Citizenship and Travel

I have arrived in Brazil. The country is in full summer bloom, the temperatures are warm and the energy is alive. As I sit writing in the airport, there is a large group of thirty- to forty-something-year-olds jumping up and down chanting in unison, throwing their arms in the air, blowing whistles and generally showing their excitement for their upcoming trip – Voce Diamond. They have been making so much noise that I am sure was not the only one who thought a fight had broken out with one of the guards when this group came through security.

Getting to Brazil has been relatively easy. I decided to fly directly from Canada to Brazil to avoid any immigration problems in the Unites States. To get into Brazil as a Canadian citizen (or American) you need to get a travel visa which I understand takes at least 10 days to process. For this reason, to even get on my flight from Montreal to Toronto, I was required to show that I had the proper documentation to enter Brazil since it was my final destination.

This is where I encountered my first problem. You see I am also a German citizen, and as such I am not required to have a travel visa to enter Brazil. So when I was asked to scan my passport for the Montreal – Toronto leg of my journey, I assumed my Canadian was required. (I had had trouble entering the German information into the Air Canada system the night prior for my pre-boarding online which is what led me to assume I should show my Canadian information while still in Canada.) But, when I scanned my Canadian passport, the system then asked me to scan my travel visa for Brazil which I of course did not have. My file was flagged. I was able to clarify the confusion easily at the special assistance desk and was advised to only shown my German passport from that point forward which has worked very well.

In fact, when I arrived in Brazil, the immigration officer said, ‘Oh, I love you!’ when she saw I was German and not Canadian because it is much easier for her to process my entry into Brazil than for those who have a travel visa. I think karma is on my side.

When it comes to travelling internationally, citizenship affects your planning in many ways. For example, living in Canada I was unable to book any of my flights with TAM Airlines through their online system. Instead I needed to call their North American dispatch to make my reservations which was easy enough. However, with Voel Gol airlines, not only was I unable to book my flight online as an ‘international’, but the airline also doesn’t have a North American call center to make my reservation by phone. When I researched my options online, one forum advised me that if I registered as an Argentinian on their website, my payment would go through, though the process and confirmation would be entirely in Spanish as a result. Sure enough it worked. I don’t know why the credit card payment requirements are different for different countries, but I am glad people share this information. It can be very frustrating to find a flight you want to book online and be unable to book it in advance.

I have always enjoyed planning and preparing for this trip has been no different. So I spent a fair amount of time reading travel tips for backpackers, individuals on a budget, and for solo women travellers which I will share with you over the coming weeks.

One piece of advice I read is that travellers tend to over pack which is not desirable when backpacking. To curb this trend, it is recommended that you lay everything out on a bed that you want to bring with you and automatically reduce it by half. Then pack your bag to see what fits in the allotted volume and do your best to cut your possessions in half again. Apparently then you will be closer to what is reasonable for your trip.

I decided to follow this advice and laid everything out on my bed, which is what I normally would do anyway. I made sure to cut a few items that felt very thick or heavy when I was rolling them out, but otherwise I kept most of what I had wanted to pack. Well, I think I have been travelling for too long to head to the recommendations I have been getting, because all my possession fit into my bag. (I also feel that I have prepared for most eventualities which is likely as my friends will attest to the fact that I am usually the person that has what someone needs.)

Packing taken care of I made sure to leave a copy of all my important documents with my family as well as a travel itinerary with contact information. I also sent the same copies to myself electronically and made hard-copies to carry with me.

Packing for the summer was easier than for winter climates because you don’t need bulky coats. I am also fortunate that when I return to Canada it will be summer. I am not returning to Montreal until September at the earliest, which means I will be living out of my backpack for the next 7 months. I am unsure if this will encourage me to lighten my load faster or hold on to my possessions that much more tightly.

As a last note, I think it is important when you pack for a trip like this to be prepared to lose everything. It will suck, yes, but hopefully you will not have brought items with you that are irreplaceable. Really the only sentimental items I have with me that I will want to hold on to forever are my picture files – make sure to back these up before you travel and also while you are travelling. The rest you can replace.

Safe travels!

My parents seeing me off at the airport. Thanks Mum and Dad!