Gettin’ Carried Away

A lot of people, myself included at one time, may not know the difference between a passport and a visa. While most countries only require Americans to have a U.S. passport, there are a few that deem it necessary for you to have an additional visa. After doing a bit of research before my first trip overseas, I came across a lot of useful information.

Q: What is the difference between a U.S. passport and a visa?
A: A U.S. passport shows proof of your citizenship, allowing you to re-enter the United States after a trip abroad. However, this passport does not permit you to enter every country in the world. A visa signifies temporary permission from a foreign country to enter that country.

Q: Who usually obtains a visa?
A: Visas can be sought for tons of reasons! Most travelers with visas acquire them for purposes of business or schooling, but they can be used for leisure, as well. For example, if you are attending a business symposium, studying abroad or just backpacking through a country, you may need to obtain a visa, depending on where you travel.

Q: Why do I need a visa in some countries, but not in others?
A: Most of the requirements for needing a visa are based on diplomatic/historical relationships between nations. Many countries allow U.S. passport holders to enter without a visa due to reciprocal visa waivers and long-standing diplomatic relationships.

Q: What is the difference between single and multi-entry visas?
A: A single-entry visa may only be used 1. for one entry and 2. for the specific purpose for which it was granted. The number of times a multiple-entry visa can be used depends on 1. the expiration date of the visa, 2. the nationality of the traveler and 3. the restrictions placed on the total numbers of days permitted in a given country during any year.

Stay tuned for my next post on how to obtain a visa!

Before I begin, let me apologize for being absent the past week. I’ve been getting over a horrible cough. But perhaps most importantly, I was planning trips to New York, Nashville, New Orleans and London! I know, that last destination should have been somewhere like New Zealand to stick with the ‘N’ theme… but I do hope to get there someday soon! Anyway, it’s official:

November: New York
January: Nashville
January/February: New Orleans
February: London

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I’m sitting here listening to the radio. Holiday by Green Day comes on, and I instantly start reminiscing about walking the streets of Manhattan and taking a ride on the N, R, Q or W train. Has this ever happened to you - associating a particular song with a memory?

Music is a huge part of my life. I cannot go one day without listening to it. For those who don’t know me that well, I am even a DJ and Karaoke Host several nights a week! Anyway, wherever I go, I have to bring my iPod. Back in the day, it was my cassette player, which upgraded to a CD player, which then turned into a tiny Mpio mp3 player. Then in 2005, I bought my first iPod.

So for me, music and travel go hand in hand. I can remember sitting on the school bus as my 8th grade class went on a field trip to Springfield. I chatted it up with my friends for a bit, but I was desperate to listen to some tunes! I brought my trusty cassette player along with me, popped in a tape, and jammed out to several Billy Joel hits during the ride to my state’s capital.  Now, whenever I hear Tell Her About It, For the Longest Time or Uptown Girl, I begin to think about my seemingly forever-long bus ride to the home of Abraham Lincoln.

Before, I mentioned how the song Holiday from Green Day reminded me of New York. While I was living in Manhattan and going to school at NYU, I was constantly listening to just three albums: American Idiot (Green Day), Breakaway (Kelly Clarkson) and In The Zone (Britney Spears). American Idiot is one of my favorite albums. I saw Kelly Clarkson perform at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC. And I took a hip hop class, where we broke out the hippest moves and rocked the dance floor to Britney’s In The Zone album.

Carrie and her friend, Matt, dancing to Billie Jean in London.

I have yet to write about my time in London, but I will tell you the one song that will always remind me of the UK: Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean. That song is played everywhere! I heard it while grocery shopping at a Sainsbury’s in London. It was played at the Hobgoblin Pub we frequented every day. I even heard it in several different pubs and shops while visiting Dublin, Ireland! This song, which was a big hit back in 1983 in the United States, is a timeless classic in the UK.

While I will always bring my own music with me wherever I go, I always try to pay attention to the music trends in the place I visit, as well. What songs remind you of past trips and vacations?

No matter where you travel, and no matter which company you choose, you will always encounter an age limit when attempting to rent a car. The restriction can vary from age 18 to 25, but most states (and car rental companies) require drivers to be at least 25 years of age when renting a car.

- Carrie, too young to rent a car, circa January 2007 -

So when my company was traveling to Las Vegas, and my boss asked me (a 23 year old) if I would be one of the drivers of a rented car, I panicked. “Don’t you have to be 25,” I asked? It was at this time I discovered that some companies will allow younger drivers the opportunity to rent vehicles, but there is a catch. There was an added fee for $20 a day, because I was an underage driver.

I never really try to rent cars when I travel, because I usually visit a well-populated city that boasts some form of public transportation. But if I ever want to head out of the bustling city and get away to the quiet country, I suppose it would be good to know the rules about renting cars.

During my research, I have learned about some interesting loopholes.

• If you work for the government, or you are a member of the military, you may be exempt from the age limit. However, the rental must be used for business purposes.
• You may also be exempt from the age limit if you work for a specific rental company, and use the vehicle for business. For example, a customer might be stuck at home without a car. Some companies like Enterprise send an associate out to the customer’s home to pick them up and bring them back to the office to fill out the paper work.

Bottom line: do your research before you decide to rent a car.

My advice: Pick an independent rental company such as Alamo, Budget, Enterprise or Hertz. Their rules are a bit more flexible, and they are dedicated to making life convenient for you.