Entry 8 (Jan 1, 2022)
Cannot believe this is the year! And I finally did some travel visa research. (Just skip this blog if this sounds BORING.) And, my conclusion is, as long as the state of travel remains as it is or improves over the next five months, I don’t think we’ll have too difficult a time with visas. (I hope I didn’t just jinx myself!)
It looks like the only countries we’ll need visas for are Nepal and Australia. Nepal (as of now), we can get as soon as we land in Kathmandu. If they do away with that convenience (which they did last year because of COVID), I’m not sure what we’ll do. We cannot get one before we leave because they’re only good for 6 months, and we don’t go there for another year. Hopefully, we can get one at an embassy in one of our other countries. (More research needed.)
Australia is easier; we can do it electronically.
However, for those of you following our wanderlust footsteps in 2023 or later, NEWS ALERT: There will be a new type of visa requirement for Europe (I believe all the Schengen countries…which I mentioned in my previous blog as my nemesis) starting in 2023. Since we’ll be out of Europe by January 2023, I didn’t really look into it, but here’s the link for those of you interested: https://etias.com/etias-confirmed-for-2022.
Oh, also note that you do need a visa for Thailand if you’re going for longer than 30 days. For most of our other countries, we don't need a visa for up to 90 days…but REMEMBER, you can only stay in the Schengen countries for a total of 90 days in any 180 day period (see my previous post). Oh, and as of now, Croatia is not a Schengen country, but it may be soon.
So, that said, because of the Schengen shuffle, the countries we PLAN to visit are (in this order): Scotland, Norway, Estonia, Romania, Montenegro (or Croatia), Spain, Africa (not sure where yet), Israel, Nepal, Thailand, Australia, and Ecuador. These plans are subject to change….which will be my motto for the next 17 months.
5 months and counting!
Hasta Luego,
Pam
Germany, 2015
“I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met.” ―Melody Truong