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Airline and hotel bookings are becoming easier to organise, either directly or via a travel management company but visas, special meal requirements and vaccinations still create problems, especially when the travel arranger is pushed to book trips at the last minute. Graeme Payne provides some tips, in the hope of making life easier.
When comparing the experiences of various travel buyers, it is often the delay in obtaining visas that is recorded as creating the most hassle during the booking process.
Most European countries want to see evidence of a return flight reservation before they will allow their embassy to issue a visa for the potential traveller. Others, such as Canada, insist that no flights should be booked until a visa has been secured. If only there was a standard practice worldwide! There appears to be no logic in how embassies and consulates decide who should receive a visa and who should not.
Many industry associations have tried to persuade countries to work together in order to introduce a standard form, application process and fee structure. So far every country has its own peculiar system that leaves travel buyers bewildered and their travellers perplexed. As an example, at the beginning of August the earliest date available for applying for a Schengen visa at the French Consulate in London was mid September.
Recently, an Indian businessman working in London needed to make a day trip to Italy. The total air fare cost £28; the visa required an outlay of well over £100 after two trips to the consulate in London and the payment of the £24 fee. Even then, the Italians would only issue a four-day single entry visa and required a copy of the travel insurance policy.
The workforce throughout Europe has, in recent years, become more cosmopolitan. Some larger companies have hundreds of different nationalities, many of whom are travelling frequently. It can no longer be taken for granted that all those who travel for business hold a British passport.
It is important to keep a profile of each traveller, with the most important details of their documentation recorded. The travel management company (TMC) will normally keep this information in their own systems but it is essential that they are kept up to date.
Some people who travel frequently need two passports. The Home Office is quite strict regarding the issue of second passports but a letter from the employer explaining why it is required normally speeds up the process. If a passport has to spend time at various consulates awaiting visas, the traveller may be obliged to request another, especially as British citizens do not yet have identity cards.
Immigration authorities always stress that the onus is on the individual traveller to ensure that all documents are in order when arriving in a country. Even the smartest and most senior of business people can be deported. Status means nothing in the eye of an immigration official.
A Sri Lankan businessman who is head of his company’s operation for Europe was recently required to make two trips, on consecutive weeks, to Dublin. Although he requested a multiple entry visa, he arrived in Dublin on the second visit to find that he had only been issued with a single entry permit. In spite of much remonstration, he was deported. In fact, he also had a Schengen visa but the Irish official advised that this is only valid in mainland Europe. How long has Iceland been in mainland Europe, let alone the French islands of the Caribbean? Remember the traveller is solely responsible, even if some other person has made a mistake!
For British passport holders, there may still be delays and high costs involved in visa procurement. The cost of a visa, and the expenses involved in obtaining it, should be included in the overall budget for a journey and be listed alongside the flight, accommodation and subsistence costs at the approval stage of the planning.
Those venturing to the Russian Federation would normally pay just £30 for a visa, assuming that 8 working days has been allowed for processing. This figure doubles if a visa is required within 5 working days. Next day delivery sees the fee rise to £80 and a visa issued on demand without notice is available for the hefty sum of £120. Remember that the public holidays of the country to be visited are usually taken by consulate staff and these should be considered when calculating the processing time.
Those travelling to the United States will normally make use of the USA’s green visa waiver form. There must be at least 90 days validity left on the traveller’s passport in order to take advantage of this scheme and since October 2004, the passport must be machine readable.
The Canadian immigration system has been tightened up in recent months. Two Indian citizens recently obtained Canadian visas in India and had hoped to be joined by their colleague from London. Tickets were purchased and meetings arranged but the London based person was denied a visa. Without this important member of the team, the trip became a disaster and resulted in a few questions being asked.
In the past, it has been normal procedure to confirm that a visa has been granted before paying for an air ticket and booking accommodation. As there is no standard procedure, the process can become confusing. Many European embassies require evidence of a confirmed booking before a visa is issued. The Canadians, however, stress that a booking should not be made until a visa has been granted. Similarly the Indian High Commission in London needs to know the traveller’s eventual address in India at the time of application. This suggests that it is necessary to book accommodation before knowing whether or not entry is permitted. Always check with the relevant authorities as early as possible in the planning stage.
Many TMCs, travel agents and corporations use a visa procurement company who charge a standard fee, ranging from £25 to £60, to obtain a visa on a passenger’s behalf. Many do not, however, become involved in obtaining Schengen visas as these may require a personal appearance at the consulate of the first country to be visited.
The Schengen Countries:
Austria
Belgium
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Iceland
Italy
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Those seeking a visa procurement service may find it helpful to look at the following web sites:
http://www.theschenggenoffice.com/.
Remember that a visa only gives a person permission to travel to a country. The actual decision on whether to provide an entry permit is made by the immigration officer at the first point of entry, whether it is at an airport, sea port or land border crossing.
The traveller’s profile should also show the inoculation records of each traveller, especially if they visit countries in Africa or South America. Fortunately, many dreaded diseases are no longer a major problem. Cholera, Smallpox and Scarlet Fever are, in most countries, virtually extinct. Other diseases are spreading as a result of the enormous growth of the travelling population.
Some inoculations are relatively easy to administer. Yellow Fever requires one injection every ten years and Typhoid, one injection every three years. Other precautions such as those against Diphtheria, Hepatitis A and Tetanus require an initial series of low dose injections with a one-off booster at 10-yearly intervals thereafter.
The world’s Malaria zones are expanding and could soon be of concern to some countries bordering the Mediterranean. The normal precaution is to start taking anti-malaria tablets for two weeks prior to entry to a zone, for the duration of the visit and for four weeks after leaving.
Many frequent travellers and tourists have boasted at not taking the suggested precautions. Many an insurance policy, however, has been deemed invalid when an unsuspecting person lands up in a hospital.
MASTA – The Medical Advisory Service for Travellers Abroad has a 24-hour advice line on 0906 8224 100 (60p per min). More information and a list of travel clinics may be found on the organisation’s web site, http://www.masta.org/.
Special meal requirements, especially on long-haul flights, are to many travellers a major factor of their booking process.
One of the advantages of flying on a low-cost carrier is the freedom of choice in catering; select from the in-flight kiosk, buy sandwiches at the airport, or make your own before leaving home. On long-haul flights, the menus are becoming more adventurous and on all the major carriers virtually every special meal requirement can be catered for.
Most airline web sites provide a selection of special meal options ranging from standard to vegetarian to low-salt or vegan. Most, however, stress that meals are requested and no responsibility can be accepted if a special meal requirement has been overlooked. It always wise to take a supply of emergency rations, but at the same time remember that it is forbidden to take certain food items into some countries.
Frequent long-haul travellers ought to be aware that, should an airline be needing to upgrade passengers for any reason, it is rare that those with a special meal requirement are given the privilege.
The special meal has been placed in a precise storage location that relates to the passenger’s seat. No airline wants to be seen presenting the economy class plastic tray adorned with a foil ‘dog-dish’ in the middle of its prestigious first-class cabin.
