Successful Trip Preparation: Documents and Money
By Vera Lopez
One of the most important parts of a successful trip is having the right documents with you, and enough money of the right currency to purchase whatever you may need or desire.
Passport
When it comes to document basics, all international travel requires a passport – no if’s, and’s, or buts! It’s imperative that your passport be up-to-date and not expire within the next 6 months. Please look at your passport and check the expiration date. If you need a new passport – or if you’ve never had one before, you can go to your local post office and get an application there, assuming you are a US citizen. You can also obtain one by applying online on the US Department of State’s passport page which is much easier.
In general, we highly recommend obtaining an expedited passport just to make sure you get your passport in time for your trip. If the passport office is backed up, this may jeopardize your trip. Of course every country has it’s own rules and you must comply with them – for example, in England you must go to the Identity and Passport Serviceand in Australia it’s the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
We highly recommend that you have a copy or two of your current passport with you, packed in different bags. If by some chance your documents are stolen while traveling, you’ll be able to get a temporary passport much more easily. U.S. embassies and consulates will continue to issue passports that are needed for urgent travel – however, such passports will be limited in validity, and cannot be extended. Bearers will be required to exchange, at no additional cost, their limited-validity passports for a full-validity digitized passports upon completion of their urgent travel. In addition, if you make note of the locations of the Embassies, Consulates, and/or Diplomatic Missions of the countries you are flying through – that will be very helpful if you do have your passport stolen or lost along the way.
Travel Visa
There are times when you’re going to have to apply for a visa to be able to enter certain countries. If you are a US citizen you can go to the US Department of State’s visa page and clearly see what the visa requirements are. When we travel to certain countries we are often able to get visas for everyone – we will be sure to advise you if this is the case (it depends on your citizenship).
Before we plan any trip – we are very diligent and we do check with the Department of State to see the current warnings and travel alerts. Please know that there is a difference between a warning and an alert and we do take this into consideration in our trip planning.
For a Brazilian Visa you can contact Tania for a more personalized service.
Tania Py
Brazil Visa Center
323-265-1997
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.brazilvisacenter.com
Money and Currency Exchange
It really helps to know before you get on your plane what the currency system is in the country you are traveling to. That way, when you are awake and aware you can memorize the conversion and not feel uncomfortable while making a purchase. My favorite currency exchange website is the XE-Currency Exchange.
Purchasing foreign currency before your trip eliminates waiting in long lines at currency counters and avoids the inflated exchange rates offered in hotels, airports and banks. With eZforex you can select from over 105 foreign currencies delivered securely and conveniently to your home or office. You can purchase up to $2,500 USD of most foreign currencies and return any amount at the same exchange rate as originally purchased – which is a pretty good deal. After you’ve returned, simply return your unused foreign currency to eZforex. Within two days, they’ll process your refund at the exact exchange rate when purchased. That’s correct! eZforex will process your refund based on what you’ve paid. They offer:
•One-stop Shopping – eZforex simplifies your shopping experience by offering over 125 foreign currencies delivered securely via UPS to your home or office
•No Hidden Fees – You only pay the current exchange rate plus shipping
•Delivery – Once the payment clears, the order is shipped for the next business day delivery
•They Notify You – eZforex places a courtesy call and send an email to alert your order is on the way
Wishing you safe and happy travels!
Passport
When it comes to document basics, all international travel requires a passport – no if’s, and’s, or buts! It’s imperative that your passport be up-to-date and not expire within the next 6 months. Please look at your passport and check the expiration date. If you need a new passport – or if you’ve never had one before, you can go to your local post office and get an application there, assuming you are a US citizen. You can also obtain one by applying online on the US Department of State’s passport page which is much easier.
In general, we highly recommend obtaining an expedited passport just to make sure you get your passport in time for your trip. If the passport office is backed up, this may jeopardize your trip. Of course every country has it’s own rules and you must comply with them – for example, in England you must go to the Identity and Passport Serviceand in Australia it’s the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
We highly recommend that you have a copy or two of your current passport with you, packed in different bags. If by some chance your documents are stolen while traveling, you’ll be able to get a temporary passport much more easily. U.S. embassies and consulates will continue to issue passports that are needed for urgent travel – however, such passports will be limited in validity, and cannot be extended. Bearers will be required to exchange, at no additional cost, their limited-validity passports for a full-validity digitized passports upon completion of their urgent travel. In addition, if you make note of the locations of the Embassies, Consulates, and/or Diplomatic Missions of the countries you are flying through – that will be very helpful if you do have your passport stolen or lost along the way.
Travel Visa
There are times when you’re going to have to apply for a visa to be able to enter certain countries. If you are a US citizen you can go to the US Department of State’s visa page and clearly see what the visa requirements are. When we travel to certain countries we are often able to get visas for everyone – we will be sure to advise you if this is the case (it depends on your citizenship).
Before we plan any trip – we are very diligent and we do check with the Department of State to see the current warnings and travel alerts. Please know that there is a difference between a warning and an alert and we do take this into consideration in our trip planning.
For a Brazilian Visa you can contact Tania for a more personalized service.
Tania Py
Brazil Visa Center
323-265-1997
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.brazilvisacenter.com
Money and Currency Exchange
It really helps to know before you get on your plane what the currency system is in the country you are traveling to. That way, when you are awake and aware you can memorize the conversion and not feel uncomfortable while making a purchase. My favorite currency exchange website is the XE-Currency Exchange.
Purchasing foreign currency before your trip eliminates waiting in long lines at currency counters and avoids the inflated exchange rates offered in hotels, airports and banks. With eZforex you can select from over 105 foreign currencies delivered securely and conveniently to your home or office. You can purchase up to $2,500 USD of most foreign currencies and return any amount at the same exchange rate as originally purchased – which is a pretty good deal. After you’ve returned, simply return your unused foreign currency to eZforex. Within two days, they’ll process your refund at the exact exchange rate when purchased. That’s correct! eZforex will process your refund based on what you’ve paid. They offer:
•One-stop Shopping – eZforex simplifies your shopping experience by offering over 125 foreign currencies delivered securely via UPS to your home or office
•No Hidden Fees – You only pay the current exchange rate plus shipping
•Delivery – Once the payment clears, the order is shipped for the next business day delivery
•They Notify You – eZforex places a courtesy call and send an email to alert your order is on the way
Wishing you safe and happy travels!