“Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don’t be sorry.”
— Jack Kerouac

No matter how short your intended digital nomad trip might be, eventually, you’ll need to think about visas and how they fit into your travel plans. For digital nomads who have already been on the road a lot, we often unconsciously factor this into our plans.

With my Filipina girlfriend joining me in traveling now, I’ve been forced to think about visas a lot more than before. It’s also a reminder of the privileges that nomads from a Western country enjoy with visa-free travel to more countries that from a more developing one.

What things are important for a digital nomad to consider to get visas? What are good resources to use on the road?

Here are the rules I live by when it comes to visas and immigration:

Rule #1. Do your research!

No matter how strong your passport, you need to know the visa situation for the countries you are planning to visit. Rules and laws are constantly shifting due to politics. Don’t be the one caught unaware at the immigration checkpoint.

My research flow goes like this:

1. Pick the country you want to visit.
2. Look up wikipedia article for visa free travel for the respective country (United States/Philippines). These pages comprise an easy to read map and a table with more detailed visa information (and links for each). Pages exist for many nationalities. Just google “Visa free for __________ citizens” and it should be one of the first hits.
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_United_States_citizens
3. If it turns out you need a visa, double-check on visahq.com. This site can give you more information about validity of stays for various visa types, costs, and processing times.

Rule #2. Book an onward ticket

Many airlines are cracking down on non-resident passengers, forcing them to produce a ticket proving their onward travel. Whether you’re asked to provided one is highly dependent on several factors. These could be: the destination you’re going to, the airline you’re flying on, or even the mood of the immigration or airline agent.

I’ve noticed an uptick in the number of times I’ve been asked to provided it in the last few years. So what can a nomad do if they don’t know where they’ll be after visiting a country? Several techniques are useful:

• Buy a refundable ticket  —  Much more expensive than a normal ticket, but is the best bet if you have the cash you put up for it, as far as getting questioned about it. This option is not as useful if you travel faster since the time to get your refund might not be as quick as you hope and you might end up tying up a sizable amount of capital in pending airline refunds. Those funds could be better put to use on scuba diving or lattes.
• FlyOnward.com  —  You are renting a ticket for about US$10. FlyOnward issues you a ticket in your name that is valid for 24 hours. This makes sure that you’re “in the system” if an agent checks the ticket. This is the option that I use the most frequently now. Saves me so much stress for the small cost. (UPDATE: This provider is out of buiness now. I am searching for a new one now and will update this when I find a reliable one. )
• Purchase a ticket at the check-in counter  —  Worst. Option. Ever. Before I found FlyOnward I was forced to do this twice by the airline, or they would not have let me on board. It results in paying far more for the flight, often making a snap decision of where and when you are going. I remember looking at my phone the following morning after a flight through Dubai and remembering that I’d booked an onward ticket at 2am after having gotten very little sleep on the flight there. Wrong dates than intended, terrible times for departure and landing, and higher costs. Lesson learned!

Rule #3. Check for additional visa fees

Some countries will require fees paid on arrival for a visa. They will usually require it to be in a certain currency, not necessarily in the currency of that country either. Exact change is expected in other places too. Hand over a crisp US$100 bill for a $25 stamping fee? Ouch! You have been warned…

Don’t be the gringo asking strangers if they have spare change in US$ to pay your visa stamping fee. Check ahead of time. Vietnam and Cambodia come to mind for Southeast Asia. There may or may not be ATMs available for you at the airport prior to clearing immigration (and you can not assume they will dispense the correct currencies that you need).

Rule #4. Dress well (and smile!)

This advice came from my father (an avid business traveller himself) and I’ve always applied it to my travels as well. It might sounds a little odd, but I’ve found it to hold true.

Looking presentable when you’re going through the process of travel can make a big difference in the reactions and service you receive. I strive to have business casual wear, at the least, for travelling through airports, immigrations, and customs.

The way I like to think about it is this: You are a guest in their country. You should do your best in the way you present yourself and act to project respect to the said country and people. Who would you rather welcome into your home, a well dressed business person or someone who just rolled out of bed?

You are a guest in their country. You should do your best in the way you present yourself and act to project respect to the said country and people.

Don’t forget, that even though you can get a visa-on-arrival or travel visa-free, it doesn’t mean you are obliged to enter. Allowing entry into the country is still at the discretion of the immigration agent whom you deal with at the checkpoint. Best to try and tip the odds in your favor, no?

If you try to follow these tips, with a little planning and forethought, your trips should be smooth and successful. I hope this helps other digital nomads and travelers!

---

If you liked my post please upvote & follow me. Thank you! ^^
如果你喜欢我的帖子，请投票并跟随我。 謝謝！
저의 포스팅이 좋으셨다면 up-vote 팔로우 부탁드립니다. 고맙습니다!
私のポストが良かったら、up-vote＆followお願いします。 ありがとう！