International travel is constantly changing. And it has changed especially quickly in the last few years.
There was a day when you could hop on an airplane and fly to another country without a care and with minimal preparation. The United States passport still has its benefits, but many countries now require Americans to obtain visas and travel authorizations. So, how do we as group travel planners prepare our customers for these requirements to ensure a seamless trip?
Find Destination Specifics
Many countries that you may have visited with little effort before have recently instituted more burdensome requirements for American travelers. These include visas and travel authorizations, and some countries even require travelers to download an app to complete travel clearance prior to arrival.
As a tour planner or tour director, you must stay informed about the requirements of each country you plan to visit. Check with government sites of that country or with our own U.S. Department of State for up-to-date travel information for each country you will be visiting. Remember to stay current on your information by checking periodically, as a country may change requirements at any time. While checking to see if a destination has a requirement outside of the normal passport, you should also educate yourself on the process of obtaining the visa or travel authorization, how long they will be good and when they must be obtained.
In the last couple of years, I have encountered many different scenarios for obtaining visas or travel authorizations. Visas tend to require more in-depth information from travelers, but that’s not always the case. Many countries have made the process simple by creating an app that you can download to your phone. Once you have completed the travel authorization, and after it has been accepted, it is automatically linked to your passport number and is valid upon entry.
However, this is not the case for all countries. Some have different processes, and others require information to be resubmitted each time you enter or exit, even if you were there recently. So, if your group takes a land tour or cruise that visits multiple countries and reenters a country after being in another, the travel authorization may need to be resubmitted. If you’re traveling on a cruise line or utilizing a vendor, make sure they inform you about how and when you need to resubmit the applications.
Learn the Apps
This feels like a lot to stay on top of. Now imagine how daunting it may be for travelers without smartphones. If you have people in your group without smartphones, now is the time to start explaining how important it is to have one if they want to travel outside of the U.S. The world is changing and becoming more digital, and the smartphone is a helpful tool to make the world feel smaller. I am not saying a traveler cannot travel without a smartphone, but they might find themselves very frustrated at times when trying to navigate customs and immigrations checkpoints if they must be pulled aside to apply for the missing documents that would be digitally linked to everyone else’s passports.
Some countries make this easier than others with a kiosk or a person who can help travelers obtain a visa or travel authorization in person at the arrival airport. But you should do your research ahead of time to make sure that is the case for the destinations your group will be visiting.
Teach Your Travelers
Once you understand a destination’s entry requirements, it’s time to make sure your travelers do, too. For this, I love using videos from YouTube — or even creating my own. You can record yourself going through the process of downloading a country’s customs app and applying for a travel authorization. When you record the video, email it to your travelers along with important information they will need to complete it. Some details, like what port you’ll be entering through, may be necessary in the application process. This is why it’s important to inform yourself first so you can then answer your travelers’ questions.
For those travelers who struggle with technology and need a little more help completing the process, try setting up an in-person meeting or a virtual meeting with them. I suggest doing this as a one-on-one meeting or in small groups. But don’t book those meetings until you have already sent instructions and videos. This will help you narrow down the number of people you personally have to help.
As a travel planner and trip leader, you already have a lot of details to manage. Unfortunately, changing international travel requirements are something you must stay on top of. Don’t let these new requirements overwhelm you; it’s simply a matter of gathering and communicating information. The world is always changing and requires planners who are willing to learn and stay informed.
