Travel Documents & Money

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Travel Documents & Money

Travel Documents
- A pen is an essential to carry and have handy while traveling.

- Airline ticket(s) and itinerary.

- Valid passport with visa(s) if required. Copy of your passport and visa for trophy permit needs or in case you loose your passport.

- A driver's license or other acceptable piece of identification.

- Phone numbers for family, friends or work that you don't have memorized.

- A contact sheet, here called Hunter Information Sheet which lists all of the information for the hunting outfitters, PH's and agents, including company names, contact person, country, phone numbers, email addresses and cell phone numbers if they have one. Cell phones are now more common than land lines in Africa, so find out if your outfitter and/or PH has one since they are very often not listed in their marketing material.

I suggest that you make a copy of this contact sheet for each piece of your luggage along with a copy of your flight itinerary in addition to carrying this list on your person while traveling.

You may also wish to give a copy to family members and/or a friend along with your itinerary so they can reach you if they need to. To make it easier for everyone, include the international dialing code (011 for the U.S.) and the country codes of the countries you will be visiting to the phone numbers on your list.

Hunter information Sheet


- It is a good idea to bring copies of correspondence that you have had with the hunting outfitter, guide or agent and price lists, contracts, agreements or other pertinent documents with you.

- Written confirmation of hotel and/or car rental reservations along with contact information and directions or map if needed.

- Some countries require, whether you are staying or in transit, proof of ownership for each weapon you are traveling with. For these countries you will need a Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken Abroad (CBP form # 4457) from the Department of Homeland Security U. S. Customs and Border Protection. You may download this form along with instructions at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/forms/. You can fill out additional forms, one for each of your weapons and others for valuable personal items like binoculars or cameras (which can easily cost thousands of dollars) to prove that you brought them along on your trip in case they are lost or stolen and also as proof of export when re-entering the country. Bring along the original as well as a copy for custom officials. Even though some countries do not require proof of ownership for weapons, we highly recommend that you travel with them anyway.

- If you will be hunting a species that requires a CITES permit, a copy of the CITES permit(s) should be brought with you and supplied to the shipping agent in the country where the animal is taken so he may obtain export permits. The original CITES permit should be sent to your trophy clearing agent in the country of import or your taxidermist if he is handling the clearing of the trophy directly. Otherwise the taxidermist should only receive a copy of the permit.

- Laminated trophy tags labeled with all relevant delivery information including your name, specific wildlife port of entry in the US, and final shipping destination with full contact information (usually the taxidermist or you). Your taxidermist should be the one to provide these ready made tags to you well prior to your trip, and they should also give you a couple of copies of this information to you on paper to give to your outfitter.

- Application form(s) and/or permit(s) for in-transit and/or temporary import into country(ies) of Firearm(s) & Ammunition for personal use.

- If traveling to or through South Africa a "Letter of invitation" from your hunting outfitter(s) no matter what country you will be hunting in.

- If traveling through The Netherlands a " consent form" from the Dutch customs for each transit through the Netherlands that you will be making.

- Contact information for approved gun and luggage storage facility if you will be require this service. They are usually located at or near the airport, bring directions if needed. Some require that you have reservations, so bring confirmation with you and make an appointment if needed.

- Copies of prescriptions for medications that you are carrying

- International health certificate or medical recordswith immunization record if required. Aside from the inoculations possibly required to enter the country of destination(s), I think that it is a good idea for hunters to keep Hepatitis A vaccinations up to date as well as tetanus. A good resource for health and immunization requirements organized by country can be found at www.mdtravelhealth.com.

- Travel insurance card and telephone numbers, ask for contact numbers other than an 800 number as they do not work from foreign countries. It is always a good idea to have travel insurance, click here to read more about it. Contact your insurance company to find out, to what extent, if at all, your valuables such as firearm(s), binoculars and/or camera(s) are covered in your home owner's insurance policy in case of being stolen and/or lost while traveling. If you pay for your airline ticket(s) with your credit card you might also be insured to some extent with your credit card company.

- Medical insurance card and telephone numbers, ask for contact numbers other than an 800 number as they do not work from foreign countries.
I strongly recommend to all hunters traveling to Africa to consider purchasing medical travel insurance coverage as in most instances no liability is accepted by the outfitter, and they usually do not carry insurance for this. You may purchase an independent policy for this purpose or contact your current medical insurance company well before your trip to find out to what extent you are covered while overseas. Be sure to tell them that you will be engaging in a hunting safari as many insurance companies will not provide coverage if you are participating in a dangerous activity that they deem an extraordinary risk.
For some insurance companies you may need to inform them in writing of your trip in order to be covered. You need to ask how to notify them if you require medical services, you may have a limited amount of time to inform them.

- Medical evacuation card and telephone numbers
Ask for contact numbers other than an 800 number as they do not work from foreign countries. I strongly recommend getting medical evacuation membership especially if you are hunting in more remote area(s) that require air charter.



Money
- Ask your outfitter if he has a safe or other secure place where you may store your valuables while in camp.

- It is a good idea to bring a combination of cash, traveler's cheques and Debit/Credit cards.

- Bring cash in US$ or Euro and a small amount of local currency. Small denominations of US$ and/or local currency is always useful for tipping, purchasing small items, etc. For larger denominations in US$ ask for new one hundred dollar bills from your bank as locals are sometimes reluctant to accept older bills due to the large number of counterfeit bills circulating in Africa. If required in the country of destination, it is better to have the exact change to pay for government entry/departure taxes, visitor's visas, firearm permit(s), etc, as some African countries will not accept anything other than the exact amount even if the amount you give them is more than the actual amount you are required to pay and you don't want change back (good old African bureaucracy at its finest).

Carrying a lot of cash on your person can be daunting, so bringing traveler's cheques to pay for your final invoice at the end of your safari might be preferable however check with your individual outfitter to make sure that they accept them as a method of payment.

- Credit/Debit Cards, most hunting outfitters/PHs are not equipped to accept credit/debit cards. Most shops and hotels accept credit/debit cards with a Visa logo or American Express cards. A credit card generally offers a higher degree of protection from fraud than a debit card, also a debit card charge is deducted automatically from your bank account whereas the credit card offers you the opportunity to review the charges on your statement prior to paying the bill.

While in cities you will be able to draw cash from most major bank's ATMs; however there is usually a limited amount that can be drawn out each day which varies from bank to bank. Although it may be time consuming I believe that you are better off going into a bank to get cash from a debit or credit card for a couple of reasons; firstly, if your card is not returned by the ATM it may cause more problems than it's worth (this has happen to me), secondly, I have seen in some cities local thugs hanging out around ATMs, for this reason some ATMs have armed guards posted near them. Of course it's up to you, but I prefer to error on the side of caution. As far as choice of credit card is concerned in Africa Visa and American Express are much more widely accepted than MasterCard; in some African countries they do not accept MasterCard anywhere. To find out if your country of destination accepts MasterCard, click here to go to their website ATM Locator or for Visa ATMs click here.

tip Overseas many financial institutions are on the CIRRUS system which means to be able to use your credit/debit cards, not just at an ATM but for ALL purchases, in many cases you will be required to have a pin number. Call your bank or credit card company to get a PIN number issued for your card(s) before you leave. Make sure your PIN number is only four digits in length as some international credit card machines and ATMs can only handle four digit PIN numbers, also some do not recognize the "0" as a number. You should inform your bank or credit card company in advance of your safari about your destination(s) and the dates that you will be traveling so that they can remove any automatic locks that may be put into place for your protection during your trip.

- Traveler's cheques are a common method of payment for the final invoice at the end of your hunt, check with your individual outfitter to make sure that they accept them. Keep in mind that many banks in Africa only accept American Express traveler's cheques. Namibian banks no longer accept traveler's cheques. If you do choose to use traveler's cheques, it is essential that both of your signatures match on the traveler's cheques and a special effort should be made while signing numerous cheques at one time to keep your signature consistent, whether it is when you sign them at the bank or when you sign them to make payment. Many outfitters have encountered problems cashing traveler's cheques because of inconsistencies with signatures on them mainly due to the fact that after signing your name a multitude of times handwriting tends to get sloppy.

You can also get traveler's cheques in currencies other than US$, for example South Africa Rand, which can save you from having to exchange US$ traveler's cheques at the bank into local currency.

tip Make a list of your traveler's cheque numbers and carry it separately from the cheque's or leave the list at home with someone you can reach if needed.

- Personal checks, most outfitters once you have arrived in Africa will not accept personal checks even if they have accepted them for your previous deposit(s) as it takes along time for a foreign check to clear through most African banks. If you plan to use a personal check consult with the hunting outfitter prior to your hunt to get their approval.

- Bank Wire Transfer
If you do not want to carry so much in cash or traveler's cheques and ONLY if you are confident in your outfitter/PH/agent, you may consider making arrangements to send a bank wire transfer of an agreed upon amount a few weeks prior to your safari to cover a good portion of your estimated trophy fees. It is a common practice, so you should check with your outfitter/PH/agent as it may save you the hassle of carrying so much money. Before instructing your bank to wire the funds, make sure there is ample time for the funds to get to your outfitter/PH/agent before you arrive for your hunting safari.

Special Note
Recently, I have heard of some cases of departing passengers being randomly checked to see if they are carrying more than $10,000 in Cash (any currency) and/or Travelers Checks. Individuals carrying the combined equivalent of US $10,000 or more are required to file a FinCen Form 105 with US Customs at your departing airport. It is not difficult to do and could save you a huge and unnecessary hassle since it is a federal crime if you don't and are unfortunate enough to get checked. Click here to download the form FinCEN Form 105 - Report of International Transportation of Currency or Monetary Instruments.
 
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Passport denied by Delta ticket agent because water damage. So last night I went to check in for my flight from Kona Hawaii to Johannesburg South Africa through Atlanta, July 24 2014. I get to the ticket agent and they weigh my bow case 49lbs, then they ask for my passport but when she tried to scan my passport it wouldn't scan so she asked her manager what to do. The manager looked at my passport and said there was water spilled on it so it wasn't a valid passport and I would have to get a new one to get on the flight. This was Friday night at 8:30 pm and my flight was at 9:55 pm, not exactly enough time to get a new passport. I told them that I had been to Austria and London and Italy and I also flew to Costa Rica all this year with the same passport and no one had a problem with it. The Delta ticketing manager was a real bi@ch. No sympathy in the fact that I had spent over 10k on the trip, or that I'd been using the exact same valid passport to travel to other countries. She just gave me the "I'm a miserable person that is in a position of authority and I'm going to ruin your trip over a minor technicality because I get to make that decision " attitude. I understand that technically water spilled on a passport can make it invalid but she didn't have to be such a bitch about it. She's the kind of person that Delta should fire because she makes the airline look bad. The ticketing agent was actually sympathetic and cool but that manager should seriously be fired. The manager asked how i booked the flight and I told her through Travelocity and she was like, "oh... You're probably going to lose your $3000 ticket...that sucks. Now go away." So I called my ride that just dropped me off at the airport and said, "My trip is over! Come pick me up!" Back at home this morning, I called the DeltaAssist phone number and a lady answered immediately and She was really helpful and offered to make me a new flight at a later date for free and also said she was really sorry that the ticketing manager was so mean and rude and then she refunded my ticket. Then I talked to my Safari outfitter and he said I could rebook my trip without any penalties. Then I talked to my brother about how my trip was going to have to be later this year and he said, oh cool, I'll go too. And my other brother who was in Atlanta on his way to South Africa as I'm writing this heard that we were both going so he says, "What? You guys are both going? I'm coming too! Also one of the other guys in the hunting group had to cancel his trip because he got hurt and he's also coming.
The point of this post is to warn anyone traveling to South Africa on Delta to check you're passport photo ID page and make sure no water has ever touched the page. Even if you've been using that same passport to travel to multiple other countries, the safe thing to do is get a new passport. And if you get denied because of a invalid passport do not call Travelocity because some guy from India is going to tell you there is nothing they can do about it and Travelocity is not responsible for passports. Call Delta Airlines DeltaAssist 1-855-548-2505 the customer service is awesome. If you're going on a hunting safari to South Africa I highly recommend flying Delta airlines. And again make sure your passport Photo ID page is in perfect condition with no water damage.
 
Probably an anti-hunter
 
Someone with a little power and it goes to their head.
I had an issue with Delta in savannah georgia and in Atlanta, Why they continure to pay people that represent their company in th eworst possible light is beyond me.
They have a job, get you on the plane and on your way, not to make sure your bills are paid and you're not a fugitive or having an affair, etc.....
I asked the butt wipe at the sounter "Since when did you become the south African Police?" because he wanted to make sure my IMPORTATION documentation and my US CUSTOMS form for when I returned were "in order" Sounds alot like other countries and other times in history "Let me see your papers.... Are they in order?"
 
The very polite - "May I please speak to your supervisor?" - is the most effective tool in your arsenal. Last trip to Canada leaving Dulles in DC the TSA agent clearing my firearm had me open the ammo box and he then swabbed the ammo itself for explosive residue. Of course his detector lit up like a Las Vegas slot machine and he started literally panting. I very calmly noted "It's ammunition". He had his buddy come over and he ran the same test - jackpot! - two triples in a row. They then started to confer frantically, and at that point I suggested they get their supervisor. The original of our first line of defense pointed a trembling finger at me and ordered me to stay where I was while the second went looking for the man. A few minutes later a frantic looking fellow hurried up; looked at the open ammo box; saw my rifle; looked up at me; sighed, rolled his eyes and said "it's ammunition." I was on my way a couple of minutes later.
 
Passport denied by Delta ticket agent because water damage. So last night I went to check in for my flight from Kona Hawaii to Johannesburg South Africa through Atlanta, July 24 2014. I get to the ticket agent and they weigh my bow case 49lbs, then they ask for my passport but when she tried to scan my passport it wouldn't scan so she asked her manager what to do. The manager looked at my passport and said there was water spilled on it so it wasn't a valid passport and I would have to get a new one to get on the flight. This was Friday night at 8:30 pm and my flight was at 9:55 pm, not exactly enough time to get a new passport. I told them that I had been to Austria and London and Italy and I also flew to Costa Rica all this year with the same passport and no one had a problem with it. The Delta ticketing manager was a real bi@ch. No sympathy in the fact that I had spent over 10k on the trip, or that I'd been using the exact same valid passport to travel to other countries. She just gave me the "I'm a miserable person that is in a position of authority and I'm going to ruin your trip over a minor technicality because I get to make that decision " attitude. I understand that technically water spilled on a passport can make it invalid but she didn't have to be such a bitch about it. She's the kind of person that Delta should fire because she makes the airline look bad. The ticketing agent was actually sympathetic and cool but that manager should seriously be fired. The manager asked how i booked the flight and I told her through Travelocity and she was like, "oh... You're probably going to lose your $3000 ticket...that sucks. Now go away." So I called my ride that just dropped me off at the airport and said, "My trip is over! Come pick me up!" Back at home this morning, I called the DeltaAssist phone number and a lady answered immediately and She was really helpful and offered to make me a new flight at a later date for free and also said she was really sorry that the ticketing manager was so mean and rude and then she refunded my ticket. Then I talked to my Safari outfitter and he said I could rebook my trip without any penalties. Then I talked to my brother about how my trip was going to have to be later this year and he said, oh cool, I'll go too. And my other brother who was in Atlanta on his way to South Africa as I'm writing this heard that we were both going so he says, "What? You guys are both going? I'm coming too! Also one of the other guys in the hunting group had to cancel his trip because he got hurt and he's also coming.
The point of this post is to warn anyone traveling to South Africa on Delta to check you're passport photo ID page and make sure no water has ever touched the page. Even if you've been using that same passport to travel to multiple other countries, the safe thing to do is get a new passport. And if you get denied because of a invalid passport do not call Travelocity because some guy from India is going to tell you there is nothing they can do about it and Travelocity is not responsible for passports. Call Delta Airlines DeltaAssist 1-855-548-2505 the customer service is awesome. If you're going on a hunting safari to South Africa I highly recommend flying Delta airlines. And again make sure your passport Photo ID page is in perfect condition with no water damage.

I would have stood in line and called Delta assist from the cell. The manager would get tuned up on the spot
 
The very polite - "May I please speak to your supervisor?" - is the most effective tool in your arsenal. Last trip to Canada leaving Dulles in DC the TSA agent clearing my firearm had me open the ammo box and he then swabbed the ammo itself for explosive residue. Of course his detector lit up like a Las Vegas slot machine and he started literally panting. I very calmly noted "It's ammunition". He had his buddy come over and he ran the same test - jackpot! - two triples in a row. They then started to confer frantically, and at that point I suggested they get their supervisor. The original of our first line of defense pointed a trembling finger at me and ordered me to stay where I was while the second went looking for the man. A few minutes later a frantic looking fellow hurried up; looked at the open ammo box; saw my rifle; looked up at me; sighed, rolled his eyes and said "it's ammunition." I was on my way a couple of minutes later.

same thing happened to my buddy with some springs and parts in his pocket. the supervisor said what is your problem they are only gun parts
 
I love it when a outfitter is set for paypal. On a african hunt I asked the outfitter where I should keep my money and he said it would be fine in my luggage because american dollars were of no use to the staff as they couldn't exchange them for rand. So thats what I did but felt uneasy about it, after leaving I found out that I was missing about $1300. I'm just glad they didn't steal it all, I will never make that mistake again!
 
So last year my son jumped in a pool with his passport. Delta let him through! I guess it just depends on which person you get.
 
I love it when a outfitter is set for paypal. On a african hunt I asked the outfitter where I should keep my money and he said it would be fine in my luggage because american dollars were of no use to the staff as they couldn't exchange them for rand. So thats what I did but felt uneasy about it, after leaving I found out that I was missing about $1300. I'm just glad they didn't steal it all, I will never make that mistake again!

We locked our valuables in our hard gun cases. Thought that was pretty clever of us but I noticed it is one of Lori's travel tips.

Another tip... Money belt. You can get the ones that have the big pouch but they are so obvious at the airport and such. An there are the ones with the little zippered pouch but they don't hold much.. However they look like any other belt and you can just wear it all the time.

We actually made arrangements through our booking agent to make all payments, including final payments for lots of extra animals, here in the US. So only needed money for tips and incidentals. It was great doing business with professionals who could make that work.

A tip for outfitters.. .Figure out how to make it easy for people to spend money with you! I'm not saying to open yourself up to get stiffed, but on the other hand, if you make it too difficult or are worried about every penny every day, it will not be enjoyable and clients will not return.
 
……………...On a african hunt I asked the outfitter where I should keep my money and he said it would be fine in my luggage because american dollars were of no use to the staff as they couldn't exchange them for rand. So thats what I did but felt uneasy about it, after leaving I found out that I was missing about $1300. …………..

I have not heard stupider advice from an outfitter.
Couldn't exchange them for Rand at a bank. So, what..
No one would trade with the staff on the street corner for USD.o_O
 
Now why did you not lock your money in your gun case?

Some lodges have safes for your use also.
 
My outfitter took my credit card for deposit and final payment. I carried enough cash for tips and gifts, but didn't need as much as I took. At the end of the day I had a big wallet that I kept in a zipped up pocket on the inside of my coat.
And the staff members loved US dollars but I also bought rand and took that as well.
 
Samsonite makes a simple nylon zippered envelope, which you place inside your trousers and attaches to your belt with a loop. Safest way to carry cash.

They also have similar envelopes that you can hang around your neck and inside your shirt.
 
Thanks Nyati. Those sound a little different than the ones I saw. Problem is TSA wants all paper off your body going through those new scanners and I get nervous about pulling out a pouch that is obviously full of cash in the airport where all can see. But I suppose one could have in a carry on and duck into a restroom later to reposition.
 
Now why did you not lock your money in your gun case?

Some lodges have safes for your use also.
I was bowhunting and didn't have a gun case and the bow case wasn;t lockable.
 
Now why did you not lock your money in your gun case?

Some lodges have safes for your use also.

This is why I love this forum. There's a lot of info. and some of it's conflicting. These kinds of posts help us all try and sort it out.

We were told to absolutely not pack anything in the gun cases except guns & scopes.
The reason? Lots of stuff in a gun case could cause the American TSA to alarm the case if they couldn't make out the contents due to "extras" in the case.
If TSA alarms your case it isn't going on the plane until it's opened and checked out.
As we know all to well, your mileage may vary with TSA so we decided not to do it.

Now if you're not dealing with American TSA I don't know what to tell you.

Our PH/outfitter had a safe where we stored our valuables & cash which put us at ease.
 
Three times we've carried money in a under the garment waist belt that is made of nylon and it only had about 3 to 4 thousand in it but it was not detected in the xray scans or pat downs going or coming. Once I had 7500$ in it and it showed on exray, so it matters how much paper you have in it.
 
Jeff;
Was that the new scanners where they make you hold your hands up and the thing in front of you sweeps across? In my experience those pick up everything and they caught a folded up $100 bill in my pocket. The older units are more forgiving... I mean those new ones show all the details!

They caused some controversy in Minneapolis because they show all the anatomy and everything... I heard they have tuned them now to be more blurry, but either story could be urban myth.

When all this detailed scanning and stripping down started, there was a news story about a very in shape young couple coming in and quickly pealing off all there clothes except for some tight fitting athletic underwear and walking through to the gaping stares of the TSA workers...... They were just trying to make a point or get on the news I would guess.

Kinda funny though!
 
We were told to absolutely not pack anything in the gun cases except guns & scopes.
The reason? Lots of stuff in a gun case could cause the American TSA to alarm the case if they couldn't make out the contents due to "extras" in the case.
If TSA alarms your case it isn't going on the plane until it's opened and checked out.
As we know all to well, your mileage may vary with TSA so we decided not to do it.

Now if you're not dealing with American TSA I don't know what to tell you.

We had knives, bino, flashlights, gun tool, etc. in our gun cases. We flew Delta out of MSP and were politely asked if we had guns by the TSA guy at the entrance to the line and he directed up to a special counter where a Delta lady checked us in and had us open up so she could get serial numbers verified and check everything which she did very efficiently. Also weighed our ammo and checked our luggage with the pistol cases locked with ammo. Then directed us to take our gun cases to the TSA and he told us to unlock the cases and wait while he checked them. He did swab our hands so perhaps you re-loaders want to wash any gun powder residue off thoroughly. He was very "Minnesota nice" and when he was done he told us to lock them up and we did not see the guns again until Henry got them for us in Joberg.

Flew air France, which Delta must partner with, as well as SA Air for the jumper flight to PE.

On the way back we actually flew out of Cape Town and got to the airport so early we were the first in line watching a young lady do her nails at the counter while waiting for opening time. That young lady was not competent but did get us to another who was very good and patiently walked us through everything.

We had to take the guns into a little room to have the lady check them... And the only negative through the whole process was that there was about 10 pounds of ham crammed into a 5 pound can. Or rather 5 lazy guys sitting in the room in front of the room where the case needed to be opened. My lip was almost bleeding from biting it so hard when these lazy asses would not get their asses off their chairs to let the young lady through with the gun cases! She had to squeeze between them. Damn they were a terrible waste of air! All they seemed to be accomplishing was breathing. They sure looked like a good reason to increase the unemployment rate!

But in any case, we had all the above plus some souvenirs in the cases on the way home and no issues.
 

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