Foreign holidays often provide greater value for money spent
While planning a holiday ahead of time allows for the holiday feeling to sink in slowly, there is nothing to beat impromptu travel. Its great fun to pack up your bags one morning and just leave. Unfortunately, this works only if travelling within India or to few countries where visa is available on arrival or visa is not required for Indian passport holders. Given that Indian holidays are not exactly cheap for the available infrastructure and facilities, there is now a greater desire to head overseas on vacation.
Indian passport is not much powerful
Henley Passport Index ranks all the world passports based on the number of countries their holders can access without prior visa. Japan and Singapore are right at the top, followed by followed by few European countries, South Korea, USA, Australia and New Zealand-the holders of these passports can access over 180 countries without prior visa. India is way below in the list, with access to about 60 countries.
In the list of 60 odd countries, most of the countries are not regarded as tourist hotspot and I would unlikely visit those countries as a tourist. These includes countries in Africa(Gabon, Somalia, Tunisia etc), Caribbean(Haiti, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago), Americas(Bolivia, Equador, Oceania(Fiji, Cook Islands) and so on. There are only about 10 odd countries that I have either visited or would certainly wish to visit.
Two of the best regions for Indian tourists-Europe Schengen/UK and USA/Canada have strict visa regimes. USA has an advantage if you can get 10 year multiple entry visa. But given the distance, time difference and variety, Europe wins hands down for Indian tourists.
So which country to go to at short notice?
If you need to get away quickly, which are the countries where visa can be applied online or can be obtained quickly or there is Visa on Arrival for Indian passport holders? Here is my list, compiled based on my experience and my discussions with other travellers.
The classification between must visit and good to visit destinations is obviously my choice which may or may be your choice! For example, if you are fond of beaches, Seychelles should be under ‘must visit category. So also Jamaica though it is far off. Note however that certain African and South American countries have vaccination requirements.
Countries where Visa is available on arrival(VoA) or there is eVisa/Visa with simple documentation
I Must visit tourist destinations
In these destinations, there are many things to do and see and there is something for all types of travellers-solo, couples, kids, families.
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- Hongkong(visa free but successful online Pre Arrival Registration is required. Simple process and result is immediate). If Pre Arrival registration is not successful, apply for regular visa.
- Maldives(VoA)
- Mauritius(VoA)
- Russia(normal Visa)…simple manual application process, no income related documents, visa 3-5 days after submission. eVisa available if visiting only St. Petersburg for upto 8 days. Those arriving by ferry at St. Petersburg do not need visa for upto 72 hours.
- Singapore(eVisa-takes 2-3 days)
- Thailand(VoA)
- UAE(eVisa- takes 3-5 days)…application through airlines or hotel or visa application centre. Those with US visa can get VoA also. Minimal documents are normally required but for certain category of travellers such as first time travellers, additional documents will need to be submitted. UAE has recently announced 5 year multiple entry visas for tourists.
II Good tourist destinations
These are destinations where there is something unique to see, even though the country(exception is Macau which is not a country but an autonomous region of China, like HongKong) by itself may not be that attractive. Like Halong Bay in Vietnam, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Game reserves in Kenya/Tanzania, Dead Sea and Petra in Jordan.
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- Bhutan(visa free…even Voters ID can be used, passport not required)
- Cambodia(VoA)
- Indonesia(visa free/VoA)
- Jordan(VoA)
- Kenya(eVisa-takes 3-5 days) or Tanzania(eVisa-takes upto 10 days)
- Nepal(visa free)
- Macau(visa free)….Las Vegas of Asia
- Malaysia(From Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2020, visa is not required, only simple electronic registration, else eVisa-takes 3 days)
- Sri Lanka(Free VoA since Aug 1, 2019, else eVisa-takes 3 days)
- Vietnam(eVisa/ VoA)
III Few other exotic options
You can consider the following destinations too, though hardly anyone thinks of them. Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago(part of West Indies) and Seychelles have beautiful beaches while Kyrgystan has rugged beauty.
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- Azerbaijan(eVias-4 days)
- Jamaica(visa free)
- Kyrgystan(eVisa-7 days)
- Seychelles(VoA)
- Trinidad and Tobago(visa free)
Additional countries to be considered if you possess US visa
I am stressing only US because Schengen/UK do not usually issue multi year visas for normal tourists with Indian passports. The only unfortunate part is that each passport holder should have the US visa, making it difficult for families. All these countries, except Turkey which I have visited, are on my bucket list. So much still to see….
Antarctica…No visa is required. But if you will most likely transit through Argentina, Australia or New Zealand, and you need visa for the transit country.
Argentina – With a valid US B2 visa or a Schengen visa, one is eligible to apply for Electronic Ticket Authorisation online. Takes upto 10 days to process.
Bahamas – Visa is not required/will be issued on arrival if passport holders possess visas issued by US, Canada, Schengen or UK.
Mexico – Visa is not required if passport holder possesses a valid US Visa.
Peru– Visa is not required if passport holder possesses a valid US /UK/Schengen/Canada Visa.
Turkey –Those with US/UK/Schengen visas are eligible for eVisas. Normal visa may also be processed in 5 days.
Brazil President had announced in later half of 2019 that Indian tourists will no longer require visas to visit Brazil. But it does not look like this has been actioned as yet.
As is obvious, quite a few must visit destinations are not in the above list. Many countries, including Schengen and UK, provide a fast track option on payment of additional fees. So it is possible to get visa within say a week but I guess nobody can take that chance every time.
Documents to carry for Visa on Arrival
For visa on arrival, typical documents required include the following:
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- Visa application(available at airport, do carry a pen)
- Original passport(carry couple of extra copies). Ensure passport is valid for 6 months from intended date of departure though these rules vary.
- Hotel confirmation(hard copy is generally required)
- Passport size photos(carry 3 photos)
- Return air ticket(hard copy is generally required)
- Visa fees(Most accept dollars, some like Thailand insist on local currency).
- Proof of sufficient funds(generally not asked for)
- Travel insurance(generally not asked for)
Wherever VoA is granted, there will be kiosks for currency exchange and photos. Getting photocopies will be more difficult, hence do carry hard copies.
Other related matters
Visa free or electronic registration or visa on arrival normally means you can stay for periods ranging from 14 days to 30 days, sometimes more. Do check if you intend to stay is over 2 weeks. You may have to apply for regular visa then.
Many of African and South American countries have vaccination requirements which means you cannot travel at short notice unless already vaccinated.
Rules can vary if travel is other than by air – say road, train or ship. Visa on arrival may not apply if the mode of travel is other than air or if you land at airports other than designated airports.
Even if you have an eVisa/Visa, carry a copy of documents such as hotel bookings, air ticket and travel insurance.
Check on transit visa requirements if you are taking a connecting flight. I was unaware that flying through Paris to Russia required a transit visa. I was denied boarding an Air France flight from Bengaluru to St. Petersburg via Paris in April 2018. This requirement for Indian passport holders was removed by France in July 2018.
Do it yourself or go through agent?
Whether you prefer to go through an agent or do it yourself, the choice is yours. Going through an agent does mean they will ensure all relevant documents are enclosed but my experience also suggests agents ask for much more than what is actually required. I prefer to do it myself, especially since the visa instructions and the documentation requirements are generally clear and if you are submitting the documents at collection agents such as VFS, they will also do a preliminary check.
Important to read visa required documents checklist carefully. To give an example, when it comes to travel insurance, most countries are ok if travel insurance is valid for the duration of travel, but Spain, for Schengen visa, required me to have travel insurance to be valid for minimum15 days after date of intended return. I was lucky as the VFS desk identified this and hence there was a delay of only a day.
