Fall travel on Indian passport: suggestions?
August 7, 2013 12:23 PM Subscribe
Planning to take a three week vacation in mid-October to November timeframe, anywhere in the world. Factor: I'll be going with someone who's on an Indian passport. Thoughts on where to go for the least hassle? My travel partner is exceedingly busy at the moment, so I'm trying to do some legwork to reduce their pre-travel effort.
The obvious candidates would be some of the visa-free/visa-on-arrival countries like Thailand, Cambodia, and so on, but any location is up for consideration. Part of the point of my question is to avoid unduly limiting our selection of possible locales.
Spending hundreds of dollars in fees and weeks of anxiously waiting to get their green card back after submitting medical histories, pay stubs, mortgage statements, proof of bank accounts, RE-submitting medical histories, and the like is not desirable (all of which have been demanded of this person at one time or another in the past couple of years by Schengen countries). Nevertheless, even within the Schengen zone formalities vary, so if there were a particular Schengen country that's particularly easy/inexpensive to get into, that could be on the list as well.
For example: Thailand has a visa-on-arrival -- but do they get squirrelly if you leave & re-enter repeatedly in a short period because you're visiting surrounding countries? They've never minded me, but then again, I'm not on an Indian passport.
No specific type of travel is more or less important; any location anywhere in the world can be entertained. Personal anecdotes welcome.
The obvious candidates would be some of the visa-free/visa-on-arrival countries like Thailand, Cambodia, and so on, but any location is up for consideration. Part of the point of my question is to avoid unduly limiting our selection of possible locales.
Spending hundreds of dollars in fees and weeks of anxiously waiting to get their green card back after submitting medical histories, pay stubs, mortgage statements, proof of bank accounts, RE-submitting medical histories, and the like is not desirable (all of which have been demanded of this person at one time or another in the past couple of years by Schengen countries). Nevertheless, even within the Schengen zone formalities vary, so if there were a particular Schengen country that's particularly easy/inexpensive to get into, that could be on the list as well.
For example: Thailand has a visa-on-arrival -- but do they get squirrelly if you leave & re-enter repeatedly in a short period because you're visiting surrounding countries? They've never minded me, but then again, I'm not on an Indian passport.
No specific type of travel is more or less important; any location anywhere in the world can be entertained. Personal anecdotes welcome.
Perhaps this might help, as a jumping-off point? (It's a bit out of date, but I'd imagine that the tendency these days is for countries to become more rather than less stringent about visa requirements.)
Visa Requirements for Indian Citizens
It sounds like the second most important factor here is the Indian passport holder's current country of residence. U.S., U.K., Japanese, and Canadian residency seem like they would smooth things over in some other European and Asian countries.
posted by Austenite at 12:46 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Visa Requirements for Indian Citizens
It sounds like the second most important factor here is the Indian passport holder's current country of residence. U.S., U.K., Japanese, and Canadian residency seem like they would smooth things over in some other European and Asian countries.
posted by Austenite at 12:46 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: It would depend on what country issued your passport...
Canada, with US residency ... but I'm not concerned about hassles I have to deal with, I'm fine jumping through innumerable hoops and pointless officialdom, I'm trying to limit how much hassle my partner has to deal with because so much of their attention is demanded elsewhere (hence the upcoming need for a bit of relief via travel).
posted by aramaic at 12:51 PM on August 7, 2013
Canada, with US residency ... but I'm not concerned about hassles I have to deal with, I'm fine jumping through innumerable hoops and pointless officialdom, I'm trying to limit how much hassle my partner has to deal with because so much of their attention is demanded elsewhere (hence the upcoming need for a bit of relief via travel).
posted by aramaic at 12:51 PM on August 7, 2013
The information per country on the Wikipedia page linked above is usually linked to the destination's ministry of foreign affairs/embassies for more accurate/up-to-date info.
Iran would be full of cultural wonders, and probably quite cheap, as would Indonesia.
Kenya and Tanzania might be great if you're into nature or wildlife.
Or perhaps Hong Kong and Macau? HK and Macau together are about a week's worth of sights, food, and crazy urban landscapes, but pricey.
posted by mdonley at 12:54 PM on August 7, 2013
Iran would be full of cultural wonders, and probably quite cheap, as would Indonesia.
Kenya and Tanzania might be great if you're into nature or wildlife.
Or perhaps Hong Kong and Macau? HK and Macau together are about a week's worth of sights, food, and crazy urban landscapes, but pricey.
posted by mdonley at 12:54 PM on August 7, 2013
Obvious dumb answer: India is really nice! The beaches of Goa are just about the most heavenly place I've ever visited. Even if your travel partner is from India, I bet there are vast swathes of the country they still haven't seen.
posted by UncleBoomee at 1:00 PM on August 7, 2013
posted by UncleBoomee at 1:00 PM on August 7, 2013
do you want to avoid shots/medicine (malaria etc) for the both of you as well?
posted by sweetkid at 1:08 PM on August 7, 2013
posted by sweetkid at 1:08 PM on August 7, 2013
Response by poster: do you want to avoid shots/medicine
No, not an issue.
(sorry, not intending to threadsit)
posted by aramaic at 1:13 PM on August 7, 2013
No, not an issue.
(sorry, not intending to threadsit)
posted by aramaic at 1:13 PM on August 7, 2013
I went to Jamaica on my Indian passport, and it was lovely. Look at Negril, for example.
I've done a day trip in Bangkok during a (very long) airline layover, and really enjoyed it.
India has more to see than is possible in a lifetime of travel, although that might not be an option if your partner wants a more international flavor.
The US of A is not bad for a vacation either, if your partner is in the US already. I always recommend New Mexico - stunning vistas, great food, beautiful art, historical ruins, fantastic hiking and mountain biking.
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:15 PM on August 7, 2013
I've done a day trip in Bangkok during a (very long) airline layover, and really enjoyed it.
India has more to see than is possible in a lifetime of travel, although that might not be an option if your partner wants a more international flavor.
The US of A is not bad for a vacation either, if your partner is in the US already. I always recommend New Mexico - stunning vistas, great food, beautiful art, historical ruins, fantastic hiking and mountain biking.
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:15 PM on August 7, 2013
I would avoid India.
Have you thought about Latin America? Costa Rica, Chile, Guatemala are heavenly! and cheap too. Also Playa del Carmen in Mexico is amazing.
posted by ladoo at 3:16 PM on August 7, 2013
Have you thought about Latin America? Costa Rica, Chile, Guatemala are heavenly! and cheap too. Also Playa del Carmen in Mexico is amazing.
posted by ladoo at 3:16 PM on August 7, 2013
2nding Austenite in asking the current residence status of your partner? Friends have told me that Indian nationals with US green cards can enter Mexico without a Mexican visa.
posted by tinymegalo at 5:20 PM on August 7, 2013
posted by tinymegalo at 5:20 PM on August 7, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:45 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]