Borders...love them or hate them, if you're not travelling through Europe with it's mainly 'open borders' at the present.....you will have to deal with them. Personally at some borders I get a little nervous, so here's a few of my tips for the uninitiated in ….absolutely no particular order at all…...not for you 'savvy travellers' out there who've 'seen it, done it, bought the tee shirt'....in fact if you lot have got any extra hints or tips, please feel free to send them in so I can add them onto the list. Those of you that would like any further help or advice, please feel free to contact me here 💌
1. Check your passport is valid. Many countries require 6 months left before your passport expires.
2.Check the latest Travel Blogs/Government websites for up to date information. There's lots of people out there writing up their experiences in different countries. Don't be too fazed by some Government information as it could be deemed as 'scare mongering'.....take heed but use your own common sense.
3.Always have plenty off copies of your paperwork available and keep the originals in a safe place. Many borders require copies and if you've already got some it will save you running all over looking for the copy shops.
4.Check a country's regulations before you cross a border....ie can you take food across and is so...what?
5. If you use a drone, again check the country's regulations out before you cross. Some countries now require a permit and some countries have banned the use of them, so if you do have one ,you may have to tuck it away.
6. Check a border's opening times.
7.Try to avoid crossing at night or weekends. Some borders are not open 24/7 and there's often only skeleton staff employed at these times.Insurance may be very hard or not possible to buy out of hours at borders where it's available. Also shops/copy shops/cafes that are open during the day at some borders will be closed.
8.Learn a little of the local language. If this is hard for you, have some words/phrases written down in case you need them. Obviously in this day and age 'Google Translate' on phones is very helpful. Personally I prefer to interact than to have my head in my phone constantly trying to get a signal to work out what somebody just said.
9.Cameras on motorcycle helmets and dashcams in cars are an excellent idea. As well as being able to record any 'incidents' they are also a good deterrent and prevention device for possible corruption/bribe situations. Do not pay bribes to 'get to the front of a queue' for instance or anything else....you're only encouraging the bribe culture and making it harder for the next person to pass.
10. Check what vaccinations are required in each country and ensure yours are up to date.
11. Depending on what Nationality you are, check to see if you need a visa for any particular country.
12. Don't be pressured into using a fixer...….seriously, the majority of the time you don't need one.
13. Check exchange rates before you cross a border. Most money exchangers at the border are fair but there will always be one who try's it on.Don't get caught out.
14.Carry a language translation book/dictionary relevant to the country you're visiting to study and help you out in situations where you may have to explain something ie. a part on your bike/car......Google Translate doesn't not always mean what it says.
Finally for now, because that's all I can think of, off the top of my head......ENJOY YOUR TRIP 😀
For those of you heading down the Pan American Highway for the Trip of a Lifetime.....just turn the page
