Pulling Together Pre-Trip Essentials

By Arielle Sachar

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Many young travelers have the same nightmare. Naked and roaming an airport (hey, its a nightmare), unable to find someone who speaks English, an expired passport, the wrong currency, shivering like you’ve caught malaria (that may have something to do with the nudity), and the guard dogs at customs are eyeing you like you have something hidden where the sun don’t shine. Thank god you can wake up.

When traveling abroad there’s a lot more to consider than the joys of disco dancing, table tennis, and men in tight pants. Bad dreams could become reality if you don’t follow some essential guidelines. From passports to vaccines, here’s the lowdown on what’s needed and how to get it so you can avoid a semester in a Tijuana jail cell.

Passport

To get a passport for the first time, you need to head to a passport acceptance facility. Luckily there are 8,000 in the United States. Just remember to bring: two photographs of our beautiful, smiling, innocent faces, proof of U.S. citizenship and a valid form of photo ID, such as a driver’s license.

If we need to renew, you can throw it in a mailbox as long as A) the passport isn’t damaged, lost, or stolen; B) it was issued in the past 15 years; and C) you were at least 16 when it was issued. Just remember to do it far in advance of your travel date because it takes up to 10-12 weeks to process.

Simply toss it in a padded envelope and send the following items to National Passport Center, P.O. Box 371971, Pittsburgh, PA 15250:

DS-82 application form (also available at post offices and travel agencies)
Most recent passport
Two identical 2-by-2-inch passport photos
One $67 check made out to “the man” aka U.S. Department of State
If your name has changed, also include a certified copy of the legal document specifying the change (e.g., marriage license, adoption papers)

If the Plane Is Leaving Next Week...

If you can’t wait four months, then consider an expediting service like PassportsandVisas.com. Costs range from $59 for 8-20 business days to $169 for 24-hour service. Another option is Travisa.com, which has offices in DC, NY, San Fran, Chicago, LA, Miami, and London. Costs range from $99 for 3-10 business days to $179 for 24-hour service.

Visa

A travel visa grants an individual (i.e., you) permission for entry into a country. Depending on the country and the length of the visit, both a passport and a visa may be required. Each country’s requirements vary. To obtain a visa, you must approach the appropriate foreign consular representative with sufficient time (usually at least 6 weeks) for it to be processed. You’ll likely need an application form, photos, and some cash. If you plan on staying a while and maybe getting a job to supplement all that freewheeling fun, you’ll also need a work permit to go along with that visa.

Depending on how far you live from a consulate, how much time you have before you leave, and how much you like waiting in endlessly long lines, you may just want to pay someone else to get that visa for you. The same companies that do passports do visas. Both charge around $50 for three-day service and $100 for rush, depending on the country. Passports and Visas has a great page that lists every country, the consular fees (which you’ll have to pay whether you expedite or not), and the service fee broken down by visa type.

Vaccines

We’ve all heard the horror stories: weird rashes, malaria, little fishes swimming up pee streams into nether regions. Sometimes the tradeoff for an exotic vacation is an exotic vaccine. Luckily, the Centers for Disease Control breaks down vaccines into "routine," "recommended," and "required" depending on the country you plan to visit. Click each country here to see requirements. Yellow fever is the only vaccine required by International Health Regulations for travel to certain countries in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America. But, Saudi Arabia requires that doozy of a vaccine, Meningococcal, for the annual religious pilgrimages to the Hajj.

Once you determine that you need vaccination, you should set up a visit to your doctor or a travel clinic 4-6 weeks before your trip so that the vaccine has time to take effect. Most insurance companies won’t cover travel vaccines—which can be quite costly—and travel clinics are often cheaper because the visit usually costs less. To find a travel clinic, use this locator. For more information, visit the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.