The following is a list of some common and not so common illnesses and diseases to which you may . . . → Read More: Diseases from Insects, Worms, Bacteria, Viruses, etc.]]>

The following is a list of some common and not so common illnesses and diseases to which you may be exposed while travelling.

It is probably not complete and may not even be accurate, so again, make sure you consult a qualified professional before travelling and don’t rely too much on the information contained herein.

The list is in no particular order but commonest health hazards tend to be nearer the top.

For each there is a section listing where in the world it is usually found, what is its cause, symptoms, treatment and prevention.

Most of the diseases and illnesses below can be prevented by either vaccines or pills, good hygiene and safe food preparation practices, drinking and using (e.g. for washing, cleaning teeth, cooking with, swimming, cleaning fruit and vegetables, for ice in drinks, etc.) only treated or clean water, and avoiding being bitten by various insects and worms.

Diphtheria

Found – rare in developed countries due to vaccination, but is still endemic in developing countries and the former states of the USSR.

Vaccine is recommended for those who will be in close contact with infected people in endemic areas.

Cause – a disease of close contact, a bacterial illness transmitted through droplets in the air.

Symptoms – sore throat and fever. Can be life-threatening.

Prevention – by updating your diphtheria vaccine.

Tetanus

Found – rare in developed countries due to vaccination.

Prevention – by the tetanus vaccine. A booster is recommended every ten years, perhaps even every five years for developing world travel. Sometimes can be fatal.

Polio

Found – virtually eliminated in the developed world, but is still a threat to non-vaccinated travellers in developing countries.

Cause – by a virus.

Treatment – there is no effective treatment for polio.

Prevention – with either the oral or injectable vaccine.

Cholera

Found – mostly in the developing world. However, risk to travellers is slight.

Cause – infection is by ingesting food or water infected with the bacteria, but especially from shellfish.

Symptoms – severe water loss due to watery diarrhea and vomiting. Death can result in a few hours from rapid fluid loss.

Treatment – immediate rehydration therapy to prevent dehydration and death. ninety-nine percent of victims recover given adequate rehydration.

Prevention – drink only bottled or boiled water. Be careful with food as possible. There is a vaccine but this is not usually recommended due to its ineffectiveness, expense, and the rarity of cholera in travellers.

Dysentery

Found – bacillary and amebic. Both are prevalent in many developing countries, but rare in travellers.

Prevention – (for both types) eating only cooked vegetables and peeled fruits, and by only drinking boiled or purified water.

- Bacillary dysentery

Cause – from infected food handlers not washing hands and from unclean flies landing on food.

Symptoms – sudden watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, and fever, then passing blood and mucus after a few days.

Treatment – rehydration therapy, with no solid food for the first day or two. Antibiotics can help. Most people start to recover after about a week. Death can be caused by dehydration in vulnerable people.

- Amebic dysentery

Cause – swallowing the histolytica cysts from infected water or food (lettuce, uncooked vegetables, and unpeeled fruit).

Symptoms – range from a few loose stools with rumbling pains in the stomach, to a severe case with high fever and bloody, watery diarrhea. Shaking chills, fever, weight loss, and painful enlargement of the liver.

Treatment – rehydration therapy and drugs (e.g. metronidazole). Doesn’t go away on its own, unlike bacillary dysentery.

Hepatitis type A

Found – worldwide. Most common serious disease among travellers in the developing world where food preparation standards are poor.

Cause – transmitted by a virus through contamination of food or drinks prepared by an infected person with poorly washed hands.

Symptoms – either nonexistent or begin abruptly two to six weeks after exposure. Similar to flu, fever, aches, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal discomfort, and liver pain, darkened urine, light yellow stools. Four to seven days later the symptoms may become more severe, with diarrhea, vomiting, itching, and jaundice (yellow skin and whites of the eyes).

Treatment – there is no treatment for hepatitis A. Most people recover within six weeks. Hepatitis type A does not lead to chronic hepatitis. Rest and abstaining from alcohol until recovered are recommended.

Prevention – take care of what and where you eat. Vaccination with the full, two-dose series of hepatitis A vaccine is the best way to prevent hepatitis A virus infection. Immune globulin is available for short-term protection (approximately 3 months) and must be administered within 2 weeks after exposure for maximum protection. Good hygiene, including handwashing or use of hand sanitizer after using the bathroom and before preparing or eating food is essential.

Hepatitis type B

Found – in body fluids of infected persons. Type B is found worldwide, but is much more prevalent in Asia and Africa.

Symptoms – are the same as for hepatitis A, except sometimes more severe. Many people have no symptoms. About 10% of hepatitis type B cases lead to chronic hepatitis, a severe inflammation and destruction of cells within the liver, leading to cirrhosis.

Prevention – the hepatitis B vaccine, although this is usually only recommended for health care workers, people who have many unprotected sex partners, and drug addicts.

AIDS

Found – worldwide. The hardest hit area is sub-Saharan Africa. Also spreading rapidly in Asia.

Cause – spread primarily through heterosexual sex, blood transfusions. Nearly 20,000 people are infected every day.

Prevention – travellers in Africa should bring their own hypodermic needles for emergencies. Many countries now require HIV testing for long-term visitors of greater than six months, or applicants for work or residency. In most cases HIV testing is not required for visitors of a few months or less. Most HIV carriers don’t know they’re infected, and HIV is thought most infectious the first year after infection.

Typhoid

Found – developing parts of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Cause – is caused by the bacteria salmonella typhi. Feces, urine, and contaminated food and water are the principal sources of infection. Again often through a food handler with poor hygiene. Sewage-contaminated shellfish is also a source.

Symptoms – limited to a fever of one week, but can include headache, anorexia, general malaise, and constipation, giving way to diarrhea, a non-productive cough, nosebleed, and raised pink spots on the upper abdomen. Complications may result, and the death rate for serious cases is ten percent for those untreated, one percent for those treated.

Treatment – with antibiotics.

Prevention – by cautious eating and drinking, and by an oral or injectable vaccine, both of which are about sixty-five percent effective for five years. The oral vaccine is four pills taken every other day; the injectable requires two shots one month apart. The oral vaccine has fewer side effects. Antibiotics are not recommended as a preventive since they disrupt normal intestinal bacteria and can facilitate infection with salmonella typhi.

Malaria

Found – Africa and Asia. Poses the greatest health risk to travellers in warm climates, and is in fact the greatest health threat to humanity with up to 300 million cases occurring worldwide each year, with about one million deaths. The tragedy is currently increasing as mosquitoes become insecticide-resistant and forms of malaria become drug-resistant.

Cause – spread by the bite of the Anopheles mosquito, which generally feeds dusk through dawn. It is caused by four types of a single-celled protozoa: vivax, ovale, malariae, and falciparum. These parasites attack and explode red blood cells.

Symptoms – for the first three types may include the classic malarial fever in three stages. First is a cold stage characterized by severe shivering, followed by a high fever stage of up to 105F (40C). Finally there is intense sweating which brings the fever down. The victim may also vomit and have a bad headache. The patient is left weak and tired, and sleeps.

These stages may occur cyclically, either every other day or every third day, but only after the disease is well-established. Malaria can be very difficult to diagnose in early stages.

Falciparum is a more severe type of malaria as all red blood cells are attacked. Death may result a few hours after symptoms begin. The brain may be affected, and liver and kidney failure are common.

Treatment – usually with a big dose of chloroquine. Falciparum malaria is resistant to chloroquine, however, so other drugs must be used. Discuss treatment with your travel clinic before you go, and immediately with local medical professionals if you acquire malaria-possible symptoms.

Prevention – is complicated, so only trust a high quality travel clinic to prescribe the proper medications for your specific destinations and physiology.

Yellow fever

Found – Yellow fever is found east of the Panama canal, in parts of South America, and in much of Africa.

Cause – a virus hemorrhagic (bleeding) disease transmitted in urban areas from person to person by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which feed during the day. In jungle areas it is transmitted from monkey to man by various mosquitoes.

Symptoms – begin three to six days after infection, are relatively mild in eighty percent of cases, and include fever, headache, and weakness, which last up to four days. The other twenty percent are more serious, including high fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, bleeding from the gums and nose, and severe pain in the neck, back, and legs. These may last a few days, followed by a remission, and then followed by a more severe illness, including increased fever, vomiting of blood, and jaundice due to liver damage, hence the name yellow fever. Approximately five percent of all victims die within days of the onset of symptoms.

Treatment – maintaining blood volume and fluids. No drug works against this virus.

Prevention – by the yellow fever vaccine, which lasts ten years. A yellow fever vaccination certificate (yellow card) is required for entry into and from countries where the disease is prevalent.

Dengue fever

Found – in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.

Cause – a viral, hemorrhagic disease transmitted by day-feeding Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

Symptoms – appear five to eight days after a bite from an infected mosquito, and include high fever, severe muscle and joint pain, and rash. They subside and recur about every three days. Recovery takes several weeks, with victims rarely dying.

Treatment – pain killers to relieve symptoms. There is no specific treatment.

Prevention – avoiding mosquito bites. There is no vaccine.

Plague

Found – While a few cases of plague occur every year in the American Southwest, it is mostly a disease of South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and India.

Cause – transmitted to humans by the bites of rodent fleas. The risk of plague to travellers is almost zero, especially if you make a habit of not handling rats, dead or alive.

Rabies

Found – worldwide.

Cause – a viral disease of the nervous system. Transmitted by animal bites, scratches, or even licks on an open cut.

Skunks, raccoons, and bats are the major carriers in North America. In Central and South America dogs and vampire bats are the primary vectors. Jackals are the primary carriers of rabies in Africa. In Southeast Asia and India dogs are the leading vectors to humans. Note, however, that any mammal bite may transmit rabies. Ireland, Britain, Norway, Sweden, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand do not have the disease, and require an extensive quarantine for pets entering the country.

Symptoms – begin from nine days to many months after exposure. These include fever, hyperactivity, seizures, and often an intense thirst that cannot be quenched since liquids produce violent and painful spasms in the throat. The victim will die within three to twenty days from onset of symptoms.

Prevention and Treatment – passive immunization before symptoms appear, and ideally within two days of exposure. Competent medical advice should be immediately sought after a bite in a rabies endemic country. Clean the wound thoroughly with soap and clean water for at least five minutes, but don’t stitch it closed. The sooner vaccination is begun, the better the prognosis. Today’s vaccines are not so painful, and are no longer given through the stomach.

There are about 30,000 deaths every year from rabies, nearly all in developing countries. Almost invariably fatal if left untreated.

Chagas’ disease

Found – rural Central and South America, but especially Brazil. Also called American sleeping sickness. Can be fatal.

Cause – transmitted by the bite of the assassin bug, which makes its home in thatched roof and adobe huts in This bug prefers to bite on the face and defecate. Single-celled parasites called trypanosomes enter the body, grow to huge numbers, then attack many organs, including the heart.

Symptoms – a hard, purple swelling which appears on the bite site about a week later.

Treatment – effective only if caught early.

Prevention – not sleeping in mud huts, by using mosquito netting, or by at least sleeping in the middle of the room away from walls. This disease is extremely rare in travellers.

Brucellosis

Found – rare in the US but not in Latin America and Mediterranean countries.

Cause – bacteria from unpasteurised dairy products.

Symptoms – high fever, shaking, sweating, and severe depression.

Treatment – antibiotics and rest.

Schistosomiasis (bilharziasis)

Found – is common in tropical regions worldwide, affecting about 200 million people.

Cause – several species of flukes (flattened worms) called shistosomes. They live in fresh water lakes and rivers, where they live part of their life cycle in snails.

Symptoms – vary from none to serious. The first is usually an itchy rash where the parasite has burrowed through the skin. Weeks later flu-like symptoms may begin, including high fever, chills, muscle aches, and diarrhea. The symptoms may go away and recur a month or two later. Long-term damage includes cirrhosis and kidney failure.

Treatment – a single dose of an anthelminthic (antiparasitic) drug, which kills the flukes.

Prevention – avoiding freshwater rivers and lakes in the tropics, but especially the Nile Valley, where schistosomiasis is rife.

Leishmaniasis

Found – the Middle East, South America.

Cause – a single-celled parasite transmitted via sandfly bites.

Symptoms – Some varieties affect mostly the skin, producing large ulcers at the bite area. In the Middle East this is known as the Baghdad boil. South American forms of the disease may cause more severe tissue damage, especially to the face. Another variety, called kala azar, causes internal organ damage.

Treatment – sodium stibogluconate.

Prevention – avoid sand fly bites by wearing shoes, socks, pants, long-sleeves, and by using DEET.

Filariasis

Found – in the tropics.

Cause – larvae or worms, and transmitted to man by insects.

Onchocerciasis (river blindness)

Found – in Central and South America, and Africa.

Cause – a worm infestation. The parasite is transmitted from person to person by the black simulium fly, which is found only near fast-moving rivers and streams.

Treatment – with diethylcarbamazine, which must be administered under close medical supervision since severe reactions to the dead and dying worms may occur.

Prevention – avoid black fly bites.

Giardiasis

Found – in the United States and worldwide, especially in the tropics and the public water systems of the former Soviet Union.

Cause – an intestinal infection caused by a single-celled parasite. Giardia cysts (eggs) are spread from the feces of infected animals.

Symptoms – the cysts hatch two or three weeks after ingestion, causing abdominal symptoms such as violent diarrhea, foul-smelling gas, and cramps. Sixty percent of those infected, however, show no symptoms.

Treatment – giardiasis clears up on its own after two or three weeks, although metronidazole speeds recovery.

Prevention – drink only pure or treated water.

Jiggers

Found – a type of sandfly found in tropical areas of the Americas and Africa.

Symptoms – burrow between toes and under toenails, where eggs are deposited under the skin causing a painful and itchy pea-sized swelling.

Treatment – removing the jigger with a sterile needle, and thoroughly cleaning with antiseptic.

Prevention – wear shoes or at least sandals, and by keeping nails well-trimmed.

Chiggers

Found – worldwide on grass and weeds.

Symptoms – red mites attach themselves to bare legs and ankles and feed on blood. May cause a painful, itchy swelling about a half inch in diameter.

Prevention – wear socks and pants, and by applying DEET to exposed skin, socks, and pant cuffs.

Bedbugs

Found – worldwide. Small, flat, usually brown bugs found in beds and furniture during the day, and come out at night.

Symptoms – a straight line of red bites across the skin. They rarely spread disease, but the bites should be cleaned with antiseptic to prevent infection.

Prevention – check bedding carefully, look for tiny red splotches on sheets and blankets. If found, take another room or use a hammock.

Sandflies

Found – tiny, nearly-invisible long-legged flies common to tropical areas.

Symptoms – walking at at dawn and dusk stirs up flies and results in bites. Can transmit several diseases to humans.

Prevention – remain indoors or in a hammock during dawn and dusk. Cover exposed skin, especially legs, ankles, and arms, and use DEET. Wear socks.

Lice

Found – tiny, flat, wingless bugs found wordlwide.

Treatment – body lice are killed by washing clothes in very hot water, or by using a hot dryer. Other lice can be killed with lotions and shampoos containing benzene hexachloride.

Scabies

Found – are tiny mites found worldwide that burrow into the skin and lay eggs.

Symptoms – intense itching, especially at night.

Treatment – with an insecticide lotion.

Hookworms

Found – half-inch long worms that live in the small intestines of 700 million people around the world, especially in the tropics.

Cause – burrowing into the feet, or by ingestion.

Symptoms – a red and very itchy rash on the feet that lasts for several days. A cough and pneumonia are also possible when a heavy infestation passes through the lungs.

Prevention – wear shoes or sandals.

Treatment – an anti-worm drug.

Guinea worm

Found – numerous African and Asian countries.

Cause – drinking water containing the cyclops crustacean water flea.

Symptoms – begin a year later when the worm is fully grown and ready to reproduce. It comes to the surface of the skin where a blister forms. Hives, diarrhea, and vomiting often occur at this time. When the blister bursts the end of the worm is exposed, and debilitating pain begins.

Treatment – wrap the exposed worm around a stick, and then gently wind it out over several days. This is dangerous (although impressive) as if the worm breaks an infection can develop.

Beefworm (botfly larvae)

Found – Central America. It is common in the jungles of Belize.

Symptoms – like a mosquito bite that doesn’t go away. After several weeks it resembles a boil, except for a tiny hole in the center. If you look closely with a magnifying glass you will see something pushing to the surface every so often to breathe and expel waste. As it feeds it occasionally delivers a sharp pain like a hot needle stabbing into flesh, which lasts only a few but very long seconds.

Treatment – the traditional Mayan method is to pour tobacco juice into the hole which kills the beefworm in about an hour. You then easily squeeze it out. Another method is to suffocate it overnight by covering the hole with multiple layers of glue and plastic wrap. It becomes poppable if you manage to cut off 100% of its air.

Tumbu fly

Found – in Africa.

Cause – fly lays eggs on clothing left out to dry, which later hatch with skin contact.

Treatment – similar to the botfly.

Prevention – ironing clothes to kill the eggs.

Tie/scarf/bandana

A wool scarf can be very effective in cold weather but can be bulky. You can always buy . . . → Read More: Middlewear]]>

Tie/scarf/bandana

A wool scarf can be very effective in cold weather but can be bulky. You can always buy one wherever you are if it gets too cold.

A good substitute is something like a bandana or a sarong, or maybe a towel or just buy a thin locally bought scarf. This can also help vary your outfits as it makes a good accessory.

A cotton bandana is probably the most versatile for not only can it serve as a neck or head scarf, you can use it for a cravat/tie, a hat or headband, sun shade or sleep mask, a mini-curtain in a bus or car, napkin, handkerchief, dust mask, tablecloth, mat for sitting on, towel, washcloth, bandage, tourniquet, cold compress, short cord, pot scrubber, or a small carrying sack.

Shirts

Counter-intuitively, the more covered up you are in hot weather the cooler you can be. Loose, light, long-sleeved shirts will keep you cooler than wearing t-shirts (or bikinis). They will also protect your arms from sun and mosquitoes.

Not only this, in some countries bare arms are considered immodest for both men and women. You will also look more presentable at border-crossing and other formal occasions.

Two or three long-sleeved shirts (or blouses for women) and a couple of short-sleeved shirts should suffice (and remember, you can always roll up the sleeves on a long-sleeved shirt). They should be comfortable, washable, and look good even when dirty.

A cotton-polyester mixture is best. You won’t have to iron them and they can be washed and dried easily. Collars can be pulled up to protect your neck from the sun, and buttons can be undone for when it is hot or buttoned up when it gets colder.

Any colour other than white should be fine as these will show less dirt. Also, the more robust they are the more they will stand up to the sort of vigorous washing you may sometimes do (or have done) down at the river.

A great shirt that you can wear in any climate is the Craghoppers Nosquito Long Sleeved Shirt (shown right). This has mosquito repellent and an anti-bacterial treatment built in, as well as protection from the sun (SPF 40+).

It can be washed in the sink or a machine and is quick drying (and there’s no need for ironing). It also has a secret, zipped security pocket. I have two of these shirts, in Stone and Khaki colors and I am very pleased with them.

I also have a shirt from Coolibar. This is an American company that brings Australia’s approach to sun protection to the US market. Their sun protection products block 98 percent of the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

Another good idea is to take a heavier, long-sleeved shirt in flannel or heavy rip-stop cotton which can be used instead of a sweater, especially when it gets cold, almost like a thin jacket. These are more durable and protect against the sun and insects better than thinner fabrics.

T-shirts

Very useful and fashionable at home, maybe not so much when travelling. They can sometimes be hot and, if too tight, can be constricting, so if you must take them make sure they are loose-fitting and light-coloured.

Sweater/jumper/cardigan/hoodie

A warm sweater is essential travel equipment. Even in the hottest climates you will probably need one when it gets cooler in the evenings. Choose a fine-woven wool over a bulky-knit.

A cardigan (or a thin hoodie) is good for layering, and can be used as a substitute jacket at a pinch.

Jacket

Can be useful if you anticipate more formal occasions and some companies make special travel jackets (Tilley and TravelSmith, for example).

Trousers/pants

Two pairs of trousers should be enough. Take one pair for general, everyday use that is tough enough for hard, dirty travel, and a second (just as tough) pair that can be used for walking in cities, at border-crossings and customs, public offices, and more formal occasions.

Try to buy a lightweight cotton or cotton-polyester mix and choose a fit that is not too tight. They should weigh under one pound (454g) each, and should be easy to wash and dry quickly.

One of the best pairs of travel trousers you can buy (and one which I own) is Craghoppers Kiwi Trousers (show left). Like the Craghopper’s shirt above, they have UV protection, as well as a water repellent finish. They are easy to wash and dry and don’t need ironing. As worn by Michael Palin on his world travels.

I also have a pair of Rohan Cargos (non-convertible). These are anti-bacterial treated, are windproof, protect against the sun, and have zippered security pockets.

Travelling with jeans, however, is not such a good idea. They may look good but they are heavy (about 1.5 pounds (680g) a pair), bulky, are hard to wash, and take forever to dry. They are also pretty hot to wear in the tropics. If they are tight against your skin then you will also be vulnerable to insect bites.

Shorts

Very popular these days with travellers are trousers with zip-off legs which convert them to shorts or capris (sometimes both). They are probably quite useful, and can certainly cut down the number of items you have to carry by one, but anything with extra zips will mean more things to break or go wrong.

You also have to find somewhere to stash the extra bits when not in use (and make sure they don’t get lost). And, when used as trousers, they just look like shorts with bits zipped onto the bottoms, so they may not be suitable for the fashion-conscious. Better to take separate trousers and shorts (and anyway, swim trunks can be used as shorts if necessary and are a lot lighter).

Craghoppers make Kiwi Zip Off Trousers in which the legs zip off making them into walking shorts.

Be aware that shorts that show lots of bare leg (on men and women) can be seen as indecent in some places (or even effeminate for men in some countries!) and for women can invite unwanted attention.

Long trousers protect your (lower) legs from the sun, poison plants and thorns, cuts and scrapes, bugs and insects, and hot (and cold) metal bus parts, things that shorts don’t often do.

If you must wear them, find shorts that are as tough as your trousers and loose-fitting. Mid-length (just around the knee) are a good compromise, not too short, not too long.

Skirts

Worth considering for female travellers as they are good around town in hot climates and for areas where trousers on women are considered inappropriate (in some Muslim countries, for example). They are also cool, comfortable, compact, and easy to wash and dry. They should fall far below the knees to be acceptable in most places.

Belt

Nylon or canvas are best as they dry quickly and don’t rot in humid conditions like leather. Don’t use a cheap plastic belt, and try to make sure the buckle is of reasonable quality.

I wear an Eagle Creek all terrain money belt (shown right), which is good quality and has the added advantage of a hidden money compartment on the inside.

Sarong

Worn all over Asia and the Pacific, this is a length of thin cotton cloth a few yards/metres square. Like the bandana, it is another multipurpose item. You can use it as a temporary wrap on the beach or hotel corridor, a shawl, hat, sheet, towel, bag, curtain, pillowcase, tablecloth, blanket, shorts, trousers, skirt, and a mosquito defence.

As well as a passport, many countries require a visa to enter. This is simply a document or stamp . . . → Read More: Visas]]>

As well as a passport, many countries require a visa to enter. This is simply a document or stamp issued by a country giving you permission to enter for a given period of time and for certain purposes, which is usually stamped or glued inside your passport, or issued as separate pieces of paper.

Here are some examples of entry requirements around the world (check with the country’s embassy or consulate before you leave, though):

New Zealand doesn’t require US or EU citizens to obtain a visa in advance but you do need a return or onward ticket (plus a visa for the country where you are heading, if required).

Some countries (for example, Australia) use electronic “visas” where you can apply online and, if successful, your name is added to a database which is checked when you enter the country.

Indonesia requires an onward ticket for entry but these can be bought cheaply after landing at the Indonesian airport and then sold later if not needed.



There are reciprocal arrangements between various countries, too, like the US Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the US for tourism or business for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa and vice-versa. The reciprocal arrangement means that most European countries will admit citizens of the United States with just a valid passport.

Canada just requires that US citizens have official identification (usually a driver’s licence), and sufficient funds to enter.

Mexico requires just an id to travel within 26 kilometers of the border, and a $15 visitor card beyond that (bought at checkpoints).

Thailand will issue a free transit visa valid for 15 days to those arriving there without a visa as long as you have an onward airline ticket. For $25, paid in advance at a Thai embassy or consulate, you can get 30, 60 or 90 day visas (valid from the date of entry), with no need for an onward ticket.

A visa for visiting India is multiple entry (you can leave and re-enter on the same visa), and can be obtained at your local Indian embassy. You will get an application form which you send back with your passport and the required fee by registered mail. Your passport is then returned with the visa inside. This will take about two weeks, although, for an additional fee, you can get next-day processing. The visa is valid from the date of issue, not from when you enter the country.

Other things to be aware of are such things as the fact that there are certain countries that will not let you enter if you have an Israeli entry stamp in your passport (or if you use an Israeli passport when entering). Luckily, you can make alternative arrangements, for example, by applying for a second passport if you travel frequently to Israel.

The World Travel Guide says this: “Tourists [visiting Israel and] continuing [on] to Arab countries, excluding Egypt and Jordan, are recommended to request that an Israeli stamp does not appear in their passport. The granting of such requests is at the discretion of the authorities.”

As with passports, applying for visas is another thing that can take time (for visas to enter some countries it can take months), so, again, check the requirements for the countries you are visiting well in advance of your trip (here, for example, on the World Travel Guide website).

Once in a country it can be possible get visa extensions but sometimes it is easier to leave the country and come back on a new visa.

Finally, it also pays to take extra passport-sized photos for any additional visas that you might need while travelling.

Not everywhere takes credit or debit cards so another option is to withdraw cash from a local ATM. This . . . → Read More: Getting Cash from ATMs]]>

Not everywhere takes credit or debit cards so another option is to withdraw cash from a local ATM. This has the same advantage as using a credit card, that of getting the wholesale exchange rate, plus the fact that you can get local currency from the machines.

Again, find out any daily /weekly/ monthly limits your bank imposes on transactions.

Disadvantages are, again, the fees charged. There is the usual currency exchange fee, plus a handling fee (a flat fee of a few dollars/pounds, or a percentage 2-4%, again, per transaction).

In addition, bear in mind that if you use your credit card for a cash advance from an ATM then interest will start to accrue immediately without a grace period (unlike purchases made with the credit card). And of course, with debit cards, there is no interest to accrue as the money comes straight out of your bank account.

For this reason a good rule of thumb would be to use your credit card for purchases and to use your atm/debit card for cash withdrawals (remembering that you also get purchase protection with the credit card).



Another thing to keep in mind is that PINs (Personal Identification Numbers) can work differently in different countries. Some countries use six digits but four is more common, so consider changing to a 4 digit PIN if you can.

Try to make sure that the first digit of your PIN is not a zero either, as this can sometimes cause problems. Conversely, if you do have a four digit PIN and the machine you are using asks for a six digit number, try entering two zeros at the start of the number then your PIN.

If you can, try to find and ATM which is part of the PLUS network (for VISA) or the Cirrus network (for MasterCard) withdrawals. These are interbank networks that allow your cards to work in the other bank’s ATM machines.

A Cirrus system card, for example, will currently work in over sixty countries, including about 10,000 machines in the U.K., 1000 in France, 1400 in Austria, 3000 in Turkey, 300 in Israel, 3600 in Mexico, 1800 in Australia, and 150 in Thailand.

The networks are designed to make available the same services that you get when you use your ATM at home, such as balance enquiries (and of course, cash withdrawals). There is no guarantee, however, that you won’t be charged yet another, additional fee to use the other bank’s ATM (as well as your own bank’s fees on top of this).

Even so, you will inevitably run into trouble using an ATM abroad, so to cover all eventualities, take a credit card, an ATM card, and a few hundred (or thousand) dollars/pounds in cash, as well as a small amount of local currency, and maybe even some traveller’s cheques.

If you are having trouble finding an ATM overseas you can find them using the Internet. Click here for the worldwide Mastercard ATM locator, and here for the worldwide VISA ATM locator.