Central America Travel Questions
Replies: 3 - Last Post: Aug 31, 2012 12:35 PM Last Post By: dominic77
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Central America Travel Questions
In October i will be travelling through Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru and need some advice with visas, phones and money (I have read through the forums, but couldn't find many answers)Visas-
In Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru i will be working for 3 months in each, but realise you need a visa after 90 days. How tight is this? If i would only go over the 90 days by 1 or 2 is it better to get a visa, pay any additional charges, boarder run? Also i have read about the onward tickets you may need for entering Panama and other Latin American countries. Are these commonly needed and are they easy to get? Would a coach or bus ticket do?
Phones and Cash-
I will be travelling from the UK, and wanted to know the best way to carry money. I have a Halifax and Santander debit cards, but don't know if this is the best form of money. Also, what is best to do for a phone? I'll only need it for emergencies but don't know if i should get a sim card/phone out there, or if my 3 phone will work there?
1
In Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru i will be working for 3 months in each, but realise you need a visa after 90 days.If you want to work legally, you need a work visa from day 0; i.e. you can't work legally without the relevant work visa.
2
I bought an unlocked quad band phone in the UK, especially for my trip, and ended up never using it in more than 5 months traveling through Central America. Waste of time, backpack space, and money.In an emergency, borrow someone else's phone. Almost every local person has one, and unfortunately you are rarely very far from other people in this overpopulated world.
I actually found it very refreshing to travel for so long without using a phone.
3
Oh and I used my UK-issued HSBC and Nationwide debit cards everywhere, ATMs are plentiful in most places. Occasionally if going off the beaten path there may not be ATMs and you will need to plan in advance and make sure you bring enough cash with you.I also took about $500 in US dollars cash, which was useful several times as a back-up reserve on the rare occasion when an ATM didn't accept my cards, or when I ran out of money and I wasn't near an ATM.
