ProjecTravel’s Guide to Crossing Borders in Developing Nations

Photo by Geoff Shingleton

BY JACINTO VIDRÓ

Without doubt crossing from the DRC into Angola is by no means the same experience as crossing from Austria into Germany. Many travelers tend to find the border experience in many developing nations to be more than a hassle, but a dreaded experience filled with being hassled, scammed, and worst of all thoroughly irritated. Well, we’re here to help.

However before we cross into some best practice areas of how to mitigate the hassle of crossing from one country into another, we should note that the scamming, hassling etc… exists because of poverty, and those people who live in these areas often have little other means of making a living as profitable as getting cash out of tourists, and as such when travelling, remember not to blame them – they’re just trying to make ends meet. But enough of that, and onto the juicy stuff.

LEARN THE BORDER CROSSING PROCEDURE – No other piece of advice will help you more, and the general trend is that bureaucracy is the in thing to do. So typically if you don’t know what you’re up against, the process can be much more frustrating than it needs to be, you may wait on the wrong line, run back and forth between different offices while at the same time trying to figure out what on earth it exactly is that you’re supposed to do. Read up on the practices, if you’re travelling in any given direction ask people who have been there and through the process, and see if they can offer some advice, also make sure that you can get the visa at the border, the worst thing is being turned away when all you needed to do was call the nearest embassy or consulate.

BRING U.S. DOLLARS – While the U.S. Dollar may no longer be the de facto international currency it still hold its mettle and especially so in the developing world. If crossing from point A to B, chances are that your visa, toll, or bribe will most likely have to come in the form of the greenback. As such carry around $200 with you at all times in cash, and be sure to take the necessary precautions to adequately hide the money, thieves may or may not be about. Also, when exchanging or getting USD make sure the notes are not older than 2 years – oftentimes officials will not accept older notes.

EXCHANGE MONEY ONLY AT BANKS AND CANTORS – While this may seem obvious, be sure to exchange money at official exchange locations such as banks and cantors. Oftentimes there will be people willing to exchange money for you at the border giving pretty decent exchange rates. While they may be legit, it’s still recommended to go through the official channels. Why? Well there’s the off chance that the cash you get will be fake, this is either USD or local currency, at the same time, certain places may require that you disclose the amount of cash you’re bringing in. The only time we would recommend against going via official channels is when the official exchange rate is not reflective of the real, such as in Zimbabwe, in locations such as these, familiarize yourself with the real exchange rate, change your cash on the street, or better yet – pay in dollars all together.

DEALING WITH SWINDLERS – If you’ve ever crossed a border that was in a developing nation, you’ll undoubtedly know that there are plenty of individuals who are willing to assist you in getting across, helping you out, and just being overly generous while initially not asking for anything, or in some cases lying that they’re border security. If someone says they’re an authority figure, make sure they’re wearing a uniform with some sort of governmental logo or insignia on it. If it’s there, chances are it’s legit. If the person asking your for something is holding a gun, typically a Kalashnikov, chances are they’re legit, and if they’re in an office, probably legit.

Otherwise they’re trying to swindle you. The best thing to do is not to ignore them; they’ll just follow you around. Tell them that you know what you’re doing, that you’ve done this before, and that you don’t need their help. If you’re driving, you may need to leave your car while you deal with the local bureaucracy – and someone may start washing your car, and when you come back ask for money. Simply decline, get in your car, and head off, you may get cursed a few times, but in the event you’re crossing the border on your way back, it should save you from the hassle the second time around.

WHAT IF I NEED HELP? – So you didn’t bother learning the border crossing practices, you’re at the border, and the whole thing is starting to look like a complete fiasco, worst is, you have no idea what way to proceed. Well – you’re in luck.  Those same car washers, swindlers etc… are always very adept at helping the lost tourist navigate the somewhat muggy waters of border crossing – ask around, see who the best one is, they’ll all try and get your service, pick one, and have him (most often it will be a him) expedite the whole process for you, stay with the guy, and when everything is said and done pay him them. No more than $10 should be exchanged and anything else is a rip-off. If you can’t get the proce down, try and ask the next guy, or have the “border navigators” get into a bidding war, this will provide you with not only the best, but also a fair price.

Hopefully, these five tips will help you navigate border crossings in developing countries and if you have any questions – be sure to ask. Here at ProjecTravel we’ll try and answer them as best we can.