So, one idea I had to provide more value to you, was to talk to companies about creating some advantages for ExpatYourself visitors. Of course, nothing comes for free, so my offered end of the deal is a nice big post about that company.

Here is the first one: Solucion Relocation Services.

What do they do? Relocation services.
For an expat, that means “everything you need, but don’t know how to do for yourself.”
Having someone who’s “local” help with relocation can be incredibly time-saving.

For example, Solucion starts helping you before you arrive and welcomes you when you get there. They offer help with legal, housing, moving, even setting up schooling for your little ones.

To Spain only?
They aren’t limited to Spain – they actually have offices all over the world.

How are they priced? They target executives and families
Targeting executives tells you they may be on the high end of some budgets. I can tell you that they are worth it. That assurance might not help, but 10% off should help.

Yes, Solucion is willing to knock 10% off any and all of their services for you. When you write to Solucion, tell them you’re an ExpatYourself “client” and you will receive a 10% discount.

How’s that? I’m fairly excited about it and I hope you are too.

And in case you’re wondering, no, I don’t get any payment or reward for posting this.

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Today, we’re expats in Prague, Czech Republic, but we will move overseas back to North America. This post is the first of several to show how we’ll do it.

It’s now March 10th.
We have a plan: we’ll leave Prague on May 30th.

The planning after that is a bit of a grey area.
You ask “How gray?” …Charcoal?

Let’s see – 10 March to 30 May. That leaves just under 3 months, or about 11 weeks.
For a family of four, I would say that 3 months is cutting it close, about the minimum to make it “not-so-stressful.” But we’re going for it. I’ll write about what we’re up to, in case some family out there may find it helpful, too.

So, what have we done to get ready?

Last week, we bought flights to Halifax, Canada. We still have our fingers crossed for New York city as well, but it’s still not 100% for certain.

We signed a contract with a property management company. They will handle our apartment we bought here 2 years ago.

We drafted a spreadsheet of To-Do items like closing bank accounts, health insurance, selling stuff, packing/shipping our stuff ….those little things, right?

Obviously much more to do – stay tuned!

Moving abroad is big deal, but it can be done. Sure, I’ve moved abroad a few times already, but I still get nervous before each big move.

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To Wait or Not to Wait - that is our question

Every night, the wife and I read a couple bedtime stories to our young kids. One of my daughter’s favorites is Dr Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

We both recommend it highly. If you don’t have it – get it now..

The story speaks to “you,” a young boy. He learns all about life’s potential greatness as well as its dangers and difficulties.

I read it again recently and one part keeps popping in my head. The story warns the boy about getting lost in life’s “rat race.” Not taking action, but instead just …waiting.

Dr. Seuss’ words about waiting

The Waiting Place…
…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.

Everyone is just waiting.

Clearly to Dr. Seuss, waiting is not a good thing. (& I agree)

Enter Franz Kafka. As a writer, he’s one of the all-time greats. As a boy born in Prague in a German Jewish family, Kafka struggled with identity. A minority of a minority. He didn’t accept it well. It was tough times for Franz and his writing shows it. His dark writing style was usually about “senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity.” (sources)

What’s Kafka say about waiting?

Kafka’s words about Waiting

You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.

In a Nutshell…
There you have it.
Seuss says: waiting = bad
Kafka says: waiting = good

Why do I mention this? Because it mirrors a tough decision for us these days. I said in a past post, we know our future lies between two cities: New York City, USA and Halifax, Canada.
In one city, we have a chance of a grand opportunity. An exciting chance in an exciting city. But it’s not for certain. Instead we must wait. Out of our control, we wait. Kafka says it’s all fine, …”it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”
In the other city, we also have uncertainty but the choice is completely in our control. We take that choice and wake up believing whatever we want to believe.

What are your thoughts?

Anyway, this is what’s weighing heavily on our minds today and the past few weeks.

Thanks for reading,
-Jeff

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Termination Contract

My position is no longer going forward as the company has reengineered itself through staff reductions in response to the poor economy. Can you tell I work for a major corporation?

Yes, I am officially laid off, rightsized, downsized, etc. I could go on…but I’m not going to.

What Is Important Is This: We are in transition.
I say “we” because, even though I got laid off, now all the future steps involve my wife and two kids.

What’s Our Plan?
In short, move back to North America. If you ask me “Canada or USA?”, I answer “I don’t know yet.” But we’re 100% positive between 2 places, New York City, NY or Halifax, Canada.
So, the near future holds: planning, packing, partying, pre-flight travel, and our flight home.

Small Goal, Big Benefit: Document It All.
It’s my family affected, but it could have been anyone. So, I have a simple goal – use this to help anyone else take the same action.
Every decision, every step of the way, every action we take, I’ll make available on this site. My hope is all my documenting can help someone else. So, you’ll see

Just to note…
I’m not out of work just yet. I will still spend 8 hours a day here for another 2 months.
So, March and April are mine for action.
For May, I & family will stay in Prague for ourselves and friends.
For June, we plan to travel around Europe (that’s the royal “we”: parents & two kids)

Some may wonder about severance. Come the end of April, I receive 3 more months’ salary. Three months’ salary is a sizable severance by American standards, it’s a legal minimum here in the Czech Republic. I’m not complaining.

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Yes, every country has its own visa application form. The form could be available online or you must visit the nearest embassy. Nothing is standard across all forms. And you’d better fill it out as it’s expected.

What Does The Visa Application Ask?
Just “name, rank & serial number” would be nice, but don’t count on it.

Generalizing here, but as a minimum, you will provide:
Name, nationality, birthday, passport number, address (both yours and where you’ll stay) and contact information like phone number/fax/e-mail (both yours and where you’ll stay), why and for how long you expect to stay

You may also be asked your marital status, your occupation and employment history. Some countries even ask you to write a short, personal essay explaining why you want to see their country!

After finishing the form, it is also common to provide:
Bank statement or proof of financial support, a copy of HIV vaccinations, confirmation or invitation from a local hotel or friend (both cases sometimes called your “sponsor” and copies of your hotel confirmation & return flight.
Tack on 1 or 2 passport photos and you’re all set!

Why so personal? They want to ensure you not only intend to visit, but you intend to leave, too.

Click for bigger picture

Paying for Permission to Visit
Well, of course we have to pay. And of course, payments are always “non-refundable and subject to change without notice.” {shrug}
Now, you may be thinking about the poor desk clerk who has to handle all this. You’re paying for his time, right? No, actually in modern countries, visa processing is outsourced. Those 3rd party services are the most expensive portion of your fees.

On top of that, expect to pay for consular fees and postage to send it back to you, typically performed by some private courier like FedEx or DHL.
How much you ask? Could be anything from $15 (Australia) to $130+ (Bolivia, Chile, Brazil). Typical is $30-$50. Is it fair? Well, unlike the price, that answer is negotiable.

Recall that visas and their respective fees are typically reciprocity for the same requirement placed on their citizens. Visas are commonly required because it’s tit-for-tat for them. That helps explain why a country has different visa fees for different visitors.

Take the USA for example. Their site clearly has the attitude “Well, they do to us, so we do it to them” (”however, when a foreign government imposes such fees on U.S. citizens for certain types of visas, the United States will impose a “reciprocal” fee to nationals of that country…“)

What Does It Matter Why I Am Going?
If you’re entering a foreign country and you need permission to enter that foreign country, then it’s reasonable to expect them to be curious why you are entering that foreign country. Yes?

If you are visiting their zoo and miniature toy museum, then you’re a tourist. Prepare for the easiest visa process.
If you are going to sell or for negotiations, then you are on a business trip. Expect questions such as “Are you bringing any goods? Will they stay?”
If anything else, e.g. work, study, adoption, immigration, then you can expect much more paperwork.

Mark your answers wisely.

Click for bigger picture

How Long Does it Take?!?
Time to approve a tourist visas differs. (no surprise, right?)
First, the fastest… to visit Australia, we Americans do need a visa. And Americans need just 30 seconds.
Wow, the necessary tourist visa takes 30 seconds to approve! That is, if you use their Electronic Travel Authority (ETA). For Americans who typically demand fast gratification, that’s a welcome visa process!

Unfortunately, the vast majority of countries take far longer.

I made pictures of my tourist visas to India and Russia. India took about 2 weeks and Russia took 1 week.
Keep in mind, here in Prague, I live only a 5 minute walk away from the Russian embassy, so I knew of the morning lines. I was prepared for waiting a couple hours per visit. I was prepared for the the paperwork that reminded me of the Soviet Union. But after all was filed properly, I got it after 1 week.

A sharp contrast from my buddy, Bill, who after 3 weeks, still didn’t get his visa & passport mailed to him. I felt bad, but I left for Moscow without him.

My tribute video to Bill.

How to shorten the time?
Call into the embassy and check the visa’s approval status. These people are human. They surf the web, too. They forget things. Call after 3 or 4 days to check its status. Call again if its been 2 weeks.
If you don’t live near the embassy, factor in the time for the courier to deliver your passport back.
And, as my friend Bill above can testify to, do not depend on their “expedited service!”

Anything else?
Speaking of time, be sure your passport is good for long enough after the visa should expire.
I’ll use Chile as the example again. Your passport must be good for minimum 90 days after expected departure, else no visa granted.
Most countries have a US embassy which offers “expedited passport services” if you get in a jam while visiting. But think about that … do you really want to surrender your passport and fate to government processing while you’re traveling?
Also – be sure to have two blank pages left in your passport. A very standard request, but often overlooked if a tourist travels enough.
I can’t stress enough to do your own homework for a specific country. Prime example is Russia. They have special demands on sponsorship and things like migration cards that make even a well-seasoned traveler cringe.

I want to repeat two big points I said in the beginning:

• This post talks about the short-term visa. Another post to come for extended stay or long-term visa (like to work or stay over 90 days).
• It’s very important to do your own homework.

As Americans, you can feel (somewhat) secure that your own Department of State has the latest info. Check this site to get the latest on your specific destination.

Sure hope this was helpful to somebody. Let me know

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I haven’t fallen off the map. Not yet anyway.
I know I am woefully behind on posts. It kills me, really it does.

Tomorrow I am jumping back in with both feet. I will deliver the next article in the “Visa Process” series.

There’s some big news coming from me soon. This Friday, I’ll be posting an update to this post.

-Jeff

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What’s a Visa?

Not the credit card. Here, we’re talking about permission to visit a country. Consider it like your personal “green light” to go.

When I traveled around Europe, I got lots of stamps in my passport – are they visas?

No. A passport stamp just acknowledges you’re “in” or “out.” You get those when crossing a border. A visa is something you must apply for ahead of time.

How do I tell if I need a visa?

Two things determine if you need a visa: your citizenship and where you’re going.
If you intend to stay a while, that might affect things, too, but more on that later.
US citizens can check on this page to see if your destination country wants you to get a visa first.

If I’m American, do I need a visa to visit ABC country?

For most countries, no. US citizens need visas for only about 20% of the world’s countries. Bottom line reason why you need a visa is reciprocity. It’s a tit-for-tat thing. If the US requires a visa for that country’s citizens, then often that country will enforce the same on Americans. What breaks the “visa mini-cold-war” is a strong desire between countries to be friends. Example: To visit Mongolia, Americans don’t need a visa, but citizens from all European and most Asian countries do. Interesting, huh?
Combine those two facts and you’ll see Americans travel very freely. In fact, only folks from Denmark and Germany travel more freely than Americans:
(see graph)

Does it matter why I’m going to that country?

Yes, sort of. When filling out the visa application, it matters whether you’re a tourist or someone visiting on business. However, in general, the requirements -and more importantly- the wait for your visa to get approved is the same.
A business person visiting a country is very different from someone needing a work visa.

Do I pay for it? How much?

Yes, visas cost. My rough experience and sample research says this: you’re going to pay between $20 and $100 for the permission to fly to that country.
Sure, it’s not much when compared to the flight or accommodations, but paying for permission to come over (plus the added paperwork) isn’t exactly welcoming either.

How long does it take to get a visa?

Stay tuned for the next part: Visa Process – Timelines

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By the way, when expats talk about visas, we ain’t talking credit cards!

Whenever I hear the question How do I get a visa?, I cringe. I cringe because I know it’s the most common question to ask and the most difficult one to answer.

Some people may stop at “Well, it just depends on the country.” Instead I will write a series of posts, hopefully answering some of the first and tougher questions about the visa process.

Any questions on your mind? Ask them in the comments here or in the forum.

I got my ears open. Stay tuned…

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As I write this, both our son and daughter have colds with runny noses. If you’re a parent of toddlers, you know this means chasing your kid around with tissues every other minute.

Or the alternative is a snot sucker. I think the proper title is “nasal aspirator” but my name is more memorable, so I’m using snot sucker. I should trademark it, in case I go into business with my own!

There 3 kinds of snot suckers in the world:
A. those with a bulb (self explanatory)
B. those with a second tube for the parent to suck air from (yeech)
C. those that attach to a vacuum cleaner (wait, attach to a what?!?)

(Yes, I made this picture myself from an assortment of grabbed images.)

My wife and I only ever heard of the first type when we left the US with our lone 1-year old. Then we got to Europe. Our new friends hailed the vacuum-powered snot sucker as the best thing since sliced bread. We thought “No way – it’ll suck our li’l angel’s brains out!”

However, …frustration and a child’s sad eyes help you reconsider anything!

I believe the vacuum-powered snot sucker would not be possible in the lawsuit-happy United States.
Too bad, their loss: Mark my words: The snot sucker is even more effective than it is gross.

Trust me, once you go vacuum-powered, you won’t go back. Three years later, we wonder what we ever did without it. Now, that’s adaptation!

UPDATE: I see a lot of people finding this page, looking for advice. (That truly amazes me, by the way).

So, let me provide you with quick links on what I see as the Best Model Snot Sucker, in each of the 3 categories I mention above:

A. those with a bulb (best for infants < 3 months)

B. those with a second tube (best for 3 months to a year)

C. the one & only vacuum powered snot sucker (1 year to adult)

Contact me by clicking here or the green guy. I will mail you one from the Czech Republic. Costs are $19 + $7 shipping worldwide
wow, what a great souvenir!

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