Hi there,

I just booked my round-trip flight ticket to visit Cuba for two months, from January to March 2025. I’ve heard about the challenges Cubans are facing and the recent changes the island has gone through—economically (like the end of the dual-currency system) and administratively (the introduction of an e-visa)...

This is my first time visiting the country, so I’m still figuring out all the administrative steps I need to take before I go.

1) Can I apply for the electronic e-visa now (still 22 €?) from home on the website evisacuba.cu?

2) I read that I need to fill out a form 48 hours before departure on the site dviajeros.mitrans.gol-.cu/inicio. Is it possible to do this now to save time?

3) I’m a bit confused about the currency. From what I understand, there’s now only the Cuban Peso. Should I exchange my euros at the airport, or wait until I arrive at the *casas particulares* in Havana that I’ve already booked and ask the owner?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi everyone, is there anyone sure about this topic? I’ve heard two different things. I’m leaving for Thailand on March 2nd and returning to France on March 30th, and my passport expires on September 25th. When I look at the rule that says the passport must be valid for more than 6 months upon entry, I’m good until March 25th, but on the way out, I’ll be 2 days short of the full 6 months (5 days early, to be precise).

Most people tell me it’s okay because it’s the entry date that counts, and even ChatGPT confirmed that for me. But some say no, it’s the return date that matters. So I called Qatar Airways, and even there, I got two different answers—one person said no, it’s the return date, and another said it’s fine for them. I’m not sure they fully understood what I was asking, and since I’m not in Paris, I can’t go in person either...

Just to be safe, I applied for a passport renewal at the town hall. They told me it would take 4 to 6 weeks, and I applied on January 14th, leaving on March 2nd, which is 6 and a half weeks. On the ANTS tracking, it’s been marked as "in production" since January 17th...

So, are there any experts on this topic out there? Either about whether boarding is allowed with the old passport or about the usual timeline for receiving a new passport... Am I wrong to worry in either case?

Thanks to those who reply!

Hi, I’m traveling with my 6-year-old daughter this summer, and since her father hasn’t seen her in 3 months, he won’t be able to sign a travel consent form for me. He’s been completely out of touch since early March, and I have no idea where he is. We’re heading to Montreal for 2 weeks in early July—I have both the outbound and return tickets. Am I required to provide a signed consent letter from the father, even though she’s traveling with a parent who has legal custody? If I don’t have one but can prove my good faith—explaining that he’s completely unreachable—will that be enough? Thanks for your help!

Hi, I’m bringing Seresta, an anxiolytic (tranquilizer) from the benzodiazepine family, to help me sleep. I’ll have the prescription with me. Will this be a problem at customs, and do I need to declare it? Same question for antibiotics? Thanks a bunch!

Hey everyone, hope you're doing well! :) I’m planning to go back to Thailand at the start of next year—once just wasn’t enough 😅 I’ve seen that nothing’s official yet, but they’re considering reducing the visa-free stay from 60 to 30 days. If I book for 58 days like last time and they change the rules last minute, what happens? It takes forever to get a visa—I saw you have to prove you have enough funds to cover your stay. How much money do you need in your account? Thanks!

Hello,

I’ve heard a lot about WISE for low-cost money transfers (booking/paying for safari services). I’m looking for feedback from people who’ve actually used WISE to pay at a restaurant or withdraw local cash from an ATM.

Could you share what you consider the "pros" and "cons" of the WISE debit card compared to a traditional bank card? Also, do you think there are any risks? If so, what are they? Thanks in advance for shedding some light on this—I’m only interested in firsthand experiences.

Thanks!

...

Hi there, I have a valid ESTA for a trip planned on 2/23/2026.

However, I heard on the radio that a new law will be implemented in two months requiring travelers to provide information about their social media activity in addition to the ESTA.

My question is: will my current ESTA no longer allow me to enter the U.S.?

I'm looking for any recent info (2024) on entering Myanmar from Ranong in Thailand, as well as the journey up to Mawlamyine. Are there any restricted areas?

Hello, I’m a divorced mom with a 12-year-old, planning to take the train from France to London for a 5-day trip over Christmas. My question: is it mandatory to present the father’s authorization (which I’ll probably never get)? I’ve heard so many different stories from people who’ve already traveled—I’m totally lost. Please share your experiences!

Have a great day

Hi there,

We’re planning to drive to Senegal by car. We’re a little nervous because it’ll be our first time making the trip with a car that isn’t ours. We’re doing the trip to deliver it to its owner. Has anyone here done this before? What documents will we need?

Thanks in advance for your tips!

Hey Fellow Travelers,

I was caught off guard when the Malagasy consulate in Scandinavia informed me they don’t issue entry visas for Madagascar—what’s the point of a consulate, I wonder! They advised me to apply at the Malagasy embassy in London. So, I started filling out the online form, but the price for the visa made me do a double-take: nearly 200 €!

But apparently, you can also get it on arrival! Has anyone tried this before? I’d love to know if the process takes a long time (I’ll be landing in Nosy Be, exhausted after nearly 15 hours of travel), what the cost is, and—since corruption isn’t just a word—whether you absolutely have to grease the palm of the official(s). This is because I almost took the next flight back when I arrived in a country I won’t name. Even though all my documents were in order—passport, visa, vaccinations, hotel reservation—the immigration officer initially refused to stamp my passport. I later found out I was supposed to slip at least $10 into the document when presenting it... Thanks! /d

hi there since the forum is back up, let’s try to gather some updated info. first off, arrival formalities are changing—starting January 1st, you’ll need to fill out an electronic form before arrival. This replaces the paperwork you used to fill out on the plane or at the airport (for air arrivals). Here’s the link: https://www.arrival.gov.kh/. for visas, the same options remain: e-visa, visa on arrival, or visa at the embassy. The standard price is $30 on arrival, but at land borders, be prepared for a small "extra" for "cigarettes or coffee." don’t forget your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after your return. regarding airlines, prices are pretty high for carriers like Singapore, Qatar, Emirates, Vietnam Airlines, and Thai. EVA Air is a great Taiwanese airline with slightly lower fares, but ongoing pressure from mainland China and quasi-blockades could cause delays or issues—something to watch. there are cheaper Chinese airlines, but friends from China advise being cautious with connections. Worth double-checking. transport is evolving too—there’s now a highway from Phnom Penh to Kampot. Soraya, a well-known bus company, has disappeared. More highway projects are in the works. Buildings are popping up fast, just mentioning this for those who haven’t been to Cambodia in a while.

Hi, as an NRI with a European passport and OCI, can I get a credit card or debit card that offers services and benefits? What are all the requirements, please? Thanks for your reply, best regards

Hi, I’d like to know if a flight reservation for Bangkok is enough for the visa or if I need to wait until I have the actual ticket. Thanks

Hi everyone,

As the owner of a Peugeot 404 in Algeria, I have the opportunity to renovate it in France. My question is whether, administratively, I’m allowed to take my car out in a rusty, worn state and bring it back in great condition—will customs, the technical service, or any other administration have an issue with that?

Thanks in advance for your feedback and insights. Have a great day

Hi there, I need to apply for an ESTA: we’ll be on a cruise from Barcelona and will have a stopover in San Diego before disembarking two days later in Los Angeles. From there, we’ll continue our trip on our own, all the way to Las Vegas, where we’ll catch our flight back to Paris. So our point of entry into the U.S. will be San Diego. The form then asks if we’re in transit, and if not, to provide contact details for a U.S. contact (hotel or otherwise). But we don’t yet know what we’ll be doing there—we’ll actually be traveling around since we’re heading to San Francisco and Las Vegas without any prior reservations. What should we do since I don’t see any option that matches our trip? Thanks in advance for your help. Have a great Sunday, everyone.

Hi everyone, We’re leaving for Australia soon and renting a car for the different legs of our trip. We have our French license plus the international driving permit, but I read in the rental agency’s rules that they require an international permit written in English. However, on the "France Diplomatie" website, it doesn’t mention that the international permit has to be in English.

For those of you who’ve already been to Australia—can you confirm whether our French-language international driving permit is enough, or should I get an urgent translation?

Thanks for your feedback—takeoff is August 20th!🤪

Hello everyone,

My partner and I would like to travel to the Philippines at the end of August for a 4-month stay. We can’t apply for a tourist visa in advance because (from what I understand) we’d need to provide proof of hotel reservations for the entire stay. But planning a 4-month trip so far ahead isn’t something we want to do.

So my question is about extensions once we’re there:

After the initial 29-day extension request, we’d like to apply for another 2-month extension. Do you know if the same supporting documents are required for this one (pre-booked hotel, 2000 € in the bank account per month requested)?

Or can we go ahead without risk and request the extension without these documents?

Thank you so much for reading, and for this forum existing. Take care,

Boris

Hi, I just had a really bad experience leaving for Thailand with Etihad Airways, along with my partner and her 11-year-old son. We were denied boarding because the child’s passport was invalid (by about 3 days), as it’s indeed required to have 6 months of validity. But come on—just 3 days over! On top of that, we were able to check in online for our round-trip flight (just the flights, no extras), entered our passport numbers and expiry dates, and even had to check in online again 30 hours before departure, where we got our boarding passes without any issues. How is it possible that no one called, warned, or even blocked us online? Instead, they waited to tell us at the airport during baggage check-in. I’ve asked the airline for a full refund of our expenses—do I have any chance? Thanks for your help

My partner (Mexican) entered France on January 21st as a tourist. She was therefore entitled to stay for 90 days in the Schengen Area. She’ll be leaving for Mexico on April 16th, so she’ll have “used up” 86 days.

She plans to return to France on July 18th. According to the European Commission’s Schengen calculator, this new stay “may be authorized for a maximum of 90 days.” That’s not very clear ("may be," "for a maximum of").

The text of Article 6 of the European regulation (2016/399) states that for a stay planned in the territory of the Member States, not exceeding 90 days in any 180-day period, one must examine "the 180-day period preceding each day of the stay." That’s not very clear either.

My partner wants to return to France for a 90-day period starting on July 18th. Is this possible?

There are two ways to look at it:

1) The first day she spent in the Schengen Area was January 21st. That day will drop out of the calculation 180 days later, on July 20th.

From July 20th, she’ll get back 1 day of possible stay; on July 22nd, 2 days; and so on. All the days from her previous stay (January 21st–April 16th) need to be outside the 180-day rolling window. The last day of her stay was April 16th. Looking 180 days ahead, that brings us to October 13th. From that date, she’ll be able to return for a full 90 days. 2) The number of allowed days is calculated for each day of the new stay. In other words: the 180-day window is recalculated every day, not fixed at the entry date. If she re-enters France on July 18th, she’ll only have a “credit” of 4 days. But with each day of her new stay, one day from the previous stay (January–April) will drop out of the calculation. The rolling window allows her to “replace” days from the previous stay with those of the new stay, without ever exceeding 90 days in any 180-day period. In this case, my partner could stay in France for 90 days starting on July 18th. The Prefecture doesn’t provide any information, nor does Air France, and in the forums I’ve checked, opinions are divided. Thanks for any insights you can share!

Hey fellow travelers! 🙂 I’m heading to India in January with a tourist multi-entry ETA (is it still called an e-visa?). First things first, if I’ve understood correctly: I can enter and exit India as many times as I want, as long as my total stay doesn’t exceed 180 days in a full year and no single stay goes over 90 days. Okay, that’s the theory. Now, how does it work in practice? I plan to spend 3 months in India (Rajasthan, then the Ganges Valley up to Varanasi, then Sikkim), then head to Nepal for another 3 months (Kathmandu, Pokhara), and return to India for 3 more months before flying back to France. But here’s the thing—I’ve got the impression (maybe I misunderstood) that renewing the Indian visa has to be done in Kathmandu or Pokhara, and only in one of those two Nepali cities. Yet, on *Le Routard*, I thought I read that you just need to "cross the border and come back," meaning you can enter Nepal at any border point, which would be way more practical... Imagine someone who wants to spend 6 months in northern India and starts from Shimla—they’d have to travel all the way to Kathmandu, then back to Shimla, crossing a big chunk of Nepal just to renew their Indian visa. That seems pretty convoluted, especially since the northwest border with India is so far from Kathmandu. I used this example because I originally wanted to spend 6 months only in northern India, and while waiting for clear answers, I’ve planned an alternative route (the one I described at the start of this post).

Could someone explain exactly how this Nepal border crossing thing works for renewing an Indian visa (and getting another 90 days, within the 180-day annual limit, of course)? How long does it take? How much does it cost?

Can’t wait to hear from you, and thanks in advance for your valuable insights! 🙂 !

Hi, I'd like to know—I'm planning to go to Taiwan and would like to make a stop in China, then another stop in China on my way back from Taiwan.

In total, I'd stay less than 30 cumulative days in China, but would I still be allowed to return after coming back from Taiwan (while still benefiting from the visa exemption)?

Thanks! ^^

Hello everyone, Here’s the follow-up to our recent experience (5/11). Upon arrival at Manila T3, don’t look for the immigration office before passport control (this was info we’d gathered but turned out to be outdated). Go through passport control with your eTravel, grab your luggage with a trolley because the obstacle course begins. Head toward the exit hall, turn right, exchange a minimal amount at one of the two counters, continue toward Burger King, turn right, take the elevator at the end of the corridor to the 3rd floor (departure area), then turn right as you exit the elevator, head to the right, go around the big pillar on the left, and you’ll reach the immigration office that will process your extension quickly for the modest sum of 4070 pesos (the price increased due to a new tax as of June). This little route will save you from asking a thousand questions and getting just as many different answers. Next, logically, buy a local SIM card. There are two small kiosks side by side on the ground floor, Smart and Globe. Prices here are triple what you’ll find in the city, but honestly, if I had to do it again, I’d get both SIMs at the airport. For one simple reason: it’s a hassle in the city—you have to find the shop in a mall, go there, wait in line, explain what you want, and it takes forever. We got a Globe SIM at the airport and a Smart SIM in Baguio, and we really struggled. The cheapest rate offered by Globe at the airport is 1500 PHP for 1 month, with calls and 80GB of internet. It’s oversized, but be careful—they’ll try to sell you an even more expensive SIM upfront (2500 PHP). Smart offers roughly the same terms. It’s pricier, but it’s a turnkey solution—the hostess handles registration with the authorities (passport, etc.) and configures your phone. Finally, almost at the far right, there’s a Grab kiosk (taxis, the Asian Uber, which I highly recommend—it’s so convenient!). They’ll arrange a safe taxi for you no matter your destination in Manila. Watch your belongings during all these tasks that keep you occupied—a tourist had their bag stolen while we were there! All this took us two hours from the moment we got off the plane, but you’ll likely save time with these tips. There you go—you’re ready to face Manila’s traffic jams on your way to your hotel. This is just a summary of our own experience; I hope it helps. Have a great stay! 😊

Hello,

We’re leaving in November 2025 for a stay of more than 60 days in Khao Lak and need to apply for a 30-day extension on-site to be allowed to stay nearly 90 days. Should we declare the flight ticket dates (November 13, 2025, to February 9, 2026) directly on the electronic form (if it’s applied from May 1st) before leaving, at the risk of being denied entry (over 60 days), or declare 60 days and quickly apply for a 30-day extension once there? Are flight tickets checked upon arrival (Phuket) or earlier on the electronic entry request? I remember that the arrival check is quite "serious" and after 18 hours of travel, you’re pretty impressionable! Thanks for your help, Best, Bruno.

Hello everyone, We’re planning a family trip (my wife and our two kids) for 12–13 months in 2026–2027. The idea is to start our journey by biking across the U.S. from July to December 2026. We’re thinking of leaving our bikes there and then traveling by public transport for 3 months in Central America down to Belize (during the U.S. winter). After that, we’d return to the U.S. and finish our trip by bike for about 4 more months.

We’ll need to apply for a B2 visa, but we’ve heard the conditions are for a 6-month stay. Depending on the border officers’ discretion, we *might* be allowed to re-enter the U.S. if we’ve left for a non-contiguous country for a while (which would be our case since we’d go as far as Belize). Has anyone here confirmed this? Have you been in this situation before, and is there a chance we might not be allowed back into the U.S. after leaving at the end of 2026?

Another question about the B2 visa interview. We’ve read it’s best to be transparent with the officer. Should we mention our full plan (including the trip to Belize and return to the U.S.), or should we only talk about the first part?

Thanks so much for your experiences and advice!

Hi everyone. I’m leaving for almost 3 months in the Philippines (11 weeks total) starting in early May. I already have my round-trip ticket. The problem is, I don’t have time to get a 2-month visa because the process takes nearly a month. From what I’ve read here and there, I need a return ticket valid for less than a month when I arrive in the Philippines to prove my good faith. After that, I can apply for a 30-day extension at the immigration office. I’m planning to either buy a fully refundable ticket to the nearest country or a fake ticket. For 3 months, I’ll need to extend my visa two more times before my return date to France. My question is this: Will immigration ask me each time I extend my visa by one month to show proof of an exit ticket matching the new visa extension date? Is it possible to extend directly by 2 months before the initial 30 days expire? Thanks in advance for your experiences and tips! 😊

Hi there. I hold a 60-day C1 visa obtained online in early April, and I’ve been in Indonesia since April 14th. I’d like to extend my visa, something I thought was possible online under the same conditions as when I got the visa—but oh no! I realize first that I can’t find my visa on the immigration website with the requested details (passport number, date of birth, nationality)... and also that it seems a sponsor is required for the C1 visa, not only for the extension but even for the initial visa application, which wasn’t asked of me before!!!! So, I’m wondering how I should go about getting this extension... Has anyone gone through this experience? What solutions might there be, given I only have two weeks left to sort this out... Thanks for your helpful feedback

Hi there, I’m filling out my South Africa entry declaration and just found out it costs $53. We’ve traveled to South Africa regularly, the last trip was in 2024, and I’ve never paid anything to enter South African territory before. Is this a new measure, or am I on a dodgy site? Thanks for your replies! Christine

Hi there,

This will be my first trip to Thailand, which will be the first stop on my Asian journey. This time, I’d like to leave with a one-way ticket so I can return to France from the last country I visit.

First and foremost, I’d like to confirm whether it’s possible to get a VOA (Visa on Arrival) when I land in Thailand without any prior steps? Is proof of onward travel (like a return ticket) required to get this visa?

If so, does it have to be a round-trip ticket from the country I’m arriving from, or can I use a flight or train ticket from Thailand to a neighboring country as proof of exit?

For Cambodia and Vietnam, is it also possible to get a VOA on the spot?

I’d also love any tips or important info you think might be useful about Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam—my planned destinations—especially regarding accommodation, transportation, points of interest, and, of course, any personal advice or experiences you’d like to share!

Thanks so much to everyone, and I wish you all an amazing 2025 filled with health, travel, and discoveries! !

Hi there,

We’re supposed to fly in four days—my partner, our two kids, and me—for a one-month trip to Cambodia. While applying for an e-visa, we just realized that both our passports won’t be valid for 6 months after our stay ends, which is a key requirement for getting a Cambodian visa. I don’t know how, but we totally missed this info!! Our tickets aren’t refundable, and we’ve booked several non-refundable hotels there too...

Has anyone been in this situation or have any ideas or solutions?

Thanks so much in advance!!!!