present.

No vaccine is 100% effective, a small percentage of people are not protected after vaccination and for others the protection may wane over time. Also, some people are unable to be vaccinated due to certain conditions such as immune suppression. Maintaining immunity in those around these people protects them from disease.

Do I really need this vaccination?

Getting sick on holiday and in a foreign country is not a position you want to be in. Viral diseases spread by mosquitoes are the main worry and repellents can help but it is not 100%. I have been stuck with dengue fever for a week and that was not fun, a debilitating viral disease of the tropics, transmitted by mosquitoes, and causing sudden fever and acute pains in the joints. If I thought dengue was bad, apparently yellow fever and Malaria are a lot worse causing approximately 30k and 438k in deaths for 2015.

Do you have a vaccination card?

International Certificate of Vaccination (That Carte Juane or Yellow card issued by the World Health Organization). If yes then most of your vaccinations should be listed here so your GP knows which boost is needed. Your GP or Medical Travel center can hook you up with one if needed.

What are the Routine child Vaccines you should have?

• Hepatitis B
• Rotavirus
• DTaP
• Hib
• Pneumococcal
• Polio
• Flu
• MMR (measles-mumps-rubella )
• Chickenpox
• Hepatitis A
• Meningococcal
• HPV

What are the Routine Adult Vaccines you should get?

• Flu
• Td (Tetanus, Diphtheria)
• Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis) Boosters to prolong the effects from the child vaccination
• HPV
• Shingles
• Pneumococcal
• Meningococcal
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B

Where can I check which vaccinations I need for a certain country?

I always use this site: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/

My Doctor is prescribing me Malaria pills for my travels, what side effects should I worry about?

Mylan or Malarone are the recommended ones that do not give you hallucinations.

What precautions should I take to stay safer in addition to vaccines?

Eat and drink safely: Street vendors, salads in any form should be a no go, and any uncooked food items. Unclean food and water can cause problems so cooked food and bottled water is the rule here. Avoid Ice made from tap water as well.

Keep away from Animals: Getting bitten by a Rabies infected animal is best avoided by staying away.

Prevent bug bites: Insect repellent is the main saviour here but there is a list of other measures including clothing, insect smoke coils, drinking apple cider vinegar with water etc..

Germs reduction: Use a hand sanitizer and try to not touch your nose, mouth, and eyes while travelling in a busy spot where your hands have touched things exposed to the wider public.

Avoid NON Sterile Equipment: No tattoos or sharing of anything that looks shady.

Avoid Sharing Bodily Fluids: Avoid saliva, blood, vomit, and semen. Use condoms for Business time if needed and just be careful around people.