Pre-Departure Checklist
- Check passport expiration dates and renew if needed
- Book or forward all international air details to us
- Email us a clear mobile phone photo of your passport page:
- Email us a passport-sized photo of yourself for any visas (may be taken with mobile phone):
- Review, arrange and receive any immunizations*
- Obtain Trip Insurance (ask us for a quote)
- Receive and review your pre-tour packet and any verify required visas (sent about one month before departure)
- Add tour manager and guide contacts to your phone
- Pack for your trip (check our packing list)
- Re-confirm all of your flight dates and times** Note: all domestic/regional flights are e-tickets.
- Re-confirm you have your required visas
*Travel advisories and recommended immunizations schedules may represent a worst-case scenario. For example, Japanese Encephalitis occurs during the monsoon season. Keep this in mind as you research what is recommended for the places you will be traveling in.
**Important: Check flight status on the day of your departure.
PRE-DEPARTURE
For your trip, you must have:
- Passport (valid for 6 months after return)
- Photocopy of passport, kept separately
- International Airline (please re-confirm)
- Regional airlines re-confirmed*
- US currency for initial expenses & visas
- Medical insurance documents
- Required Visas (see Visas) and extra photos
* Ticketed in-country or e-tickets if issued by Indochina Travel
ITEMS WE MAY NEED FROM YOU
Items to provide to us pre-departure
120 days before departure:- Completed registration* and tour deposit
- Airline arrival and departure information
- Extra booking needs (hotel, airline, etc)
- Proof of medical & cancellation insurance
90 days before departure:
- Balance of tour fees
- International airline information
- Confirmation of any extra bookings/services
- Signed liability release form
* Names submitted exactly per passport
FINAL MATERIALS
Three months before departure, you will receive a pre-tour packet that contains information about health, visas, practicalities, hotel and contact information as well as background materials.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
ITC requires you be covered for medical expenses, baggage loss, and trip cancellation. Please obtain a quote for insurance through us.
PASSPORT
Verify your passport is valid for six months after the last your date of your travel. Visas may require one full, blank page in passport. Please carry a photocopy separately — invaluable for quickly replacing a lost passport.
VISAS
Visas or visa-on-arrival authorization required for Vietnam, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, and Myanmar, in advance of arrival.Entry is not permitted to these countries without a valid visa or authorization for your dates of travel (visa or visa forms and instructions are enclosed with your pre-tour packet and also emailed to you).
If you will be entering Vietnam or Myanmar more than one time, a multiple-entry visa is required. Cambodia and Laos visas are issued upon arrival (please have passport-sized photos). Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong require no visa. See country sheets for specific information.
IMMUNIZATIONS
While no immunizations are required for entry into any Southeast Asian country, you should ensure at minimum that your routine vaccinations are up to date, such as Hepatitis B and MMR. Your doctor may also suggest Hepatitis A vaccine and to bring along anti-malarial medication. Refer to Centers for Disease Control Site for information: www.cdc.gov.
AIRLINES
Reconfirm all airlines, especially if connecting from a domestic to international flight: Domestic flights are often changed, delayed and cancelled without advance notice. Note: all regional and domestic flights are e-tickets (electronic tickets), and you will not have nor require paper tickets. Simply check-in using your passport.
MONEY MATTERS
Only newer issue, mint-condition US Dollars are accepted in the region. In Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia bring a mix of new condition currency in ones, tens and twenties, and hundreds for this purpose. You may also exchange US cash or receive cash advances on credit cards. Traveler’s checks are not widely accepted in the region. ATMs are found in larger cities, but can be unreliable. Credit cards and traveler’s checks are not accepted in Myanmar, only new US currency in one hundred dollar bills.
PACKING
ARRIVAL
You will be met for all airport transfers except Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Singapore (by arrangement). Escort staff will be holding sign with your name. If you are missed at the airport, please call our local offices