Getting Ready For The Trip Should Be Part of The Fun

USA Passports: Start your paperwork by getting your passport pictures. Snapshots do not work. Pictures must be 2 inches by 2 inches. Get several extra pictures! You will need two for your passport. There are specifications that your passport photos must meet. A special passport photographer might be good. Also Walgreens does this.

You will need photos for visa applications, perhaps an international driver’s license, and you should bring several to Africa with you in case of travel emergencies. If you want to print your own with an Ink-Jet printer, check the U.S. State Department Passport Photo Regulations. NOTE: Be aware that many countries require different size photos for their requirements. For example, Tanzanian passport and visa photo size requirements are: 5 photos of 4cm x 4.5cm, sky blue background, ears shown. These size photos are more typical of what is needed by most countries for official documentation, as opposed to the 2 inch square photos used by the USA.

However, if applying for a Tanzania visa at their USA embassy in Washington D.C., they will accept the 2 inch x 2 inch (5cm x 5cm) size required by the USA for passports. Some people prefer to have and carry both sizes to be able to deal with all possibilities. If you are planning on getting your Tanzania tourist visa upon arrival at the Dar es Salaam airport, they will take your picture for your visa right there as a part of issuing the visa!

How to get your passport? Many, but not all, local post offices can process passport applications and are the most convenient place to apply. It can take 6 to 8 weeks to get a routine passport. You can get your passport in 2 to 3 weeks for an additional $60 for expedited service.

It is best to check on the U.S. Government State Department’s website for the most current passport information and prices. Passport regulations are changing and are being tightened in the post 9/11 era. Protect your passport as a vital travel document. It is always expensive and very troublesome to try to get it replaced on your trip.

Renew your passport? If you already have a passport, check the expiration date, and if it is within the last year of validity you will probably need a new one. The timeframe is the same as issuing a new passport

Some countries will not put a visa into a passport that is within six months of expiration. Also, it must remain valid for the entire stay and it is recommended that it be valid for 3 months from beyond the end of your trip. You can apply for renewal of a USA passport at any time during the life of the passport. Don’t get caught on this issue as it can ruin your travel plans and make things very difficult in an emergency.

Visas: Visas are required for U.S. citizens traveling to Tanzania. You can get a visa before your trip or upon arrival at the Dar es Salaam airport.

You may apply for a visa online in advance of travel. Applicants may complete the e-visa application form and make payment online with a credit card or bank transfer at www.immigration.go.tz. If the e-visa is approved, the applicant will receive a “grant notice” via email. Present a copy of the grant notice to the Immigration Officer on arrival at the airport in Tanzania.

U.S. citizens may also obtain a tourist visa upon arrival at the airport in Tanzania. The cost is $100 USD. Be prepared to pay in cash in case connectivity issues make electronic transactions impossible.

A passport valid for a minimum of six months beyond visa issuance and/or date of entry, and at least one blank visa page, is required. Visitors who enter on visas must present a roundtrip ticket and demonstrate they have sufficient funds for their stay.

Be prepared to show your passport and explain your visa status when entering or departing Zanzibar or when traveling around the mainland.

You should apply for a “tourist” visa and not apply as a volunteer or for other types of work.

Tickets: You will need two sets of tickets. Assuming you are arriving from the USA, the first tickets you will need are to get you to Dar es Salaam, which is the largest city in Tanzania. The second set of tickets will bring you from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma, about 650 miles away.

You will be responsible to handle your ticket bookings. However, we will provide information below to help you.

In order to get the best prices airline tickets should be purchased at least seven months before you are planning to leave the states. This is especially true if you are going to be traveling during high season (summer or Christmas). Because you will be going on a mission trip you, will qualify for deeply discounted tickets with several airlines. These discounted seats are few in number on each flight so again make sure you book early to get the best prices.

There are many agencies that offer these discounts, but in the past the following two agents have been used by Joy in the Harvest for mission travel, and have shown to give consistently good rates. We suggest you get a quote from both places before deciding.

Getting tickets at good prices is a major concern for most of our guests. If you deal directly with airlines you will probably be paying more than you should — in some case MUCH more than you should. Here are some hints to getting good prices:

Deal with a specialty agent who books mission trips. Some airlines offer their lowest rates exclusively for mission workers and humanitarian volunteers. You will only get these rates from one of the travel agencies that have special arrangements with the airlines. As a Joy in the Harvest volunteer, you qualify for these rates.

Book as early as you can. There are a very limited number of the cheapest seats on each flight. They go fast. Book very early and get one. You can hold the cheapest seats with a reservation without paying up front for it. Just get your seat reserved very early to save money.

Here is information on two good sources of cheaper tickets. We recommend you check with both of these sources to get the best price.

SIAMA. They are located in the Netherlands. There claim to fame is if you have to change your dates, you can usually do it for free or very low cost. Sometimes their prices are higher than for InterMission World Travel (below). Most of your communication with them will be via email. They are reliable but usually it takes several days for them to answer your first email. E-tickets (electronic tickets) are often provided which means you don’t need “paper tickets” to fly. This saves the cost of sending paper tickets via Fed-Ex to you.

Contact Siama
Email: Siama@Siama.antenna.NL
Website: https://www.siama.nl

Telephone (from USA): 011-31-71-516-35-35 or 011-31-71-516-35-45

Fax (from USA): 011-31-71-516-35-37 or 011-31-71-516-35-47

INTERMISSION. 
 Another great source of tickets is InterMissions World Travel. Located in the USA. They sometimes recommend that you travel with a letter from us identifying you as a mission volunteer. We are happy to provide this letter for you. None of our guests have ever been asked for it, however.


Contact InterMission
InterMission World Travel (we try to always deal with Rick)
2752 Pleasant Road, Suite 102, Ft. Mills, SC 29708

Office Telephone: 803-802-7227
Toll Free: 800-262-5004
Fax: 803-802-7411
Email: rick@intermissionsworldtravel.com
Website: https://www.intermissionsworldtravel.com

There are other sources of cheap tickets. The internet is sometime a good place to check. Raptum Travel and others are well known in this niche market. If you find a source that you feel is good, we will appreciate knowing about it to include it in this section of our website.

We have had travel agents tell us that the above mentioned sources provided tickets cheaper than any deal they could find. If you find a better deal, let us know.