Compared to traveling in the States, traveling overseas is an entirely new experience. When you travel in the United States, even if it’s to Guam or to the Dominican Republic, you do not need to get a visa or have your United States passport to board a flight. If you decide on traveling overseas, you must plan appropriately in order to prevent any disastrous interruptions from ruining your business trip or vacation.

Pre-Flight Arrangements

Prevent headaches and plan your trip out well before you board the flight. Tourists should schedule what locations they want to visit, arrange meetings with any travel guides and purchase any language dictionaries necessary. If you travel without a guide, make sure you have a grasp of major words and signs in order to communicate, because the last thing you want is to upset someone or step into the wrong restroom. Regular language-translation dictionaries should instruct you in the necessary words and maybe even standard driving signs. If you decide not to use traveler’s checks, you can still make purchases with your credit card overseas, but you must remember to talk to your credit card company in order to prevent your cards from being declined. For foreign travelers, these pre-flight arrangements will save money and time, and spare them multiple issues while overseas.

Ordering your Passport

US passports require time to arrive, and if your passports are close to expiring, you must renew them. A usual mistake that individuals will commit is they will have a valid passport when they exit the United States, but as they attempt to fly back, their passports will have expired, causing a major disruption. An expired passport while in a foreign country can cause fines and jail time, so save yourself the headache and plan accordingly. You will also have to place an order for your passport on time as processing and shipping times take a few weeks. Do not expect to receive your passport overnight, as standard processing duration for a passport is 4 to 6 weeks, while expedite processing is 2 to 3 weeks. Do not hold off ordering your passport until the last second and be forced to change your flight dates and times because it did not arrive; just get a passport at least 2 months ahead of time.

Visa Requirements 

It is necessary to not forget that visa laws are always changing. It is necessary to visit the official website of the country you plan on visiting to learn about all the changes to visa laws and what type of visa you must have in order to travel within the country.

For instance, when using Russian visas, you do not need to speak with a representative from the local police station as you would with a Chinese visa.