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INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS BrilliantTrips will be happy to assist you in securing flights to and from your BrilliantTrips host country. Contact us for a quote and/or to book a flight. The cost of the international flight is in addition to the trip price listed in the detailed trip description. You are welcome to arrange flights on your own, but you should make sure to arrive on time for the 1st day of your trip. Please see the detailed trip description for specific information or contact BrilliantTrips for more information. Some BrilliantTrips have flights within the tour. Some are included in the trip price listed in the detailed trip description and others are not. Please see the detailed trip description for information. The following passport Information is mainly for U.S. citizens. Please contact your country of citizenship for more information on your country's requirements. All travelers need a passport for all international travel. In many cases, the traveler's passport must be valid at least six months after the scheduled return date. If you do not have a passport, your passport has expired, or you need additional pages, you should start the application process now! For information on passport offices nationwide, passport applications, and passport renewals, visit the U.S. Department of State at www.travel.state.gov/passport. Citizens of countries other than the United States must inquire with their home country. Please note: If your passport has expired or will expire within six months of your scheduled return to the United States, you will need to renew your passport. If you have a passport that was obtained before you turned 16, you might need a renewal since passports issued before the age of 16 expire in 5 years (as opposed to the usual 10). Your passport must also be valid during the time of travel abroad as well as 6 months after your return to the United States, depending upon the airline used and/or the consulate requirements for your visa. Visit the U.S. Department of State's Passport Services website for more information such as passport offices nationwide, passport applications, and passport renewals at www.travel.state.gov/passport. If you do have a current passport that has not expired, check it anyways. If you are lucky enough to have filled up most of the pages in your passport, you might need to send in your passport to receive additional pages. Also, make sure your passport will be valid for your time of travel plus 6 months after your scheduled return date. The following is a list of documents/information you should be prepared to submit with your passport application: 1) Proof of Citizenship (Previous U.S. passport or Birth Certificate (original or certified copy) or Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth or Naturalization Certificate or Certificate of Citizenship) Note: depending upon the region, birth certificates can take a few weeks to receive. Plan ahead. 2) Two Passport-sized color photos. 3) Your Social Security Number. 4) Identification (current, valid driver's license or previous passport). Note that your Social Security card is not considered valid identification Visit the U.S. Department of State's Passport Services website at www.travel.state.gov/passport for a current listing of the documents needed to obtain a passport. Current passport costs are as follows: However, visit the U.S. Department of State's Passport Services website for the most current costs at www.travel.state.gov/passport. According to the U.S. Department of State, routine applications are processed within four to six weeks of receipt. Requests for expedited service are processed within three weeks. If you need to obtain a passport sooner than three weeks, you will need to contact passport services. Since processing times depend upon the time of year, visit the U.S. Department of State's Passport Services website for updated processing times at www.travel.state.gov/passport. The following visa information is mainly for U.S. citizens. Please contact your country of citizenship and the countries to which you will travel for more information. Visa requirements vary for entry and transit. Please see the program description for which you are interested for more information on specific entry and transit visas. Additionally, visit the U.S. Department of State's website at http://travel.state.gov/visa, then select "Americans travelling abroad", then select "foreign entry requirements". Select each country you will travel to and through (include flight stopovers) for current requirements. Ultimately, the host country's embassy or consulate will issue (or in rare instances, deny) the visa, if one is required. Non-U.S. passport holders may be required to have visas to enter some countries. It is the traveller's responsibility to make sure that he/she has all the necessary visas before he/she departs. Travellers must consult the consulate or embassy for the countries to which and through which he/she will travel regarding visa requirements. Since visas are issued for a limited length of time, in order to avoid early expiration, the consulate typically will issue your visa no more than 90 days prior to your departure. Also, the visa process can be lengthy and can take up to eight weeks before you receive your visa. Others are issued immediately and/or electronically and take no time at all, e.g. Australia issues electronic visas (ETA) which can be purchased online or through the airline. Remember, you must have a valid passport that you often must submit to the consulate while your visa is being processed. Allow plenty of time and check with the issuing authority, i.e. check with the consulate of the country you are travelling to for details. Also, visit www.travisa.com/travelvisa regarding visas and expedited visa services. Please note: ultimately, it is your responsibility to contact the appropriate consulate, provide all necessary documents, comply with any additional requirements given to you by the consulate and apply for your visa. Costs vary. Each country has a different policy and makes different requests of each unique individual. Some countries have more straight forward guidelines than others. Expect cultural variances in the way consulates assist you. Customer service is not always a top priority. Be patient, but make sure the consulate knows your date of departure. After your booking is confirmed, you will receive a detailed pre-departure package in the mail. This package will include the details of your trip, tickets and vouchers where applicable, tips, etc. Please visit the following for the most recent updates from the U.S. Department of State, www.travel.state.gov/travel. We recommend that you check your government's advice for the latest travel information before departure. When traveling on a group trip, please note that your group leader has the authority to amend or cancel any part of the trip itinerary if it is deemed necessary due to safety concerns. Your leader will accompany you on all included activities. During your trip you may have some free time to pursue your own interests, relax and take it easy or explore at your leisure. While your group leader will assist you with options available in a given location please note that any optional activities you undertake are not part of your itinerary, and they offer no representations about the safety of the activity or the standard of the operators running them. Please use your own good judgment when selecting an activity in your free time. Although the cities visited on tour are generally safe during the day, there can be risks to wandering throughout any major city at night. It is our recommendation to stay in small groups and to take taxis to and from restaurants, or during night time excursions. We strongly recommend the use of a neck wallet or money belt while traveling, for the safe keeping of your passport, air tickets, traveler's checks, cash and other valuable items. Leave your valuable jewelry at home; you won't need it while travelling. Many of the hotels used have safety deposit boxes, which is the most secure way of storing your valuables. A lock is recommended for securing your luggage. However, you may wish to leave this off while flying so that security does not cut it off when inspecting your bags. Visit www.tsa.gov/travelers for information on TSA approved locks. Eating is a big part of traveling. Travelling on a BrilliantTrip, you experience the vast array of wonderful food that is available in the world. Generally, with G.A.P. Adventures, meals are not included in the trip price when there is a choice of eating options, to give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where, what and with whom to eat. It also gives you more budgeting flexibility, though food is generally cheap. Groups tend to eat together to enable you to taste a larger variety of dishes and enjoy each other's company. There is no obligation to do this though. Your group leader will be able to suggest favorite restaurants during your trip. During most ISV Volunteer Work Projects, three meals per day are provided. The number of meals provided during the Adventure Tour portion of the ISV trip varies depending on the host country, but as part of the trip cost, at least half of the meals will be provided. If you have any dietary restrictions, you should make sure to inform BrilliantTrips and your group leader. While traveling throughout the world, the dress standard can vary and is often more conservative than it is at home. For example, in predominately Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim countries, you must dress respectfully and avoid very short shorts/skirts and tank tops when visiting temples or mosques or other holy sites. Check a guide book, such as Lonely Planet, for more information. Every traveler is different and therefore spending money requirements will vary. Some travelers may drink more than others, while other travelers like to purchase more souvenirs than most. Please consider your own spending habits when it comes to allowing for drinks, shopping and tipping. Please also see your detailed tour description for specific recommendations when planning your trip. ATMs are often found within main cities and usually accept Visa and MasterCard. Most ATMs abroad require a 4 digit Personal Identification Number (PIN). You should contact your bank if you need to change your current PIN to conform. Cash and traveler's checks are also suggested for times when ATMs are not accessible. You can exchange traveler's checks in some hotels and banks, but this takes time and possibly fees. Thomas Cook or American Express traveler's checks in U.S. currency are the easiest traveler's checks to change. Euros, British Pounds and U.S. Dollars are usually the easiest currencies to exchange. Please note that you should bring some cash with you for emergencies situations, but carrying only cash is a high safety risk. It is a good idea to arrive in the country you are visiting with a small amount of local currency when possible. Ask your bank for details on currency exchange. For current exchange rates, visit www.xe.com or www.oanda.com. Also, see detailed tour description for more information. Single travelers should not have to pay more to travel so the group trips we offer are designed for shared accommodation and do not involve a single supplement. Single travelers joining group trips are paired in twin share accommodation with someone of the same sex for the duration of the trip. As you travel on a group trip you will be exposed to all the pleasures and maybe some of the frustrations of traveling in a group. Your fellow travelers will probably come from all corners of the world and are likely to be of a variety of ages too. We ask you to be understanding of the various needs and preferences of your group; patience with your fellow travelers is sometimes required for the benefit of everyone's travel experience. Remember too that you have responsibilities to the group. If you are requested to be at a place at a certain time, ensure that you don't keep the rest of the group waiting. We have found time and time again that the very best trips are those where the dynamics within the group work well. This takes just a little effort on your part. Tipping practices vary from country to country. U.S. tipping percentages and frequency seem to be a bit higher than the rest of the world. It is a good idea to consult a guidebook (Lonely Planet can be very good) for more specific information on the country or countries you will be visiting (especially if you plan to take a taxi upon arrival). What you need to bring depends on the trip you have chosen and the countries or regions you are planning to visit. We suggest that you pack as lightly as possible as you are expected to carry your own luggage. At times, you may have to walk up to 15-20 minutes with your bags, which is why we recommend keeping the weight of your bags between 10-15kg/22-30lb. Suitcases are not recommended for BrilliantTrips! Most travellers carry a backpack or rolling bag of small to medium size (no XXL ones please!) as they might need to fit under the beds when storing them. You will also need a day pack/bag to carry water, cameras and other electronics like ipods and mobile phones. If your trip involves overnights in homestays, villages or camping, then you usually have the opportunity to rent sleeping bags if need be instead of bringing them with you. You may be required to pack a light blanket for the Egypt Trip. Please see your pre-departure packet for details. Laundry facilities are offered by some hotels for a charge. There will be times when you may want to or have to do your own laundry so we suggest you bring non-polluting/biodegradable soap. Some homestays will have laundry facilities, but often you will need to use a separate facility. After booking confirmation, you will be sent a pre-departure packet with more information. Visit our BrilliantTrips Brilliant "Tips" Blog for great tips on travel photography. Also, we love to see your photos! Share your photos with BrilliantTrips and your fellow travellers. Post your photos on our Facebook page! U.S. Government Sites Library of Congress: www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html General Travel Information Currency Converter: www.oanda.com
or www.xe.com News Foreign Language News: http://libraries.mit.edu/guides/types/flnews/ |
