For BoB’s Epic Journey (and for a lot of completely different long-term journeys), there’s not that loads preparation needed. The three most important points are:
- e-book your first flight – CHECK!
- have a backpack – CHECK!
- put collectively your self for the visa recreation.
With the first two bins checked, there was only one very important issue left that required my consideration: preparing for the Good Visa Sport.
Will or not it is a win or loss after I’m going the play the Good Visa Sport?
In the intervening time it’s troublesome to say, nonetheless there are positively some challenges up ahead. For a lot of temporary journeys you probably can put together your visas by the use of an firm or by the use of the embassy in your nation. Nonetheless, in my case I’d need to put together my visas as I am going. This gained’t be a easy job and to increase the chance on profitable the Good Visa Sport I decided to prepare an abstract. The overview is specific (Dutch passport, 2015/2016), nonetheless I nonetheless wanted to share it proper right here to supply an impression of what’s up ahead!
Proper right here we go!
Flip 1: Visa South Africa
Good start: Free visa upon arrival. Some websites report you need proof of plans to go away the nation (e.g. airplane ticket). As I am going to go away the nation overland this may be a difficulty, nonetheless I depend on proof gained’t be wanted.
Flip 2: Visa Namibia
Must be easy: Free visa upon arrival
Flip 3: Visa Botswana
One different easy one: Free visa upon arrival.
Flip 4: Visa Zimbabwe
The selection between a visa upon arrival (30 USD single entry, 45 USD double entry) or a visa for every Zimbabwe and Zambia on the Botswana-Zimbabwe border (50 USD). This vogue you probably can see the Victoria Falls from both sides 🙂 If the latter actually exists, I’ll go for that one!
Flip 5: Visa Turkey
Off to a unique continent! No visa upon arrival this time, nonetheless a elaborate E-visa in Turkey. This one is already throughout the pocket! Turkey has a selected E-visa website online. Fill out the equipment (5 minutes), pay 20,00 USD and that’s it!
Dutch: In case you’re Dutch and you want to speak in Dutch Turkey e-visa You’ll be able to achieve this by means of this website online. There are additional costs involved!
Flip 6: Current Iran
This flip can be the very first drawback! For my Iranian visa I desire a Letter of Invitation (LOI). A variety of journey corporations provide an LOI, nonetheless require you to e-book a lodge or tour with them. With the LOI, I will get a LOI visa authorization code. With this visa authorization code you probably can go to an Iranian embassy. Because of the visa is solely respectable for 3 months after the equipment, it wasn’t doable to make use of earlier to my RTW journey throughout the Netherlands. In its place I need to take my LOI visa authorization code to the Iranian embassy in Istanbul, Erzurum or Ankara. Based mostly on opinions this might solely take about 1-3 days once you’ve bought an authorization code.
The benefit of the Iran visa, is that you simply simply don’t should enter on a particular date! After receiving the visa, it’s respectable for 3 months for moving into Iran! After moving into you probably can maintain 30 days.
P.s. There are moreover some opinions you don’t need an LOI as a Dutch citizen the least bit! To be on the safe side and significantly on account of I apply in Turkey, I am going to get an LOI.
- Apply and pick-up in Istanbul (I’ll most probably go for the ‘particular’ alternative for 75 euro)
Flip 7: Visa Turkmenistan
One different drawback! As I’m nonetheless undecided how I am going to journey by the use of Turkmenistan, this half is type of not sure. If I decide to go independently, I am going to get the cheaper transit visa. Nonetheless, it is not doable to get this visa on arrival. If I decide to go together with a tour agency (easier to go to Darwaza gas crater) I am going to most probably get/desire a vacationer visa with LOI. A vacationer visa must be doable on arrival. Sadly, Turkmenistan excursions are crazy pricey (100+ euro’s per day).
- Apply in Tehran and pick-up 7 days later in Mashad OR visa on arrival with LOI
Flip 8: Current Uzbekistan
Sadly, as soon as extra a visa on arrival is not going to be doable when arriving overland. Because of this truth, I need to go the the Tehran embassy with an LOI.
- Apply in Tehran and pick-up in Tehran (if it doesn’t work out in Tehran, I am going to go to Ashgabat)
Flip 9: Visa Tajikistan
Lastly a country with out having for LOI’s! Nonetheless, this time I am going to desire a Letter of No Objections from my very personal embassy (which signifies that they assist me going to Tajikstan). Subsequent day pick-up must be doable.
- Apply in Tehran and pick-up in Tehran. P.s. Certain, this suggests I may should go to a few embassies in Tehran. It moreover means I may have to stay in Tehran for per week or so.
Flip 10: Visa Kyrgyzstan
Yay! Visa free journey! Since 2012, 60-day visa free journey is allowed for 44 worldwide places along with the Netherlands.
Flip 11: Visa China
I’ve already been to China 3 instances and every time it’s just a little bit bit extra sturdy to get one. The Chinese language language visa can be the most troublesome one and embassy opinions in Central Asia are often not very optimistic. To get a Chinese language language visa, I am going to need plenty of points: E.g. proof of my flight into China and out of China (chances are you’ll take into consideration to make a fake airplane ticket by merely altering an earlier airplane ticket in Adobe Skilled), a proof of my lodge bookings, journey schedule and proof of earnings. I hope to have the power to get one in Bishek.
- Apply in Bishek and pick-up after plenty of days.
Flip 12: Visa Indonesia
The final word flip is is an easy one, which is nice, on account of I reckon I is likely to be close to a visa burn-out. Indonesia factors a free visa for 30 days on arrival 🙂
All in all, it gained’t be a easy job and it will take a substantial amount of invaluable journey time! That is no doubt one of many ‘disadvantages’ of neutral journey.
Summary of the troublesome elements:
- Mixed embassy opinions (it might be a positive or a no)
- Opening situations are restricted (some embassies solely open plenty of hours per weeks)
- It may take 1 to 10 days
- You sometimes need an LOI
- You sometimes need completely different proof (e.g. bookings, journey schedule, earnings)
- It consists of a substantial amount of paperwork
- I need to put together my visas as as I am going, with a small hazard it gained’t be issued.
I hope all of it really works out! A variety of the above information is based on the embassy opinions of fellow vacationers throughout the useful Caravanistan dialogue board. These opinions are mixed: e.g. usually it take 3 days to get a visa, usually 7 days, usually the visa is rejected with out clear causes and so forth. It’s clear that profitable the Good Visa Sport of Southern Africa and Central Asia gained’t be a easy job, nonetheless…
Let’s go for it!
This put up is likely to be updated after BoB’s Epic Journey with my experiences and solutions! There’s one tip I can already offer you: preparation is the vital factor to success 😉
What was the ‘most troublesome’ visa all through your travels?
What was your 'most troublesome' visa?