Have you visited these countries/do you want to?

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8 Most Complicated Countries to Visit | Travel Deals, Travel Tips, Vacation Ideas | Budget Travel

Some of these places are not even on my travel to do list. How many have you visited or even want to visit?

[kyshel]

I read the article and thought it was very interesting.
I've done the Brasil and China visas. Brasil was the most difficult to determine for dates since they seldom allow more than the short visa. Even tho I applied with a letter showing my husband's employment with a major airline, and a letter explaining our ability to frequently visit their country for tourism (ding, ding--MONEY for their economy!?) we got 90 days. BTW--both visas are the same price.
The application for Russian visa has improved over the years. I've applied for crew visa twice for Boss. First time I had to print instructions from visa company and follow it exactly--what to omit, shorten, etc, basically how to answer without TMI. Thier online application is much better, since you can edit and then submit electronically, then get the approval to have visa company complete forms and blah blah blah...
Worst time I had when I went to India--well, TRIED--to fly with Boss to Chennai trip he had. Flying as his companion,with 24hr layover in Paris, got to check-in at CDG. When agent asked for my visa, I went numb. I didn't do my homework--he had no idea I needed one but he was already in the secure area for crew. The AF employees gave me all the info for the Indian Embassy, then called to find they would need a full day to process and I could get on tomorrow's flight. For a 48 hour stay in INdia, it wasn't worth the trouble, so I took the next flight back to Cincinnati and cried [again]. Still haven't been to India...

I will pass on the stans--Bhutan might be interesting but there's a lot more to see in China than where I went. I'll hit Jordan before I consider Saudi Arabia.

I prefer VOA with short queues and small fees!

[omegaet]

I've been in Brazil a couple of times.....even though we have a Brazil Consulate in Miami, we opted to use a service for our visas.....we much to prefer paying a 'fee' for their services vs. putting up with the traffic, parking and lines involved in doing it ourselves.

China would be the only other place of interest on the list...but we just don't see a visit in the near future, since it is difficult to cobble three or so weeks together (which would be the minimum time we would wish to stay, given the travel distance).

We were close to putting together an extended trip to India when the Oberoi packages started appearing here on Luxury Link, but once again, schedules didn't seem to work in our favor.

No interest in the other destinations....at least, not at this time.

[ngallag]

Wow, I had no idea that a Brazilian visa was apparently so "hard" to get. I just got back last month and had almost no trouble at all getting my visa and I can mess up any kind of paperwork. Luckily, I guess the Houston Brazilian consulate was easy to work with! 2 people in line, patient workers at the consulate, no parking fees.... The only thing I didn't like was that they told me (instructions on the website) to have a self addressed stamped priority mailing envelope ready--and then the visa turned out to be a sticker they just stuck in my passport--no envelope needed! So I wasted $20 on a priority mailing envelope, but just used it for something else. I was in and out in 20 minutes.

[kyshel]

How interesting! The director of the passport/visa service company my husband's company uses told me NOT to go to Houston office if I wanted the long visa. He said they get testy with airline people!
So glad to hear a good experience--we have the luxury of flying there, so it might be just what the visa doctor ordered. (I went to DC office for rush service and they were very nice/friendly and I got the visas in the mail 3 days later--no extra postage, but that was a few yrs ago) I was fondly recalling our LL package at Ariau Towers in the Amazon and we're looking at a new Amazonas lodge in Ecuador. I have to post a request for it in the forum.
We've been told that the Atlanta office is better suited for airline employees to get the extended visa, so I'll keep both in mind. I really want to revisit the Das Cataratas--see how much has changed since OE took over!

[LL_Travelfan]

Russia/St. Peterburg is on our bucket lisst. Heard getting a visa is a drag. However, our Danish friends took a Baltic Sea Cruise, and told us that no visa was needed. When they got off the ship, they had to show their passport and got it stickered. The second day, they just showed the passport with the sticker and passed without further ado. Maybe this is the way to go. They also said, that if you didn't speak Russian, it was virtually impossible to get around. They took tours arranged by the cruise company and were given no time to visit St. Petersburg on their own. Everything was very structured and strict.

[kyshel]

Russia/St. Peterburg is on our bucket lisst. Heard getting a visa is a drag. However, our Danish friends took a Baltic Sea Cruise, and told us that no visa was needed. When they got off the ship, they had to show their passport and got it stickered. The second day, they just showed the passport with the sticker and passed without further ado. Maybe this is the way to go. They also said, that if you didn't speak Russian, it was virtually impossible to get around. They took tours arranged by the cruise company and were given no time to visit St. Petersburg on their own. Everything was very structured and strict.

Danish passport holders? How long ago? Did the cruise originate/end in other countries?

Ten years ago, my aunt said lots of students came up to her in public places to practice their English.

[LL_Travelfan]

No, our friends are American citizens, but came over from Denmark a long time ago. They took the cruise last year and the cruise started in Denmark and ended in Stockholm, with two nights in St. Peterburg on the ship. I guess since they were in escorted tours, nobody approached them to practice their English.

[kyshel]

No, our friends are American citizens, but came over from Denmark a long time ago. They took the cruise last year and the cruise started in Denmark and ended in Stockholm, with two nights in St. Peterburg on the ship. I guess since they were in escorted tours, nobody approached them to practice their English.

HAHA--the Russian probably thought your friends were Danish!! My Aunt dressed very American!
That's good to know about the visa for the cruise. My husband has one, but alas, I have none...