Visas and Meds

As we get closer to departure day we start shifting from “planning” to “preparing.” Preparing is dealing with the physical logistics of making the trip. Right now that means focusing on visas and medical prep.

Visas basically fall into three categories: those that Oceania takes care of; those that you have to manage; and “other.” The first category is obviously worry-free, and the second is largely so. The ones you have to manage include New Zealand and India, which require an online application, and Australia, which requires you to use an app. No big deal for any of those. The “other” category is China, which has a lot of rules for visas. We want to do Shanghai Disneyland when we stop there as a treat for our boys. Chinese visa policies have shifted over time, and they allow visa-free entries in some areas under certain conditions. Shanghai is such an area, and we meet the conditions for visa-free entry. However, activities must be handled by a Chinese travel agency. You can’t just walk ashore and do what you want, which is kinda what we’d hoped to do. So we’re either going to need to coordinate an excursion simply to get us to Shanghai Disneyland or we’re going to need a proper tourist visa. The latter means a trip to the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles. Doable, but daunting as I’m sure it’d eat up a full day.

For travel meds we are using the Costco travel medicine product. For $40 they’ll run through your itinerary and, based on your vaccine and medical history, tell you what meds you may need for your trip. This covers four travelers, so it’s a pretty good deal. We’re on the fence about a few of the recommendations, as it’s a lot of vaccinations if you do everything. It’s all about balancing the possibility of a very bad outcome versus the likelihood of it actually happening. Rabies, for example: there’s a vaccine for it, but the likelihood of contracting it is remote. We’ve traveled a fair bit and have never encountered a rabid animal (to my knowledge, anyway). On its own, sure, probably, but when you batch it up with yellow fever and typhoid and hepatitis and flu and covid…it’s a lot.Lue lisää