Just a few stamps from the trip.

Yet another important area of pre-trip planning – once you have built your likely itinerary – is to assess the visa requirements in the countries you intend to visit. As an American, I have a couple sources I check first: Wikipedia Visa Map and U.S. State Department. The Wiki page will give you a good overall sense of where American citizens can travel: visa-free, visa on arrival, or prearranged visa. Then, of course, cross check that information with the State Department’s travel page where you can find more detailed information for each nation.

There are some interesting and unusual cases such as Chile, where you only pay a one-time fee (~$160) when entering via international flight into Santiago, but are free to enter overland. Argentina changed it’s policy similar to Chile’s to a flat fee for any entry in January 2013…be sure to keep track of changing conditions! [Note: Chile got rid of their $160 fee for Americans in 2014] Many countries that have more restrictive entry requirements make visas available at their Embassies or Consulates around the U.S. However, the process can be quite complicated, lengthy and sometimes rather expensive if you are on a budget. That said, the typical tourist visa does not require too much other than your passport, a photo and some personal information. Some of the key things to focus on are: the type of visa, the duration of validity, length of stay allowed, and if it is a single or multiple entry visa.

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