Vaccinations, visas and travel insurance

As my next trip to Asia will be of long duration and can pass through areas of risk, last week I was in the "Unit of Tropical Medicine and International Health Drassaness (Av.Drassanes, 17 to 21 Bajos, 08001 Barcelona, 933270550) to I get recommended immunizations: Polio, Hepatitis A & B, Tetanus, Diphtheria and Typhoid Fever, come on, they've left me like a sieve (eye, a queue of months in summer). Besides, I have recommended to take one box of Malarone (malaria medication) for me to take it only if you have high fever for more than 2 days and is in a zone with no possibility of seeing a doctor.


As for the visa to enter China, last Monday I was at the Chinese consulate in Barcelona (Avinguda Tibidabo 34, 08022 Barcelona, 932541180) to request (2 hours in line), you can enter China without a visa has been approved and stuck in your passport. To request one of type "tourist", you should be there at the consulate in your city with a passport valid for more than 6 months on the date of travel, 2 passport size photographs and a number of forms completed (these will be given in the tail) The price varies based on the entries:

An entry

25 Euros

Two input

35 Euros

Half-year multiple entry

48 Euros

Multiple entries from one year

72 Euros

In my case I asked for a visa for 2 tickets (have taken a week), more than anything because if I go back in Hong Kong and the mainland (Hong Kong is one of the two special administrative regions "of the PRC. The other is the former Portuguese colony of Macao. In these two special administrative regions covered by the administrative model known as one country, two systems. consists in maintaining a capitalist economic system under the sovereignty of a communist country's official ideology. In addition to the system economic, these two regions maintain an administrative and independent judicial system and even its own customs and external borders), or whether they enter and leave Hong Kong is like to go out and re-enter China, so I need 2 tickets .

The visa for Vietnam, luckily be processed online at many websites for about 10 € approx. Within a week they send you an e-mail you print and teach at the border (if carried out, this processed being in China I decide to Vietnam as the next destination).

To get in Thailand do not need visa if you're less than a month and you take a ticket to leave the country, the idea is that if I go, when you buy the ticket, also buy one going to the next destination a month later.

India is another country that can not enter without a visa previously approved. At first the process was in Spain but had to send by courier the passport to the embassy in Madrid (the consulate in Barcelona not processed), worth over € 100 and also does not give me time so I decided that if I, as tramitaré at the embassy of India in Bangkok (Thailand), take a week and is much cheaper.

If during the journey I decide on some other area country like Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, etc.. These can handle a "visa on arrival" or you pay X money in the same border, give a picture and you approve the visa right there (important to take several pictures for these trips).

Finally this travel insurance when you travel outside Europe normally travel agents and offers limited, but traveling by yourself you've got to find yourself. This point is essential for me and I think it would be foolhardy to go to Asia so long without one, keep in mind that most of these passes is to pay health and if something happens you may find surprises. After comparing several, I decided to World Nomads, is designed for adventurous travelers with medical coverage, evacuation, baggage and activities for overseas venture, which is also recommended in the Lonely Planet. € 292.16 exits with worldwide coverage for 4 months and can be extended online during the trip.