Middle East

Visas

You can either get them before you go, along the way, or increasingly frequently, at the airport or border. The advantage of predeparture collection is that it doesn't waste travelling time and 'difficult' embassies are sometimes less difficult when you are in your own country - apart from anything else they can usually explain things in your own language and that seemingly meaningless but utterly essential document they require is much easier to find back home. There's also never any guarantee that the Iranians and, sometimes, the Syrians, are going to grant you a visa; if you apply from home first, you at least know where you stand before setting off. If you are turned down in your home country, there's usually nothing to stop you trying again while on the road.

Some embassies request a letter from an employer or, if you're applying abroad, a letter of introduction from your embassy, while if the Israeli officials don't like the look of you they may ask to see that you have a sufficient amount of money to cover your stay. Some embassies also ask to see a 'ticket out', which means that before you can obtain a visa to get into a country you must have a ticket to prove that you intend leaving again.