Visas

PLEASE NOTE: the information in the following post is only for UK citizens. Visa agreements and conditions may be different for different nationalities. This information is only for UK because I only know the information for the UK.


Visa to visit the People's Republic of China
This one caused me so much grief. Getting the visa is easy enough, just the fact that it is very expensive. Anyway, here's the information: to enter China for any amount of time, apart from in the airport, you need a visa issued by the China Visa Application Service. I am in China for 5 days, and I still needed a visa.
The smallest (time) visa you can get is for a one month stay anywhere within a three month period. So 30 days between the visa being issued and 90 days after that. Therefore, don't apply for your visa 6 months before you leave, as it will expire.
A Visa for China is expensive. Think of this before you go to China. A part of me regrets choosing to go to China purely because of how expensive the visa was. So here's the cost breakdown:
£30.00 Visa Fee
£45.00 Application Service Fee
£9.00 VAT (20% of the above prices)
£11.35 in Post Office Fees and Return Special Delivery Envelope
£4.00 for 2 passport photos

Total: £99.35
And that is why I ask you to thoroughly check details about China. It may be cheap once you get there, but getting in will cost you.

To apply for the visa (for UK citizens) go to http://www.visaforchina.org.uk. Then follow the instructions on there. I personally applied by post, but you can also apply in person or online (note: online application is not supported by all web browsers. I know from experience it doesn't work with Google Chrome).

And finally, here's my visa!! Sorry that it's sideways

Visa for Japan
UK citizens (and many other nationalities) do not need a visa to enter Japan if they in the country for less than 90 days. This means that for my 60 day trip, I will not need a visa. For people wanting to stay in Japan for longer than 90 days, you will have to visit a local bureaucratic office and get the stay extended. I believe it is at this point that you also have to get an Alien Registration Card (Gaijin Card). However, don't quote me on that, I haven't looked into it I'm afraid.
One thing you should know, I keep hearing that when entering Japan, for no matter how long your stay, you may be asked to show proof of funds to keep you going on your stay. Essentially they don't want you working when you shouldn't be. I think you also need a return ticket already booked, unless you have a visa of course. Obviously the easiest way to do this is to carry a big case full of cash, but that's not exactly practical for a traveler. Some people have done it though (JapanChannelDCom on YouTube said he entered with $25,000 Australian in cash). Anyway, I'm going to print off receipts or statements for the cards I am taking into Japan, and fingers crossed it'll be enough.

So that's my quick information on visas for a holiday. I wouldn't even begin to claim that I know much about visas for Japan, your best bet would be to go on official websites.

Travel money

So one of the hardest things to figure out for this trip has been how I am going to take my money. It has been suggested that I take all cash, but i wasn't keen on the idea of walking around with £4,000 in my pocket!
So after much deliberation I have chosen these 2 services to carry my cash, as well as somd cash for when i first arrive:

CaxtonFX Global Traveller Card
CaxtonFX is a part of the Newcastle Building Socity. For £10 you get the card, though £10 is automatically loaded onto the card, so it's essentially free. There are no ATM fees or international transaction fees from the issuer. For £5 you can get a spare card, definitely a good idea if you're travelling, so if you lose the 1st, you can cancel it and use the second.

Travelex Cash Passport
Recommended by the Foreign Office, again this card has no ATm or international fees from the issuer. This card has a double edged sword: buy it in GBP and you get a commission put on your bill. Buy it in any of the other currences (USD, CAD, AUD, NZD, ZAR or EUR), and you face a bad exchange rate. I did some number crunching, and if you use anything but GBP, you will only get £972 for your £1000 (did some reverse exchange). So you loose out on almost £30! Now the commission for GBP is only £20, so I'd definitely recommend this. (EDIT: I wrote this section once, then changed it when I did some more research).

So I'm taking these 2 cards, plus a spare card for each in case I lose the first. I'll also be taking around £150 in Chinese Yuan, and £100 in JPY, the Chinese Yuan to last me the whole time there, and the JPY to get me to where I need to go and for my first few purchases, until I find an ATM.
It's also a good idea, if you can, to leave your account details at home so that someone can recharge your cards in case of a bailout.

And as an extra fail safe, I will probably apply for a American Express Blue card. There's no annual fee, and if you're under 21, your application is based on household income rather than yours. This is good for me, as I won't have income while travelling around, but I can still get the card. This last one really is only for emergencies, and I'd try not to use it at all. It would be my last resort. Also, this card has 0% APR for 6-12 months, so if you're only travelling a little while, you can use it, pay what you used and then cancel it before they charge you more!!

For information on the CaxtonFX card go to: http://www.caxtonfxcard.com
For information on the Travelex Cash Passport go to: http://www.cashpassport.com
For information on the American Express Blue card go to: http://www.americanexpress.com/student

Above all, be careful with your money! Never log into an online bank account while not on a secure network, never divulge your details, don't carry more cash than you need, make sure you have the banks telephone number for cancellations of cards. You get the picture ;).

Happy spending!
~GA

I've just figured out that it's a 10 hour flight to Beijing. Any suggestions of what to do and how to beat jet lag? It'll be 6.30 am GMT when I land, but that's 13.30pm local time!!

~GA

Location:West Malling,United Kingdom

Imagine the days

Imagine the days when to go travelling was something so much bigger than it is now. To go to a foreign country where you know nothing about. Before the Internet, how would you find out about where you were going? I guess you didn't, and you just went with your fingers crossed.
And what about the fact that when you left, you left entirely. The only way you could get word back home would be mail. No one would hear from you and you'd hear from no one else. Imagine the freedom that would give you. Imagine just disappearing.


~GA

Bummer

Just filmed a quick video update, and then realised i didn't press record on my camera. So I was just talking to myself. Grr.


~GA

Hey guys

Just letting you all know what all the spamming is about. I've recently returned to blogger, and I'm going to use it specifically as a blog about my trip, rather than all the other junk in my head. If you want that, visit my tumblr account.
Anyway, all the posts I've been making are just going there to make pages within my pages. For example, in "The Plan", I have a list of links to posts which are my pages. Making sense?
Pretty much I'm filling out the rest of the site, building the content an d making it more useful to prospective travellers.
I want this to be more than just a blog :).
Anyway guys, it's not long now until I start travelling, and then I'll flood this place with posts and photos and videos for you all to enjoy.
I'm envisaging this growing and growing. Maybe I'll buy a domain name and add a forum. But that's a log way off.
So it's 15 days now! Exciting stuff.
~GA

Nara

After Kyoto I hit Nara, only a short train ride away. I have slightly less time in Nara than other cities, only 6 nights this time. I'm taking this week as a relaxation period, or I'll try to. I want to hang around in parks and the country, and generally get away from the hustle and bustle of the cities. With some of the biggest parks and oldest temples, I'm sure I can find somewhere.
In Nara I'm staying at a small hostel which is a renovated traditional house. It's called Yuzan Guesthouse, and this time I'm in an 8 bed dorm. It's pretty expensive in here, but was actually the cheapest in Nara, at ¥2500 a night.
<-- See, old house!
<-- the dorms.
<-- and the garden!
Sorry, I wanted to post a couple of pictures here as it looks so nice and... quaint.

Go to http://www.yuzanguesthouse.com/english

I'm in Nara from the 16th to the 22nd of June