| Vagabond Journey.com Travel Help is the work of the perpetual traveler, Wade Shepard. For the past 12 years he has been traveling the world, through 49 countries on 5 continents.
Wade has consulted thousands of travelers over the past decade on many different topics and is available to answer your travel questions! For European visa questions, go to Ask Schengen visa questions. Donations for travel help answers are very appreciated! |
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Question about the best places in China for teaching English: Wade, I need your help. You and Andy are BY FAR the realest traveler writers out on the market. You don’t feed bullshit… Your opinion… What are the 5 best cities in China?? I am submitting my information to Angelina’s. Thanks mate!! This is a [...]
If I marry a British citizen can I get an EU passport and open a business in France? Yes, if you’re an EU citizen you can set up business in any other EU country. EU citizen can stay for as long as they want in any other EU country. To get married to a UK [...]
How can I get European self-employment residency permit? Although most of the countries in Europe are part of larger political/ immigration federations (such as the EU and Schengen) residency of foreign nationals is still a matter of each individual country’s jurisdiction. Likewise, the difficulty scale of obtaining residency between each country varies: some are vastly easier [...]
Can my 20 year old grandson check into a hotel in New York City? Many hotels have policies that prohibit people under 21 years of age from booking a room and checking in, and, in some states, this is mandated by law. But the real question is whether or not these rules exist and/ or [...]
Do you get deported for overstaying a Schengen visa in Sweden? Deportations for overstaying a Schengen visa is incredibly rare. Nobody is coming after you. When you leave the Schengen region there is a good chance that you are going to be taken aside, given some forms to sign, and then be banned from re-entering [...]
Should I worry about the manufacturer’s sizing recommendations when purchasing a backpack for travel? Unless you are planning on going on long hikes, multi-day treks, or generally wearing the backpack regularly for hours and hours on end, I wouldn’t worry too much about the bags exact sizing. I would recommend trying the backpack on to [...]
Can my fiancé travel to Ireland after overstaying a visa in the UK? Hello Sofinia, Ultimately, immigration can reject a prospective traveler for any reason at all, or a lack thereof — and Irish immigration is becoming relatively strict. But, while a previous visa overstay can be used by pretty much any country to deny [...]
Entry to Europe for South African without a Visa Question: Hey Wade! I’ve read through everything online I can, so I hope you can help! I’m south African, and I have an irish spouse. We are crewing on a yacht thats sailing from England to Italy. I thought I didn’t need a visa because I [...]
Yes, I know this challenge well: how to travel across one of the most expensive regions in the world on what, relatively speaking, constitutes pocket change. It is possible, in fact an ingenuitive traveler can move across Europe just as cheap — or even cheaper — than most anywhere else in the world. When I [...]
Is there a long term business visa for Europe’s Schengen zone? Hello, Thank you very much for the donation! To start with, unless you have a European company that is willing to sponsor you going to the consulate and getting a longer term visa is a pipe dream. Many try, and I have not yet [...]
My passport is only good for four months after my arrival date and my visa will be good after it expires. How can I keep using my visa after getting a new passport? Hello, To answer your question directly, no, you cannot enter Switzerland before your visa is good. To provide a more implicitly response [...]
Is going to university for Archaeology in England worth the expense? Hello Brandy, This is a difficult question to field, and one which obviously can only be answered from the depths of your own intuition, common sense, and command of logic. But I can offer some advice, based on my experience of earning an anthropology degree [...]
Question about career options: to continue with university? Start a business? Work for yourself? “Would appreciate anything at this point as am more than directionless. Have thought of opening business here in Brno instead of grad school. Bought into the whole “go to college get a good job”, shite that worked for our parents (who [...]
How can I make money while traveling? Hello Justin, Running amok — sounds like a good plan, the open road always has oepen arms for new converts. Making a living on the road is not an extremely difficult thing to do for an educated native English speaker or for someone who has a few trades [...]
Steel toed boots bad for travel While I highly recommend Carhartt boots — or other suitable heavy duty work boots — I strongly advise against trying to travel with boots that have steel toes. My reasons for this are as follows: 1. Most travelers are not going to be doing work which requires steel toes, [...]
Q: What is the weather like in Israel in the winter? What clothing should I bring? A: As for weather in Israel in January, think autumn. Expect temperatures between 5 and 20 degrees Celsius, 40 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit depending on your location in the country. In the south around Eilat, the temperature will be higher, [...]
This story comes from a reader named Marc Davies and documents his experience of trying to enter Syria without a pre-arranged visa, being awarded a transit visa at the border, overstaying it, and then exiting the country cleanly. This story shows the great division between official immigration policy and actual policy. Marc’s journey went off [...]
Q: How to make webpages easily? A: Hello Gary, Thanks for the mail. Good move going and living and traveling in a van — they can be great homes, can lower your living expenses drastically, enforces simplistic living, and, of course, are mobile. Good on ya. About making webpages, I recommend using the WordPress system. [...]
Q: Can I be banned from the Schengen region for giving the wrong address on an immigration form? A: Very often the questions asked on immigration forms do not match the reality of a traveler’s circumstances. In your case, the form asked for your address in Spain and you don’t have one. Don’t worry, most [...]
Q: Can I reenter Europe after overstaying my visa in Switzerland with a different passport? A: Hello, While it is true that you were probably banned from reentering the Schengen zone of Europe after overstaying your tourist visa in Switzerland, it seems to me that if you were to attempt returning on your second passport [...]
Q: I was given a code 3 stamp in my passport when entering England (UK) via Gatwick, what does this mean? A: Generally, being given a code 3 entry stamp when going through UK immigration is nothing to worry about in and of itself. All landings in England/ UK are coded, and tourists are generally [...]
Can I get an extension on my Schengen visa if I have a medical reason? Can I break my trip to Europe into multiple parts to avoid overstaying? Yes, you can break up the Schengen tourist visa into multiple trips. It is good for 180 days, but you only get 90 within the region. You [...]
Q: How to exit the Schengen zone after overstaying a tourist visa in Hungary? A: Hello, Don’t fret too much. What you did — overstaying your Schengen visa by a month — is not a very rare thing for someone to have done. Currently, as of right now, the only countries in the region that [...]
Question: What visa does an Indian citizen need to WWOOF — volunteer on organic farms — in Europe? Answer: Technically, you need a work visa to even volunteer in many European countries, but the authorities will probably never grant a visa for such an endeavor. So the common move is to enter on a tourist visa and [...]
Question: Can I travel in Europe after my Schengen student visa expires? Answer: Hello Natalia, It is my impression that the right to travel to other Schengen countries for 90 days is included in most student visas, and this right expires when your visa does. It seems as if you will need to leave the [...]
Question: Will I get in trouble if I overstay my visa in Spain to work because I don’t have enough money to go home? Answer: Hello Whitney, It is difficult for me to believe that you do not have, or cannot borrow, $500 for a flight back to the USA. It is even more inconceivable [...]
Question: Can my daughter travel to Norway on a Spanish student permit? Answer: Hello Jessica, It is understandable that your daughter wants to travel to other European countries while studying abroad in Spain, but the current immigration infrastructure in Europe makes doing so legally a little complicated. There are two ways to look at your [...]
Question: Can I exit and then reenter Canada on a tourist visa immediately after having a student visa? Answer: Hello Austin, After doing some quick research it seems as if your plan to return to England and then going back to Canada on your English passport as a tourist would be a fool proof way [...]
Can I enter Europe on a falsely “lost” US passport for the purpose of staying in the Shengen Zone longer? Hello, Yes, I think that you would be crazy to leave the US on a flight with your valid passport and then try to enter Europe on a passport that was fraudulently “lost” and then [...]
Question: How can a UK citizen marry a non EU citizen in Europe? Answer: Hello Chloe, It seems as if there is only one thing for you to do if you want to get married, stay together, and do everything as legally as possible: return to England and get married in your home country. Getting [...]
Question: Should I lose my passport to avoid being penalized for overstaying a visa? Answer: Hello Dee, I have met people who swear that intentionally losing their passport in an attempt to hide the fact that they overstayed their visa in Europe worked. But I am now very unsure if this had any impact on [...]
How to get my parents to let me travel to Europe with a school group? Hello, Ahh, the ultimate power play of youth: how to get your parents’ permission to allow you to go away from them. It is my impression that the only thing you can do is to keep working on them — [...]
If you had a five day vacation would you choose to go to London or Paris? Hello, I would say, without a doubt, that if I had to choose between London or Paris for a five day vacation that I would choose the latter. Why? Two reasons: 1. Paris tends to have better weather. I [...]
What is the penalty for overstaying a UK visa? Hello, It seems that if you overstay your visa in the UK that you will more than likely that you could be barred from entering again for an unspecified amount of time. But my question to you is, why do you think that you only got [...]
How to tourism work and travel while saving money in the USA Hello Amanda, Don’t worry, all dreams to wander the world lack logistics. There is a simple algorithm when it comes to traveling and taking temporary jobs: follow the birds, work in the tourism industry — beat the tourists to the seasonal hot spot and land [...]
How can I stay and eat for free when traveling by volunteering?
It seems to me as if your question is about how to extend your travels and limiting the costs of such by volunteering and that you are not looking for information on how to save the world. Good, I can help here.
It has been my experience that work/ trade opportunities are virtually everywhere when traveling.
How can an Indian citizen get a visa to England/ UK? The process that an Indian citizen to get a visa to England/ UK seems very drawn out and complicated. It seems as if you must first procure the proper application papers, which you can download from UK visa applications, and then you must be [...]
Should I take a gap year to travel? Hello Michael, It is my impression that going to university before you are ready is a good way to waste a lot of time and money. I have known many people who rushed into a post-secondary education, graduated at 22 years of age, and then realized that [...]
Traveling with Tattoos in Central America It is true that one of the physical characteristics of gang members or the “criminal” sect of Central America are often characterized by heavy and very visible tattooing, but it has not been my experience that, as a heavily tattooed traveler, I have ever been mistaken as a gang [...]
The following is a comment that I received from a reader about how unpunished Schengen visa overstays will soon be a convenience of the past: Soon, you will not need to worry about WHETHER you will be caught for overstaying since procedures and technology will change. You will be required to obtain an entry and [...]
Hello, Yes, you are very correct, England is a little vigilant on Schengen visa overstayers — often much more so than some of the actual countries of the Schengen region themselves — but this does not mean that they process and send back all visa overstayers for punishment. Though it is true that some travelers [...]
How do I work my way from Australia to India Hello, Starting a vagabond journey off in Australia is a good move. As an Australian friend of mine once said, “Australia is meant to be the easiest country in the world to find work in.” To back up this statement is the fact that if [...]
Are there travel scholarships for photographers? Hello, I do not know of any scholarships that could help you out with this. For most travel scholarships you need to be a part of an accredited university program to be eligible. You may be better off trying to get a job or an internship with an established [...]
How to choose an Archaeology field school ? Hello Yogi, First of all, make sure that the archaeology fieldwork programs that you are looking into are actual field schools. Make sure that it is for a duration for at least six weeks, that it is taught by an accredited university, and that you get some kind of certification (or [...]
Is it possible to work while traveling quickly? Hello Mellissa, From my experience, I have found that it may be a mute effort to try to look for formal employment when traveling if you only want to be a places for few days: you will probably spend as much time looking for work as you [...]
How do you become an archaeologist? Hello Elijah, After going to university and taking a degree in either Anthropology or Archaeology coupled with a field school your options for employment are rather vast. There is an industry in the USA and Canada called Cultural Resource Management (CRM), which is basically to say professional archaeology. Most [...]
Can you return to Europe as a tourist after overstaying the Schengen visa? Hello, This is a tough question to answer because immigration policy is often very inconsistently applied around the Schengen region, but it is my impression that you should be in the clear: you paid your fine in Zurich and have been away [...]
Is Iceland part of the Schengen Zone? Hello Marcus, Hate to inform you of this onerous fact, but Iceland IS now a part of the Schengen Zone. So the time that you spend there will count towards your Schengen total of 90 days within every 180. I would recommend traveling to the east of Europe [...]
How much money does it cost to travel? Hello Chris, It is my impression that how much money you will need to travel for ten months is directly proportional to how and where you want to travel. Both extremes on the figures that you have previously received — $5 a day to $50 — are [...]
Do you have to stop traveling once you have children? Hello Wallace, If your life is set up for traveling then it does not seem to me as if having children will be that much of an obstacle — they will just change your parameters, but they won’t stop you from moving about the world [...]
What European countries are in the Schengen Zone? The following 26 European countries are in the Schengen Zone (updated: February 2012): Austria Belgium Czech Republic Denmark (excluding Greenland and Faroe Islands) Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Bulgaria, Romania, [...]
The following letter was from a reader who wanted to share her experience of overstaying a tourist visa in Spain. Although she did overstay and was not yet punished for it, it is my impression that her summation of her experience and advice to other travelers is right on. —— Letter from Laura about overstaying [...]
Hello Sara Rose, There is a little work around to finding cheap flights from the USA to Europe. First buy a flight to a cheap hub like London or Dublin –this will get you into the region — then connect to your actual destination through a budget air carrier. Your best bet would be to [...]
Is there an age bias against older travelers? Hello Brian, It is my impression that you stand in just as good of a position to find Work Abroad at 40 than you do at 20. If you were 90, then I may say that you might have missed the boat, but you are young, and [...]
How do you plan to avoid visa costs and reciprocity fees in South America? Hello Todd, Thanks for the note. Simply put, we are just not going to go to the South American countries that are charging a lot for visas. It would be silly for us to pay 500 USD just to enter a [...]
What type of pants are good for traveling? Military fatigues. The armies of the world wear these pants for a reason: they are light weight, loose fitting, keep you warm in cold weather, and cool in hot weather, they allow for air circulation, you can comfortably wear long underwear beneath them, they have cargo pockets, [...]
Overstayed visa, caught when leaving Zurich by air — “when I try to go back to France or Italy in a few months (I have no intention of returning to Swiss)? Will the Swiss put my name on some list and I be barred from entry, with no legal hearing or notice? It makes sense [...]
. . . while reading along this site I am so inspired to travel. I dont really know where to go, and while I am there how to survive regarding money and backpacking. What would be my first step? Hello Ashton, Deciding that you really want to travel is the first step — and is [...]
I assume that “assorted cords and cables” includes some sort of adapters for electrical outlets. What does one need in that respect? Hello Emery, There is not much to fret about when it comes to finding proper adapters and current converters for electronic equipment when traveling. Most high end electronics — laptop computers and digital [...]
I currently have a one-way ticket to Rome, and I’m going through London to get there. Do you think I will have trouble going through the UK if I only have a one-way ticket? Hello David, This is a tricky proposition. It is not my impression that you will be given any problems in London [...]
Traveling and Studying online in Italy — Good Travel Strategy, but why stay in Italy? studying online and using financial aid money to travel is a top notch move.
How can I continue working in Switzerland without a renewed work visa? Hello Lizelle, As you have been working in Switzerland as a professional volleyball player for some time now and it was just this year that they did not renew your visa, I would highly recommend pestering your employer to no ends to renew [...]
Can European immigration tell when I entered the Schengen region if I lost my passport? – Will I have a problem returning home without an entry stamp? Will they be able to trace my passport theft and know when I entered Italy. Shall I fly into another country, perhaps, France, just to get an Entry [...]
How can I pick up work while traveling in the USA? Hello Patrick, Funding your travels across the USA by working en route is a very feasible strategy. Though I must say that it is a Travel Strategy that will require a decent amount of preparation. It is my suggestion that you may want to [...]
Is the traveling lifestyle sustainable? How can I leave my home and career to travel? Hello Brett, I would have to say that the sustainability of a perpetually traveling lifestyle for a couple in their later years is very possible. Though this depends on what your definition of sustainable is. If “sustainable” means only that [...]
How to find Work Abroad as a manual laborer? How to find a job when traveling? Hello Steele, There is probably one rule for finding Work Abroad: knock on doors and ask around. If you make it known that you will work for bottom of the barrel wages, you will find work — especially since [...]
How do I become an Egyptologist? What should I study in high school to prepare? Hello Stephany, The field of Egyptology is perhaps the most competitive area of Archaeology as far as finding work that will keep you in the field and money in your pocket. But it can be done if you are diligent [...]
Can I connect flights in China from the USA to Thailand? Do I need a transit visa? – Hello Russ, I apologize that I am answering this so late — I put the Travel Help portion of vagabond journey.com on hold while I was working on Archaeology projects in Arizona — but, if you did [...]
Can I travel to Italy from the Netherlands after overstaying the Schengen visa? Updated answer to question Hello Jatinder, I just received an email today from a guy who overstayed his Schengen visa by 15 days and was deported to his country of origin and fined 160 Euro as he tried to travel from Germany [...]
How do I convince my parents to let me travel? This is a question from a reader who wants to go traveling in Europe, but his parents say that he must wait another year and show good progress in school first. But the reader wants to travel sooner. What can he say to his parents [...]
Should I pursue Archaeology as a stable career path? This is a question from a reader named Lane who would like to know if he could expect to find a stable career in archaeology and do fieldwork in Egypt. Hello Lane, Your question sort of comes at me from right field, as my draw to [...]
Would I be able to leave the US with my Vietnamese passport (I have dual citizenship) and enter Romania with an invalid American passport (not because it’s expired but because it’s reported stolen but then I recover it) ? No, once your US Passport has been reported stolen it is not only invalid but tracked [...]
How much money/ currency/ cash should I carry with me when traveling? Hello D, Yes, I advised a reader on the page, Exchanging Currency How and When, to be sure to carry at least $500 in US Dollars with him when traveling in the Middle East. But his trip was only for three weeks, and [...]
I’m wondering if you have any advice on where to look for good job opportunities in Turkey,specifically Istanbul.Also,do you have any experience with looking for writing jobs abroad? Hello Kevin, As far as finding work as an English teacher in Turkey the list of opportunities are very long. Multiple schools in nearly every city in [...]
Can an American fly to Syria without a visa? Official policy states that an American citizen must receive a Syrian visa in their home country prior to traveling to Syria. Though this is just official policy, and is not always enacted in practice. In actuality, as of the spring of 2009, Americans were able to [...]
What do would recommend as the path of least resistance to avoid attracting the attention of Shengen-vigilant authorities ? Hello G, I really appreciate you sharing this story with me about how your fiance and her son were charged around $550 each for overstaying their Schengen visa by two months in Switzerland. This information is [...]
How can I Study Abroad in the Czech Republic without a Student Visa? Hello Ross, I understand your predicament well: you want to study abroad in the Czech Republic but your program is going to last longer than the time allowed by your Schengen visa. This is a very common situation, and many study abroad [...]
Can I travel into the region on a Canadian passport, then use my U.K. passport on the way out? When traveling with two passports, immigration will generally like to see your entrance stamp on the way out of a given country. So if you get stamped into a country on one passport and want to [...]
If I overstay my Schengen visa will a red flag be put on my passport? It is true that your passport can be “red flagged” by the Schengen immigration authorities. This often happens in cases of travelers getting caught for overstaying their visas: they are processed, fined (or banned), and their passport information is entered [...]
How do I plan to WWOOF (Willing Workers On Organic Farms) in Europe? Hello Clare, I am glad to hear that you are planning on WWOOFing across Europe, it is a good way to travel. As you plan on working on organic farms during your year off from school, you are going to have a [...]
What is a good bicycle for travel? By Bicycle Luke Any bike can be riden long distance, but some bike designs make for a comfortable touring bike. Here are a few of my thoughts after 10 months on a bike. First thing should be the seat or saddle. I swear by “Brooks” leather saddles. Its [...]
How to plan for overstaying Schengen visa? Hello Rochelle, To play everything by the rules, you and your daughter are in sticky territory. What your daughter wants to do — stay in Europe for a few weeks over her visa after her Study Abroad program ends — is a completely normal intention, and many, many, [...]
How do I become an archaeologist? Do I need to attend a field school? Hello Amanda, Doing Archaeology field work is an extremely effective way to achieve your dream of traveling the world and taking photos. This is precisely how I funded my travels for the first seven years. Most professional archaeologists live on the [...]
How to exchange money for travel in the Middle East? What currency should we use? Hello, It is my experience that how and when to exchange money is a big question in travel that very often depends on circumstances. First of all, I carry a good wad of US Dollars wherever I travel. They can [...]
What is a good camera for traveling? When choosing a digital camera for travel I often put durability, weather resistance, price, and size above the quality of photos that it takes. I usually go for cameras that can be submerged in water, have a steel casing, run off of a rechargeable lithium battery, are somewhat [...]
Irish Immigration confiscated my passport and threatened to ban me from the country. What can I do? Hello Megan, First of all, your passport is the property of the US government. It is my impression that the Irish officials have no legal grounds to confiscate it. I would IMMEDIATELY go to the US embassy in [...]
Can I get in trouble for working illegally in Belgium? Hello Tom, There seems to be a certain amount of irony in action when it comes to getting visas to work legally in the European Union. In order to inhibit foreign or illegal workers in their countries, they make it a very difficult and time [...]
What would happen if my boyfriend overstays his tourist visa in Italy by five months? Hello Anna, To answer your question simply: Your boyfriend is playing a game of chance. He may be caught, he may not be. There is no telling. But if he does not exit the Schengen region from Switzerland or Germany [...]
How to trade pages on Hobohideout.com for free accommodation in France? Hello Derek, It sounds as if you are well on your way down the glory road of traveling. I say this now, it is a real admirable quality that you are willing to work when traveling, as most people are not. I have the [...]
Overstayed Schengen visa and Lost Passport Hello H, Don’t worry. You are in the best situation that you can be in as far as safe guarding your exit from the Schengen zone. I have known many travelers who have been working long term in the Schengen zone who have “lost” their passports so that they [...]
Do you think that a blond haired blue eyed American will get messed with too bad in Iraq? It is not my impression that you will be messed with too much in Iraq. I do not think that your blond hair or blue eyes will invite trouble any more than dark features. The people in [...]
<- - How to Prepare for Immigration Procedures when Traveling - ->
Tips on how to prepare for immigration when traveling
Can I travel to England, UK, Ireland after overstaying a Schengen Visa?
How Long Can I Work Under the Table in Italy without a Visa?
As you were offered this 5 month job in advance of your arrival in Italy and your employers obviously know that you do not have a proper visa, I must ask:
What does your employer recommend?
Transportation to cross borders between Egypt, Israel, and Jordan
The border crossings between Egypt, Israel, and Jordan are very much frequented by tourists, and transportation options are readily available. Taxis, buses, and minibuses ply these borderlands regularly.
Did the Israel border give you any problems bringing your knife in the country?
To answer your question, no, we were not given any problems bringing knives into Israel at the border. The Israelis checked our bags with an x-ray machine, but they did not give us any flak about the 6-inch Bedouin knife in Chaya’s rucksack. I really would not worry too much about it. But I also would not recommended not bringing a knife that is sentimental or expensive, as I suppose that there is a possibility that it could be confiscated.
How is Traveling from Jordan to Israel?
If you look like tourists and you have your own car the route from Jordan to Egypt should be no problem at all.
Just cross the Israeli border from Aqaba (10 km from city) and go through Eilat to Egypt (Taba). You could drive this route in under a half hour. Including border formalities — assuming you do not have Iraq or Syrian stamps in your passports and already possess Egyptian visas — I would say that you should be in Egypt in under two hours.
I am planning on taking a low budget airline to Amman (Jordan) and then enter Israel from there. What I need to know is would I need a tourist visa to Jordan as well if im gonna take the road to Israel? or will they help me with a Transit Visa? If so how many days can I get a transit Visa for?
I do not think that transit visas are offered in Jordan if you intend to continue your travels by land. If you had proof of a connecting flight, then you could just get a transit visa at the airport. But, from what I can tell, transit visa cost just as much as a regular tourist visa.
Have you found really great pipe tobacco on your travels? If you have time, tell me where you have found it and especially if you found it in Turkey.
I often buy tobacco pipes along the way in my travels as souvenirs of sorts. In countries that I really enjoy I often try to pick up a tobacco pipe or a tattoo.
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