Planning, Paperwork, and Patience

And then comes the research. Reading maps, drawing lines, counting days, planning routes, digging through blogs — the familiar pre-trail ritual begins.

Then there’s the visa. Oh, the visa.
Two hundred dollars for the initial application. As long as you pay, it gets approved. Then you discover that a six-month stay requires an appointment at the U.S. embassy. Another $185. Right — if you want something badly enough, you commit.

After payment, I’m allowed to choose a date to explain my plans in person. June 24 it is. Bureaucracy at its finest, considering I’d like to leave on July 1.

Which means booking flights with full cancellation options. If the visa doesn’t come through, there’s no entry into the U.S. Simple as that.