THE V WORD

 

Many Filipinos have been fortunate enough to experience travelling to the country of their choosing and satisfy their wanderlust. Unfortunately, becoming a certified Filipino globetrotter is a difficult endeavor. Apart from finding the perfect time to travel, saving up enough for a travel budget, and organizing a travel itinerary, Filipinos are hindered by the fact that our passport requires us to go through tedious visa applications for many countries. 

 

Applying for a visa can be one of the most hectic experiences for Filipino globetrotters and travel enthusiasts - especially if they’re doing it without the assistance of a travel agency. From keeping track of the different documents that need to be submitted to the anxiousness of waiting for the news of your application, applying for a visa is truly a nerve wracking experience even for seasoned Filipino travelers.

 

A COMMON REJECTION STORY

 

After preparing all of the documents needed for the visa application, you walk into the embassy for your scheduled appointment and your application is filed. Days pass and you finally receive news of your application. Your body and mind are overwhelmed with an influx of emotions - excitement, anxiousness, and fear - as you wait to read the status of your visa application. You read the email and your heart sinks as you find out that it was denied.

 

This experience is sadly the story of most Filipinos who apply for a visa by themselves, especially for countries with difficult visa applications. We understand that a lot of people would be afraid to apply again as they would need to exert a lot of time and effort to get all of their documents updated again. Researching where they went wrong with their last application would mean more work and stress on individuals who are applying without the help of an expert.

 

BEST PRACTICES TO IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES

 

Indeed, reapplying for a visa after getting rejected the first time is a daunting task. But with the right guidance and proper understanding of how visa applications work, their chances of getting approved will become much higher - especially with the help of a travel agency. There are numerous factors that are taken into consideration when applying for a visa. Here are some of the best practices for aspiring Filipino globetrotters who want to experience better and easier visa applications:

 

• PREPARE ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

 

A lot of first-time applicants will do the bare minimum research needed when applying for a visa of a specific country, this includes the required supporting documents for one’s application. Many applicants tend to have incomplete documents needed for a successful application, those who don’t have some of the required documents have gone as far as creating fake ones.

 

Applicants can find an easier time supplying the proper documents when they get expert help from a travel agency like ours. Our travel agents at Gazelle Travel & Tours are able to help our clients with their required documents for any visa application. We’ll also go the extra mile by providing you with a list of supporting documents that can increase your chances of getting approved.

 

• IMPROVE YOUR TRAVEL HISTORY

 

Another common reason why many visa applications get denied is due to the lack of travel history someone might have. Countries with difficult visa applications usually use this as a basis to check if a traveller has had any complicated travel history in their past visits to different countries. It’s also a way to show that you had no issues with overstaying or violating the conditions of past visas.

 

Booking trips with a travel agency is a great way to help aspiring globetrotters familiarize themselves with the inner workings of visas. At Gazelle Travel & Tours, our travel agents can guide you with improving your travel history by providing a list of countries with easy visa requirements, they can also help you get hassle-free trips by handling all of the bookings needed such as for your flight and hotel. 

 

By allowing a travel agency to help you, you get to learn more about acquiring visas, enjoy travelling, and improve your travel history all at the same time.

 

• HAVE A WELL PLANNED ITINERARY

 

A common mistake that independent applicants make is submitting a poorly planned itinerary. The first couple of questions that a country’s embassy employee will have in their mind is, “How long does this person plan on staying?”, “Where will they stay?”, and “What will they do during their stay in my country?” - if your itinerary fails to answer these basic questions, then your application has lower chances of being approved.

 Having a well planned itinerary shows that you have no intention of staying longer than what your visa allows, it also does not give the impression that you plan on working there.

 

Creating a detailed itinerary takes a lot of time and effort for an individual to do. With the help of Gazelle Travel & Tours, travellers will be able to have an organized itinerary without the hassle of making it themselves. They also get to make the most of their adventure by experiencing the best of what a specific country has to offer.

 

• GET THE HELP OF A TRAVEL AGENCY

 

If you have experienced getting your visa rejected when you did it alone, and the thought of reapplying, going through all of the stress, and organization of documents traumatized you - you might want to really consider availing of the services of a travel agency.

 

Accredited and trusted travel agencies like ours, Gazelle Travel & Tours, do not only provide expert help, we also ensure that our clients get a smooth and hassle-free experience when they apply for visas.

 

Clients who allow us to help them with their visa applications get their chances of being approved increased because of our services. Embassies are more likely to approve visa applications as well when they see that factors like your itinerary and bookings are handled by accredited agencies like ours; this is because they know that they can trust us.

 

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