Preparations
...It's an intoxicating feeling, knowing that you're able to go wherever you'd like at a moments notice. The overall freedom to just hop on a plan and go, is amazing...
Reading through visa requirements for Latin America I was pleased to learn that, for the most part, I did not require any form of visa for short term (30-90 day) stays. Though, as I merrily read through the requirements for entry into the countries, something in particular did catch my eye:
"Passport or proof of U.S. citizenship and photo ID, tourist card or visa, proof of sufficient funds, and onward/return ticket required."
Let's list each requirement:
Passport= Check
Proof Of citizenship= Check
Sufficient funds= Check
Proof of onward ticket=............. OH, NO! How am I going to tour Latin America when they require proof of a return ticket?!!!!-...
For those who aren't aware, my sister is a pilot. And I, I've been the lucky person who receives her flight benefits. As you might imagine, there really aren't many cons to being the recipient of such benefits. But, one in particular is that I have to fly standby and, always fly ticketless- my ticket is not actually given to me until 10 - 40 minutes prior to me boarding a flight.
Learning of this onward ticket requirement added a small kink into my travel itinerary. That is, until I came up with an idea... Buy a fully refundable ticket; choose a particular location and departure date that's wayyyyyyy into the future; use this as proof of onward passage; and then cancel the flight after my Central American trip!
$965 later and, a little ingenuity, and my calamity was solved.
Reading through visa requirements for Latin America I was pleased to learn that, for the most part, I did not require any form of visa for short term (30-90 day) stays. Though, as I merrily read through the requirements for entry into the countries, something in particular did catch my eye:
"Passport or proof of U.S. citizenship and photo ID, tourist card or visa, proof of sufficient funds, and onward/return ticket required."
Let's list each requirement:
Passport= Check
Proof Of citizenship= Check
Sufficient funds= Check
Proof of onward ticket=............. OH, NO! How am I going to tour Latin America when they require proof of a return ticket?!!!!-...
For those who aren't aware, my sister is a pilot. And I, I've been the lucky person who receives her flight benefits. As you might imagine, there really aren't many cons to being the recipient of such benefits. But, one in particular is that I have to fly standby and, always fly ticketless- my ticket is not actually given to me until 10 - 40 minutes prior to me boarding a flight.
Learning of this onward ticket requirement added a small kink into my travel itinerary. That is, until I came up with an idea... Buy a fully refundable ticket; choose a particular location and departure date that's wayyyyyyy into the future; use this as proof of onward passage; and then cancel the flight after my Central American trip!
$965 later and, a little ingenuity, and my calamity was solved.
posted by Arin | 10:18 PM
1 Comments:
Way to go Arin. Sorry I'm a bit late in reading your blog. I just got it from Anne today (Aug. 18, 2005). I called her to say Hi. If you are planning to go to China my brother in-law is in Nanjing. He works at Johns Hopkins Center in Nanjing. Email is jonathankeller@hotmail.com. Take care and be safe...-Raul
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