Tips for First-Time Travelers

People ask me this a lot: "I love traveling, but I do not know where to go or what to do. Can you give me some tips?"

I have a whole lot of places to suggest, depending on whether you love architecture, mountains, rivers and nature, modern, medieval or political history, empires and civilizations, or the best infrastructure, like trains. Not sure where to go?

I always encourage my friends to travel the world. One friend has an American passport and has never used it. He did not have a passport at first, so we pushed him: at least get your passport, and be proud that you have an American one. He got it, but did not travel anywhere. Then we pushed him to renew it. He renewed it, and still did not travel anywhere. Do not be like my friend. Here are the tips I want to share with you.

These tips come from my own travels. Rules change often, so always confirm the latest requirements on official sources before you go.

Before you go

Get a passport

The first thing: always make sure you have a passport. Some border crossings, like going over to Canada, may accept other documents depending on your citizenship and residency, so check what yours needs. For the rest of the world, you have to have a passport.

Check your passport validity

Make sure your passport is valid for at least six months, counted from the day you leave the country you are visiting, not just the day you arrive. To be on the safe side, I always say eight to nine months.

Forget about the countries: some airlines will not even give you a boarding pass if your passport has less than six months left. A few might allow more than three months, but I would doubt it. Always check your passport validity.

Check whether you need a visa, every time

Do not assume a country is visa-free for you. It might be true, but these rules change all the time, and you might have missed the news that the visa regime has changed. Sometimes it is just tit for tat between two countries, for whatever political reason. I have seen a South American country start requiring visa interviews for US citizens right after the US changed its own policy.

Always check the current rules and confirm them, based on your nationality, your citizenship and your country of residence.

When in doubt, email or call the consulate

To be official, you can email the consulate of the country you are visiting. Include your citizenship and nationality, where you live, where you are traveling from and how long you want to stay. It really matters: you might be an Indian-American or a Korean-American living in the US. You might be going to country B, living in country A, with citizenship from country C.

How long you stay matters too. Some countries allow 96 hours, or four days, visa-free, and you need to apply for a visa beforehand to stay longer. Others allow 14, 30 or 90 days. A short visit may be fine, but if you are staying longer, mention it in your email.

Make sure you contact the right consulate. Big countries like the US and Canada have several, and their work is divided by jurisdiction. Brazil, for example, has consulates in Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Florida. You can also call: I once called the consulate of Cambodia to confirm whether I needed a visa.

Visa on arrival, e-visas and online registration

Some countries give you a visa on arrival, and some ask for an e-visa. Even with a visa on arrival, some ask you to register online first. Fill it in beforehand so you do not waste time at immigration, and show them the confirmation email. These rules vary from country to country, so check them before you go.

A US, Canada or Schengen visa can open other doors

Many countries let you enter with a US, Canadian or multiple-entry Schengen visa, even if you are not a citizen of those countries. With a US visa, for example, you may be able to visit Costa Rica, Mexico or Turkey. Check whether that means visa-free entry, a visa on arrival or an e-visa.

Register with your embassy

US embassy information is really useful. Wherever you are going, say Cairo in Egypt, you can register with the US embassy: your information, that you are a US citizen and your travel dates. Always keep the embassy's contacts. If you lose your passport or anything of that sort happens, you can reach them and they will help you out.

At the border

Be ready to show a return or onward ticket

Even if you are visa-free, immigration may ask for your return ticket. Say you are arriving in Serbia, but you are not flying back to the US from there. You are moving on to Montenegro or Bosnia and Herzegovina. Then show them your plan to move on, by train, by road or by plane.

Keep the immigration slip

Most countries stamp your passport on arrival, and some do not, which is totally fine. But some also give you a small slip with your stamped passport, like the paper I-94 the United States used to hand out. That slip is very, very important while you stay, because immigration will ask for it when you leave.

It happened to me in Chile. I flew to Santiago de Chile with my family and put the slips somewhere in our bags without much thought. When we were leaving, the immigration officer asked for the slip for all of us. Luckily we had not thrown them away. It looks like a coffee shop receipt, but they told me that without it you may have to pay a fine, or even be denied entry next time. Whatever slip immigration gives you, keep it.

During your stay

Keep your currency exchange receipts

When you buy local currency, always keep the receipt. Some countries have very strict policies against black money and black-market money exchange. If the police or immigration ask where you got your money, you can show the receipt.

Keep your passport and money with you, always

You will get used to it as you travel, but a place the locals feel is safe may not feel safe to a visitor. Beyond your physical safety, wherever you stay, in a hotel, an Airbnb or anywhere else, keep your passport, or at least a passport copy, and your money with you all the time. At a museum, out for dinner, 24 hours a day. If something is stolen from your room, you still have what you need to leave the country.

A friend of mine checked into a hotel in Italy and went out to eat something quickly. When she came back, her passport and money had been stolen. She could not travel and had no money, and she had to contact the consulate for a new passport. It was a real hassle. Keep your passport, immigration documents and money with you, and do not even worry about the rest. You can leave a country without everything else, but not without your money and passport.