Definitely do not panic. Though if you do, be sure to take a deep breath after.
It's possible to make mistakes, and even I still do with all the miles I have under my belt. (It's like I have so much going on all the time, that it actually makes it hard to track what is going on.)
On a recent trip, I was on the third country of a multi-leg tour when I had completely forgotten that I needed a visa. I didn't remember, until the day of my flight. It is kinda obvious when you're checking in and the airline asks for the visa number, and you're like, um, oh...
How did I forget?
First, in my defense, it had been two years since I needed one-the countries I travel to change all the time. I was on some sort of kick where I was visiting a bunch of where the U.S. passport was easy entrance. Second, I probably was just tired at that point, and literally doing things as they happened.
Then I thought: I am not the first stupid tourist on this planet, and there must be a solution somewhere out there. Here's how to sort it out.
Online visa applications do not translate into instant approvals
The first few times I had traveled to Vietnam, I had done it a few different ways. The first time, I had a proper visa. The second time my passport actually got stolen two days before the trip, so I used visa on arrival. No big deal, I thought, I've done this before.
In the past decade, the country switched their process to an online visa process, though the approval can take three days. (Like an actual three days, maybe even more, this is not instant.)
It's a good reminder that visa processes change all the time, and just because you entered the country under a different process means it is still the same.
It's worth noting that my flight was on a Sunday night, and it was Sunday morning that I was trying to take care of this. Also, every local travel agency I called in the Los Angeles area was closed.
Time zones can be your worst enemy and best ally.
Luckily, I realized Vietnam was 14 hours ahead from Los Angeles. If my flight was on a Sunday night, it means it'd be Monday early afternoon in Vietnam.
Here's how it ended up playing out:
Saved by time zones (and a travel agency).
In short, by Sunday 5 pm, the local travel agencies in Hanoi would be opening at 7 am. My flight was at 12:30 am, so I quickly WhatsApp'ed a local travel agency based in Hanoi.
Pro trip: Don't be afraid of using a travel agency! A lot of travel agencies have connections to different operators, and yes, sometimes, there is a kickback involved emoji sweat, but they will get the job DONE.
Because the flight was also 12 hours long, if it took a full 8-hour working day to expedite a full visa, that meant by the time I arrived for my connecting flight in Taipei, the visa would be issued at that point.
I paid the fee-which was well, like four times more than the $25 fee-but at that point, it came against an airline change fee and messing up a complete, complicated four-city schedule with eight other people along for the ride.
Remember, you are not the first stupid tourist in the history of this planet.
