Passport and Visa Information
Passport Information
As a general rule, passports must be valid for at least six (6) months AFTER the date of the return of your travels. Please check your passport to ensure your expiration date is past this required time. Some countries require a smaller validity period. You can check what each country requires by going to this link: Country Information (state.gov)
It is the traveler’s responsibility to ensure their passport has the appropriate validity period before traveling.
We require a copy of your passport with your Registration Form and deposit; this is for ticketing purposes only, and all information is professionally destroyed after the tour returns home. For ticketing purposes, names must match as is stated on your passport. If you do not provide us a copy of your passport, your name as it appears on your Registration Form will be used for ticketing. If ANY information provided (name, date of birth, etc.) does not match what is on your passport, you may be subject to penalties or fees for corrections to airline tickets, and/or may be denied boarding by the airline. Any name change, including minor spelling corrections, may require reservations to be canceled and re-booked. Reservations will then be subject to availability and pricing at the time of re-booking; any increase in airfare will be borne by the passenger. Inspirational Tours, Inc. will not be held responsible for the denial of services by a carrier due to any name or passport discrepancies.
Helpful Links
- US Department of State Passports
- Apply for a New Passport
- US Embassies Around the World
- US Department of State Passports
- Apply for a New Passport
- US Embassies Around the World
Visas
U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents do not need visas to travel most countries. However, some Lawful Permanent Residents, depending on their country of nationality, will require a visa to enter certain countries. If you are not a U.S. Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident, or if you are a Lawful Permanent Resident, it is your responsibility to confirm whether a visa is required to enter each country to be visited on the tour, and to obtain any necessary visas prior to your departure.
We have partnered with CIBT Visas, who maintains a continuously-updated database of entry-related protocols for countries around the world; their website is: http://www.cibtvisas.com/inspirationaltours. Information may also be found on the websites of the U.S. Embassies for each country, as well as each country’s government websites.
Travel Alerts & Country Conditions
We know many travelers may worry with news of any local unrest in countries overseas. We can assure everyone that we are 110% on top of any and all information regarding your travels. The ultimate decision to cancel or postpone a tour rests with the Tour Leader; however, we are in constant communication with our ground operators overseas and the airlines in the event a concern arises. The US Department of State also provides travel alerts for countries around the world. That information can be found at this link: Travel Advisories (state.gov). Typically, the airlines will not fly travelers to a country it believes is too dangerous. When the need arises, we will make every attempt to reroute, reconfigure and/or postpone the tour until the further dates of safety are confirmed.
The US Department of State also provides a program known as the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (“STEP”). STEP is a free service to allow U.S. citizens and nationals traveling and living abroad to enroll their trip with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate, and by doing so, you receive important information from the Embassy about safety conditions in destination countries, and is a mechanism for the Embassy and/or family to get in touch with you in case of an emergency. More information can be found here: Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (state.gov)