Lesson 1- Make Sure They Will Let You In!

When you are traveling the world there is so much to learn. While my journey hasn't even begun yet, I have learned an important lesson. There is so much work for you to do before they will even let you on the plane. I was supposed to officially leave for India 2 days ago. Well that was the plan. Silly me!! I thought paying $200 for a passport should get you into any country. Apparently not!!! Not only does a passport not grant you entry but the paperwork is Excedrin worthy!

So, lesson #1 is to know the requirements for entry. Be sure to contact the local embassy of the country you are visiting to see if you need to get a Visa. For example, India has all types of restrictions. You have to get a visa just to be a tourist. However, there are even more rules. If you are on a tourist visa, once you complete your visit you cant re-enter the country for another 6 months. An employment Visa is a whole different monster. I had to gather my life history and submit 20 pages worth of documents for a 1 year entry Visa.

 The funniest thing that I have learned in this whole process is that even Visa applications are outsourced. The Indian Embassy hires an outside company to collect all the application materials and fees and verify them. You have to go through them before your application even reaches the Embassy. I understand the cost efficiency but from my experience it just pushes back the timeline on granting Visas. However, I have the feeling that I will only see more of this on my journey through India. Most major companies like Dell, Bank of America, AT&T etc, have their call centers in India. I guess no job is safe these days.

Anyhow after nearly 3 weeks, $235 in visa fees, numerous trips to Fedex and mountains of paperwork, the Indian Embassy finally has all of my documents. I will be leaving for India in just a few days. Am I nervous, not al all. I can barely contain my excitement. Yes, I know I will have major jet lag and I will have to get used to eating Indian food but traveling is my biggest dream.  So, let the games begin!!!