Hi there, In November, we're heading off on a 4-month trip. We'll be landing in China and plan to leave the country via a land border into Vietnam. I’ve read that China may ask for proof of exit within 30 days (flight ticket or other reservation). Since we’d be leaving by land, I’m wondering how this works in practice. Has anyone here been in this situation recently?

Did the airline ask for an exit ticket before boarding? Did Chinese authorities require proof upon arrival? Is a train/bus ticket to Vietnam sufficient? Is a cancelable or flexible reservation accepted?

Thanks for sharing your experiences! 😊

Hi, Currently in Laos, we’re crossing the land border into Cambodia on January 1, 2026. I’ve read that tips/bribes are everywhere. Can anyone tell me the price of the tourist visa on arrival? Thanks for the info. Mylène

Hi,

Is the land border crossing from Ranong to Kawthaung in Myanmar still possible? Can you get a Myanmar visa at the border, and if so, for how long?

Thanks

Hi everyone,

I’ve got a one-way ticket to Vietnam. My return flight will be from Malaysia since I’ll be traveling around Southeast Asia overland. To qualify for the 45-day visa-free entry, you need to show an exit ticket from Vietnam. Do you think a bus ticket from Saigon to Phnom Penh would work?

Hello,

My partner and I are planning a trip to Thailand, Laos, and Japan. To do this, we’re thinking of booking a flight ticket from Paris to Bangkok, departing in January 2025 and returning in April 2025. During this period, we’d travel overland to Laos and fly to Japan from Thailand, then return to Thailand. What type of visa should we apply for at the Thai embassy? Thanks in advance. Best regards,

Hi there,

I’d like to know if anyone has already applied for a private visa to Russia with an invitation from a Russian resident. I traveled earlier this year with an e-visa, but since I want to stay longer, I’ll be visiting my friend who lives in eastern Russia. For the visa application, does the invitation need to be on an official paper form issued by the Russian ministry? And most importantly, do I need to present the original for the application, or is there an electronic version that can be sent directly to the consulate in France? Thanks for any info if you’ve gone through this process before!

Best regards,

Gilles

Hi there, I’m planning a three-month trip: my itinerary would be a flight from Paris to Hong Kong, then Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City, and later leaving from Lao Cai to enter China before flying back from Hong Kong.

If I exit the Hong Kong airport upon arrival to find a hotel (since my flight to Vietnam leaves the next morning), will I lose the benefit of the 90-day visa exemption? Especially since I plan to spend 3 days in Hong Kong before my return flight at the end of the trip?

Also, I’d like to know if the inbound flight to Vietnam will be enough to board and get a visa on arrival, or do I need to prove that I’ll exit the country after 45 days? Since I want to visit Sapa and cross into China by land via Lao Cai, do I also need to prove my departure from China, even though I already have a round-trip ticket from Paris to Hong Kong and back for three months?

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!

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?

Hi,

Currently, it's possible to travel for 180 days in Mexico without a visa (just with a valid passport for French nationals). Could you please tell me, when a traveler leaves Mexico after staying for 180 days, how long they need to wait before re-entering by air? Thanks so much for your feedback. liza

Hello to all the Thailand regulars.

I’ve been to Thailand several times, but it was about 20 years ago…

There’s a new system in place now, it seems.

TDAC – Thailand Digital Arrival Card.

Before arriving, I apply for a TDAC, okay. If during my stay I cross the border to spend a few days in Malaysia and then re-enter Thailand, do I need to submit a new TDAC application? Do I use the same TDAC as when I first entered the country?

Or do I initially have to pay for a Thai multi-entry visa?

Thanks in advance for your insights—I can’t find the answer online.

Pierre

Hi Has anyone been to Rwanda recently and gotten a 3-month visa on arrival easily? Thanks

Hi there, we’re planning our trip to the North Cape this summer. We bought a new vehicle for it. Unfortunately, the registration document is still being processed, and the delay seems long—I don’t think I’ll have it in time for our departure... I have the transfer documents, insurance in my name, and all the supporting paperwork, but not the registration document. So my question is: does the ferry company require the registration document *mandatorily* when boarding in Denmark or not? Thanks for any insights...

Hi there, we’re spending March in Sri Lanka, and on several blogs travelers mention they’ve rented scooters or mopeds. On government info sites, it seems they say you need a Sri Lankan license to rent these vehicles. Have any of you run into this kind of issue? Thanks, Marie

Hi, We're heading to Germany in August. Finally, after all this time I wanted to go back to Germany :) I think I need an eco sticker for my car, but I'm not sure. I found this info: "Since June 1, 2022, it’s no longer necessary to buy the German eco sticker to drive in Freiburg-im-Breisgau’s Umweltzonen (low-emission zones). The Crit'Air sticker, rated from 0 to 3, is recognized by the authorities." Could you tell me the name of the website where I can find this info, please? We’ll be staying in Brigachtal (Baden-Württemberg). We’ll visit Friedrichshafen, Triberg, and Hohenzollern Castle.

Thanks :)

Hi,

I’m going to a youth association this summer. They’re asking for the passport number of each participant. Is this normal? Apparently, it’s for the authorities.

Thanks!

Mathieu

Hi there, My departure is slowly approaching, and now that I’ve got my Russian visa sorted, I’m fine-tuning the rest of my trip to Tajikistan. Since the Tajik visa is no longer required for stays under 30 days (for French nationals), I’ll need to visit the Ministry of Interior (OVIR) to register within 10 days of entering the country. No big deal, though, since I had to go there anyway to apply for my GBAO permit. 😉 However, I’ve *seen* several reports from travelers (mostly motorized) mentioning that you need an entry permit for Kyrgyzstan, which has to be arranged in advance at the Kyrgyz Ministry (consulate?) in Dushanbe. Otherwise, you’re *stuck* at the Kyzyl-Art border (with no Wi-Fi, of course, to try and sort it out). The most recent report was from a year ago, so I’d love to know if this is still the case and if it’s indeed at the Kyrgyz Ministry (consulate?) where you need to go for this pre-authorization. Does anyone have any recent info on this? Thanks in advance!

Hi, we’re heading to Barcelona soon, and the Airbnb host is asking us to fill out a PDF form with our names, ID card details, address, and even our signatures. According to him, it’s one of the new rules for rentals in Barcelona. I’m really worried our personal info might end up who-knows-where? Has anyone else been in the same situation? Thanks. Have a great day.

Hi, I’ve read on various semi-official websites that you can pay for the 30-day visa at the counter at the airport by credit card. Has anyone arrived in Laos recently (I’ll be landing in Luang Prabang) and can confirm this? If not, which currencies are accepted? Thanks in advance. Alain

Hi, I’m planning to arrive by plane in Johannesburg and cross the Mozambique land border. For a trip of less than 30 days, do I need a visa? If so, how much does it cost? And can I get it at the border? There’s conflicting info online.

Hi,

Due to unforeseen circumstances—a earthquake in Bangkok—I couldn’t get my visa for Indonesia in time, and my Thailand visa exemption expires on April 13. I’d like to extend my stay in Thailand by 30 days so I have time to apply for an Indonesian visa, as the procedures are on hold until April 8 due to the end of Ramadan celebrations and Nyepi (Bali).

I’m currently in Prachuap Khiri Khan and would like to know which is the nearest immigration office that can extend my visa exemption?

Just to note, I’ve heard conflicting info: it seems there’s an office in Dan Singkhon and another in Hua Hin. The first one is much closer—could someone confirm if it’s still operational for this kind of procedure, or do I have to go all the way to Hua Hin?

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone, we’re driving to Austria via Switzerland and we’d love some clarity on the highway stickers and tolls. Do we need one sticker to enter Austria and another for the tolls? I’m a bit lost here. Gigi

Hi there, Do I need a return ticket? Proof of insurance and a hotel reservation?? I’m French. Also, is there any control on meds and sleeping pills?? Thanks a bunch!

Hi, I’d like to know—when leaving Guadeloupe via Pointe-à-Pitre Airport, do you have to pay an exit fee in cash?

Thanks

Hi everyone, We’re self-drivers planning a trip through Zimbabwe in 2026—our route is Johannesburg, Zimbabwe, Mozambique. We’ll have a rented 4x4. We’d like to know about any difficulties at the borders between South Africa and Zimbabwe, and between Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Also, which park in Zimbabwe is the best? Thanks in advance for your replies!

JP

hi, I’m traveling to the United States via Canada. I’ve already arranged an AVE for the Canadian transit, but I’ve lost the email with the AVE number. Could you tell me how to retrieve this AVE number? Thanks in advance for your help

Hi there,

I’m not sure what’s being said on the various European diplomatic sites, but on the Belgian one, they mention that an ESTA and/or visa aren’t a guarantee of entry. Immigration services have the final say—they could even ask to see your electronic devices like phones, tablets, or cameras. And there might be extra hassles for LGBTQIA+ travelers.

It’s currently possible for a French national to enter Belarus through any land or air border point and stay for up to 30 days, for any reason. I did this last November, driving my own car from France, entering at Terespol and Brest-Litovsk (7-hour queue on the Polish side for political reasons and 3 hours of formalities on the Belarusian side), and exiting through Lithuania (1.5 hours on the Belarusian side and 3.5 hours on the Lithuanian side for political reasons). The rest of the trip was a real pleasure...

Hi there, We’re doing a staged tour of Africa in our Citroën Dyane 2CV. We left Belgium and our car is currently in Zambia. We’ll be joining it at the start of 2025 to continue on to Malawi and Tanzania. We’d love to chat with overlanders who’ve already crossed these borders with a vehicle—without necessarily having a carnet de passage, given the costs and guarantees required. Thanks

Hi, I’ve read on several forums and blogs that to enter Senegal by motorcycle, some say you need a CPD, others say an ATA carnet, and others say no carnet at all. What’s the real deal? My bike is over 10 years old. Thanks