US Expats & PTs Exempt from Obamacare

Amid the discussions of "Obummercare," as so many commonly refer to this disastrous legislation, one fact rarely comes out.  Yes, some people are exempt from those requirements to buy and maintain pricy healthcare coverage: e.g. prisoners, illegal aliens, and members of Native American tribes. 

But take a good look at one more exemption: Americans who remain outside the US for a year!  US citizens who meet qualifications for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) are also exempt from the insurance provisions of the Affordable Healthcare Act. 

What do you need to do to qualify for the health insurance exemption?  Do you have to actually claim FEIE on your US income tax return?  You only have to be qualified to take FEIE; you don't actually have to do it.  

If you are legally resident for a full tax year in another country, you are exempt from maintaining the US insurance. Likewise for Perpetual Travelers (or PTs): if you remain outside the US - physically present in another country or countries - for at least 330 days a year, you are exempt from this insurance requirement. 

Considering healthcare coverage in some countries costs less per year than a US policy costs per month, this is good news for expats, PTs, and long-haul travelers.  Considering healthcare costs in a number of countries is 20% or so of US costs, medical care abroad without health insurance (e.g. if insurance is not available) is cheaper than the copay under most US health insurance policies.

Healthcare and health insurance have all been rising dramatically since passage of the very-unaffordable "Affordable Healthcare Act."  Escape this tax and get better healthcare for less simply by living and/or traveling abroad.

Have fun long-haul traveling, and. . .

May your road rise to meet you!
Ann

Calling US Citizens: How to Vote While Abroad

The countdown has begun – US elections are rapidly approaching!  Tuesday, 6 November is merely 7 weeks away.  So it’s time to get your absentee ballot from your Registrar of Voters if you will be away from home on Election Day. 

If you are registered in a “home” city, state, just contact your Registrar of Voters via phone, email, mail.  Ask for Absentee Ballot.  [If you don’t have contact info for your local Registrar of Voters, go to google.com, in the search box enter “TownName, StateName, Registrar of Voters” – website listings come up - click on the official government one.]

Live overseas with no US home base anymore?  No problem!  US citizens can vote in federal elections wherever they live.  Visit the Federal Voter Assistance Program, complete the voter registration form online and mail it back to them with postage. It’s a much quicker and simpler process.  Good Voting Resource: General Voting Resource from the Federal Government.

Either your Registrar of Voters will send you your local absentee ballot, or you can use FVAP not only to register to vote but also to request an absentee ballot for the state where you are registered to vote.  Use the step-by-step online “wizard.”  Or print out the form and handwrite your answers, then mail your ballot.

The process keeps getting faster and easier, so there’s no excuse for not voting.  Besides, if you don’t vote, you have no right to complain if “your guy” loses and “that other Worthless-POS” wins.  Don’t let WPOSs win!  Vote.

May your road rise to meet you!

Ann

Like the New Look?

Tell me - what do you think?  Like the new look?  Or is it too hard to read, too dark, too "busy," more exciting, or - or - or?

Actually, I'm looking at starting a full website.  As soon as I learn how to create one!  The learning curve is sometimes steep, and I have to create something which I can easily update on-the-fly or on the road.  Bear with me as I experiment and grow - and travel.  I want to make this fun as well as oh-so-very useful for the Road Warrioress.

We're busy.  We're on our own.  Usually short of time or money or clothes or something.  So do tell me if you like the look.  Do tell me what you like, want, need.  I know I have quite a few readers, but so far, you're a pretty quiet bunch.

Do tell it to TravelTellers!

May your road rise to meet you -
Ann

How Low Can You Go?

I’ve been a wallet-watcher most of my life.  Before I pull out the old wallet, it had better be something I really want and am willing to pay the price.  Most of the time, I’m not willing to part with the dough.

Traveling with a travel hot-pot to boil water for coffee or ramen noodles has been standard operating procedure for ages.  I hate waiting for room service more than I hate instant coffee!  (I always carry my favorite teas anyway.)  I also refuse to see anybody until I’ve had my coffee, and resume some state resembling human-ness.  If anybody has a source for a dual-voltage travel pot, please, pretty-pretty-please, POST it here!  The old one bit the dust – mourn, mourn.

Eat local?  Of course.  Find “cheap Chinese” – hawker stalls and little take-out places?  Yum-yum!  Swedish meatballs at IKEA?  They’re actually very good, and totally superb for the price.

There are oodles of ways to economize while traveling.  If you’re a business traveler on expense account, you probably have a limit per diem, or per meal, or per-something.  If it’s your business, you are absolutely on a budget or bust your biz.  There's hardly a Road Warrioress anywhere who does not need to watch some pennies, pence, rupiah, and yen somewhere.

So grazing some other travel blogs, I came across Nomadic Matt, a Perpetual Traveler – backpack variety – who lives & travels off income from his travel website and blog.  He survived 5 days in pricy Stockholm on US$100.  Of course, it can be done.  If you impose on the kindness of friends for an extended period.  If you do your work out of an internet café for as long as you can nurse a lemonade.  If you walk everywhere.  If you miss the best a city has to offer – the real reasons for exploring abroad.  Even Nomadic Matt admits it was a bummer.

Here’s his story, not a pretty one:  http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/the-myth-travel-is-expensive-how-5-days-in-stockholm-cost-me-100-dollars/

Skip the appetizer, but not the entrée.  Skip the liquor, and sample the local brew.  Yes, you can slash travel costs.  But why bother traveling if you are going to miss the best a place can offer?  You could have stayed home and seen it on TV!  It’s the experience which matters more than the money.

Got any budget-friendly tips you use?  Share – share – share!  We all care about our budgets, but still want to get our work done, see the real sights, and live a fruitful Road Warrioress life.

May your road rise to meet you!

Ann

Use Your GPS When Driving Abroad

Friends love to rent a car and drive around, often off the more-beaten paths, when they go to Europe.  Now they take their portable Garmin GPS with them!  Yes, it needs a new chip for Europe - North America and Europe have different requirements.

They get their directions in English, in the same familiar "voice" they hear in the US.  With European chip inserted, this equipment works exactly the same as in US and Canada.  They put the "US chip" back in when they return to US and Canada, and save the Euro-chip for their next trip.

The only problem they have encountered?  The system uses a phonetic pronunciation, and that does not always square with the alphabet/spelling system.  Slavic languages, for example, when they drove in Poland and Czech Republic, "took some getting used to," they tell me.  But they encountered no problem with street signs in Italy, Germany, France.

I imagine Greek and Cyrillic alphabets might be a bit more complicated than the Slavic language family!  If driving in Greece or Russia, etc, get a good map and study it.  Familiarize yourself with their orthography (spelling symbols!) beforehand to improve the system's utility.  Back it up by studying your map first, use the GPS to help you remember your path and stay on it.

Using your GPS in multiple countries is a great idea!  Especially for the Road Warrioress.  It's hard to read your map while you are driving.  You're multi-tasking as driver, navigator, trip planner, spotter simultaneously - and in unfamiliar territory.

These friends say the Garmin is much better for international/multi-national use than other brands, and with their extensive travel experience, I'll take their word for it and stick with Garmin versus other GPS brands myself.  Having reliable, practical, multi-purpose, easy-to-tote equipment makes life on the road so much simpler!  Here's to less-stress travel.

May your road rise to meet you,
Ann

China Tightens Visa Requirements

China recently announced more strict conditions for applying for tourist visas (L visa).  Applicants for visitor/tourist visas must present an invitation letter from an “authorized tourism unit,” person or company along with their visa application.  And they must provide copies of their round-trip tickets and hotel reservations.

This flies in the face of typical travel advice: Never buy your plane tickets until you have your visa!  Consider buying only fully refundable tickets if you have any concerns about getting the visa, timing (will you get the visa before your flight?!), or you could be seriously out-of-pocket on such expenses.  Make sure your hotel reservations can be cancelled with a full refund if there's any visa hassle.

China – like so many other countries – is cracking down on illegal immigration, visa abuses and violations.  With over 7 billion people on the planet, many seem to think “the grass is greener on the other side of the border.”  And some of these have more greed than sense, more disdain for laws than respect for others.

Here’s the official Chinese website of their US embassy: http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/visas/adr/.  Official Chinese embassy websites for Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, etc, have also been updated with these new requirements.  Check out their website for complete details.

Know before you go – check official government websites of the country/ies you are headed toward.  Visa requirements are undergoing a lot of changes in a lot of countries now, and you need to stay current.  For example, these requirements have been instituted at some point since the first of August.  No sign of prior announcements, either!

May your road rise to meet you!

Ann

Told You the Best, and Now the WORST!

When I lived in Singapore, I promptly patronized the very first US pizza chain to open its doors.  Every expat and PT needs a taste of home from time to time.  It bore little relation to products of the parent.  So I had a little chat with the manager.  “But we put cheese on it,” he protested.  “We know you westerners like cheese.”

“But there’s no sauce!”  Minor cultural glitch there.  You find out one thing about a country and culture, and miss something equally important (or more!).

They were literally using a paintbrush to stain the crust pink.  I explained.  The manager insisted I return for a freebie in a few days, while they mastered pizza-making.  It turned out quite acceptable - good-not-great category.

Already covered the fabulous pizza I experienced at Mike’s Stone-Baked Pizza in Tallahassee.  Alas, I have just learned he has sold the pizzeria, although he continues working there at present.  One can only hope the new owners continue Mike’s extraordinary quality.  Let me know when you stop by!

In fairness, I now announce the absolute worst pizza I’ve ever had in any country in my entire life.  Fat Cat Pie Company – in NYC and the Metro area, including Norwalk, CT.  I’m not the biggest fan of an ultra-thin crust pizza – prefer a little substance, a little chew, to a thin crust.  But a crust as crisp as a bland unsalted cracker – and thinner! – and so tough in the center you cannot chew it but must rip it is simply totally unacceptable.  So is a cheese pizza with nearly invisible, definitely untastable, cheese.  Where’s the sauce?  Their paintbrush must be missing half its bristles.  Singapore’s first pink-pizza had more sauce and more flavor.

You’d better believe I Yelped this one.  Yelp forces you to click on stars when you write a review, but this pizza did not even deserve the one star I had to click.  Even if you are a fan of cracker-crust pizza I would avoid this one – no substance, no flavor, no merit whatsoever.

May your road rise to meet you!

Ann

Road-Warrioress Life Not for Wimps

I was talking recently with an acquaintance about her 20-something daughter, a young woman who needs minders.  We’ll call her Mel: Phi Beta Kappa, jobhunting MBA grad, deemed exceptionally “bright” and “promising.”  Except she cannot make her way through Grand Central Terminal even when Mom puts her on the right Metro North train to Manhattan.

Granted, GCT is a bit of a zoo, but signs are clearly posted everywhere.  But to someone who mastered the maze of Moscow underground armed only with a map printed in Cyrillic, knowing not a symbol of it, it’s inexplicable that a brilliant woman cannot make it a mere 25 miles from home to get to a job interview on time!

Mel will never survive if she has to travel for a job.  She cannot drive herself to a doctor’s office in the small exurban town where she grew up without getting lost.

What does it take to wander the world on your own?  A good sense of direction certainly helps!  Spatial Intelligence, the ability to orient oneself in space, to read a map, is an underrated skill.  But it has proven vital countless times and places.  I've never met a Perpetual Traveler who could remain on-the-road without this skill - without it, they give up and go home.

What other attributes make a difference between disaster and survival, even enjoyment, of long-haul travel?  Independence, self-reliance, curiosity, a sense of adventure: these I regard highly.  Flexibility and adaptability help you surmount cultural differences and difficulties, and a sometimes weird array of challenges.

Fearlessness is irrelevant, even counterproductive.  Fear is a useful signal of danger, and alertness, even wariness, can protect you from various dangers.  Courage – the ability to go out and “get it done” despite fear – matters.

The Road Warrioress life is too challenging for the hopelessly helpless Mels in this world.  There’s no room for wimps on the road. 

What traits do you find essential to success as a Road Warrioress?  Share, share!

May your road rise to meet you!

Ann

Useful Reference Guides for the Road Warrioress

The more you know before you go, the more likely your success – whatever your purpose for your travels.  Culture Smart! The Essential Guides to Customs and Culture – from Kuperard, a UK publishing house – www.culturesmart.co.uk – avail as e-books

Understanding a country’s culture and customs makes a huge difference between a successful trip or relocation, whether it’s for business or pleasure.  Attitudes, beliefs, behaviors underlie every interaction, and challenges are routine in every cross-cultural interaction.  Body language – the Silent Language – can be particularly baffling for the uninitiated.

These are practical guides written by expats who have successfully relocated to the particular country.  Basic manners, common courtesies – the etiquette of everything from dining to conducting a business meeting – are the meat of each portion.

Countries include: Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brazil, Britain, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Columbia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, USA, Vietnam.

Got many of these on your travel agenda?  Your wish list?  Start your engines - with a little boning up on the country.

May your road rise to meet you!

Ann

I'm a Busy Girl - for You!

Well, I think I mentioned (probably ages ago - alas!) that I was planning to prepare a Special Report for Road Warrioresses, Perpetual Travelers, and solo women travelers on "Packing for the Long Haul."  It is underway at last!  And I have a publisher awaiting final copy.
A few posts from the blog are included - often expanded.  Lots of new material, though.  The back of the book will include handy charts or tables so you can prepare a packing list for each of your trips, update it on the road, if necessary, and keep track of what you need and what you have.

It will first be published as a Kindle Edition e-book available from Amazon.com.  The nice thing about Kindle books is that they can be downloaded to so many gadgets and gizmos.  Kindle books are not just for Kindle readers - there's Kindle for PC, as well as apps for tablets, iPads, and whosits and whatsits.  Amazon's website includes complete details on usable devices, as well as free downloads of the various apps. 

Once you buy a Kindle book from amazon, you can access your purchase on all of your various electronic equipment.  So you can read materials on your laptop or notebook one day, and on a Kindle or tablet at the beach the next.  You can look up something in hurry on your iPad, iPod, or whatever.  I've become rather fond of Kindle!

I assume the publisher will get an edition up on Barnes & Noble's Nook, although they plan to release on Amazon first.

As soon as this is done and available online, I'll let you know!  We're working out some way to reward this blog's readers with some sort of win-a-freebie, discount, or something.  So watch for details.  They'll be posted as soon as available.

Here are details available so far:
Author:  Ann Teller (that's me!  LOL!)
Title:  Packing for the Long Haul:  A TravelTellers™ Quick Guide for Road Warrioresses
Publisher:  AngeLines Publishing^®
ISBN: to be assigned
Price: to be determined
Release Date: to be announced

Hang around for more info!  I think you'll all like this and find it useful, so I'm looking forward to sharing more tips, tricks, ideas I gathered while riding the rails through China, continent-crossing on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, business trips, and what-have-you.

May your road rise to meet you!

Best regards, Ann

Nifty Tricks with Fabric Softener Sheets

Packing for a week, month, or more?  Sooner or later, the Road Warrior-ess, Perpetual Traveler, backpacker, business traveler has to do laundry.  Wash-outs in the bathroom sink work about twice, but simply don't do a proper job of it.  But whether you will hit the laundry facilities or not. . .

Pack a batch of fabric softener sheets!  These sheets, the kind which work in the clothes dryer, are a multi-purpose item which belong in every suitcase.

Tuck one into each pocket and compartment of your suitcase(s) or bags.  Lay one or two in the base before you add clothing.  As you fold or roll clothing to pack, lay a sheet on at least a few of the garments you’re taking.  A dozen can easily slip into one suitcase or carry-on bag.  You’ll find them very handy.

Fabric softener sheets have several nifty uses:

1.   They keep your suitcase and clothing smelling fresh while traveling.

2.   Use one each time you do laundry on the road.  Save the cost of fabric softener, since laudromats charge a small fortune for one or two sheets.  And save the trouble of finding them on the road.  You don't want to lug a boxful.

3.   Forget your bug repellent?  Or forego it due to TSA regulations?  Take one sheet, rub it on arms, legs, neck, then stuff the sheet in your pocket when you head outdoors.  The scent helps repel mosquitoes, gnats, sand flies and such pesky critters.  No, it’s not as good as bug repellent spray, but it certainly works in a pinch!

4.   Slip some into empty suitcases before you stow them away between trips.  It helps prevent musty odors travel bags develop while closed and stored.

Got any more ideas?  Share them with us!  Meanwhile, don’t forget to pack them before you head out on your next sojourn.

May your road rise to meet you!

Best, Ann

What's Your ROI on Hotel Rewards Programs?

I spent the afternoon checking up on my various hotel rewards programs, and I'm not too happy!  E.g. Hilton Honors - despite following up a few times after my last stay at a Hilton, I never got any points posted to my account.  Ticked me off enough that I have not stayed in any Hilton since.  It's been at least 2-3 years.
Starwood Preferred Guest (spg.com) I had not checked up on for awhile.  Silly me!  Especially after spending a small fortune (at least to me) on my last 2-night stay.  Got my points, no problem.  But when I started digging into details on redeeming awards, I found the same hotel where I last stayed requires 7,000 points for one free night.  At a mere 2 points per dollar spent, that means spending $3500 to get a free night, when their coupon-book rate on weekends is just $79.00, and regular rate is around $119.  Even the program's elite members merely get 3 points per dollar.  That really amounts to such a negligible payout that it is hardly worth the bother.

Wyndham has me royally ticked!  I spent quite a few nights in various member hotels on a long trip last winter, and not one point accrued to my account.  Yet I know I gave my membership number to each of those hotels.  Gross incompetence on their part is the only reason I can come up with.  Gross neglect on my part for failing to check up on them immediately after each & every stay.

Moral of that story:  Check up on your hotel & airline programs religiously!  However, even that does not always work, as witnessed with Hilton.

However, I have one that seems to be working pretty well.  Red Roof Redi-Card!  The chain is really quite modest, but so far, always clean, decent condition, friendly front desk staff.  Far from luxury, but perfectly acceptable.  They're good on all the basics, and sometimes that's all you need or want.  The ROI on their Redi-Card program is worth checking out!  You get 10 points per dollar spent, and 6000 points (expenditure of $600) results in a free night.  Return on your investment comes out a bit over 10% using room rates of, typically, $60 and up.  Sounds like this organization really wants its customers to keep coming back!  I love luxury (who doesn't?!), but cleanliness, courtesy, and just keeping everything - including the rewards accounting - straight do count for a lot.

Better a very modest but well managed hotel, nice people at the desk, and such than high bills and nothing to show for it.

Check your rewards programs if you have not done so recently.  Really investigate their program - surprises can come up with a little serious digging through the website.  E.g. finding out which "category," therefore points-cost for a reward, a particular hotel falls within can take some research on the spg.com website.

To make these reward programs pay off better than bargain coupon-book rates or last-minute "fire sale" bookings, you need to make your money do double- or triple- or quadruple-duty.  Check out your credit cards to see if you get cash back on what you spend.  Or whether you can get airline miles or free hotel nights through your credit card as well as your hotel/airline rewards program.

Got any more ideas for maxing your money?  Tell, tell!

May your road rise to meet you!
Ann

US Passport Allows Visa-Free or Visa-on-Arrival to Many Countries

US citizens traveling on their US passport have a long list of countries which allow visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry if you are traveling solely for the pupose of tourism.  For business trips, a visa might still be required for these countries. 

Albania: No visa required but 10 Euro entry tax fee. Maximum stay of 30 days.
Andorra: Enter via Spain or France. Maximum stay of 90 days.

Anguilla: Maximum stay of 3 months.

Antigua and Barbuda: Maximum stay of 1 month.
Argentina: Maximum stay of 3 months.

Antarctica: No maximum stay noted.
Armenia: Visa on arrival but only if arriving at Zvartnots Airport in Yerevan. Fee is 30 USD for a maximum stay of 21 days.

Aruba: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Austria: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Azerbaijan: Visa on arrival with 40 USD fee and passport photo. Maximum stay of 30 days and only for cities listed in visa.

Bahamas: Maximum stay of 1 month.
Bahrain: Visa on arrival with 13.50 USD (approx) fee. Maximum stay of 14 days.

Bali (Indonesia) : Visa on arrival - fee depends on length of stay, 7-30 days.

Barbados: Maximum stay of 6 months.
Belgium: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Belize: Maximum stay of 1 month.

Bermuda: Maximum stay of 6 months.
Bolivia: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Botswana: Maximum stay of 90 days.

*Brazil: All US visitors REQUIRE a visa for Brazil.

British Virgin Islands: Maximum stay of 30 days.
Brunei Darussalam: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Bulgaria: Maximum stay of 90 days.

Burma: All US visitors REQUIRE a visa for Myanmar (Burma). Visa on arrival 28 days $40 reinstated June 2012.
Cambodia: If arriving at international airports, visa on arrival with 20 USD fee and passport photo. Maximum stay of 1 month.
Canada: Maximum stay of 6 months.

Cayman Islands: Maximum stay of 30 days.
Chile: Maximum stay of 90 days.

*China (PRC China): All US visitors REQUIRE a visa for China.
Colombia: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Comoros Islands: Visa on arrival at Immigration Office downtown - fee varies depending on length of stay.
Costa Rica Maximum stay of 90 days.
Cook Islands: Maximum stay of 31 days.
Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast): Maximum stay of 90 days.
Croatia: Maximum stay of 90 days.

Cuba: Visa not required; however tourist card must be purchased at airline or travel agency for 25 USD prior to travel. Note that the US government restricts most forms of tourist travel to Cuba by American citizens. Tourist travel to Cuba via another country, such as Canada, may result in prosecution or fines by the US authorities.
Cyprus & Northern Cyprus: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Czech Republic: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Denmark (including Faroe Islands & Greenland): Maximum stay of 90 days.
Djibouti: Visa on arrival - fee varies depending on length of stay. Maximum stay of 1 month.

Dominica: Maximum stay of 6 months.

Dominican Republic: No visa but tourist card issued for 10 USD fee. Maximum stay of 30 days.
Ecuador: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Egypt: Visa on arrival - fee 15 USD. Maximum stay of 30 days.
El Salvador: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Equatorial Guinea: No Maximum stay indicated.
Eritrea: Visa on arrival and passport photo required - fee varies. Maximum stay of 1 month.
Eritrea: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Ethiopia: Visa on arrival and 2 passport photos required - fee varies. Maximum stay of 3 months.

Faroe Islands: Maximum stay of 90 days (Denmark).
Fiji: Maximum stay of 4 months.
Finland: Maximum stay of 3 months.
France (including Monaco): Maximum stay of 3 months.
French Guiana: Maximum stay of 3 months.
French Polynesia: Maximum stay of 1 month.

French Antilles/Caribbean/West Indies: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Georgia: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Germany: Maximum stay of 90 days.

Gibraltar: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Greece: Maximum stay of 3 months.

Greenland: Maximum stay of 90 days (Denmark).

Grenada: Maximum stay of 3 months.

Guam: US Territory.
Guatemala: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Guyana: Maximum stay of 3 months.

Haiti: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Honduras: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Hong Kong: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Hungary: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Iceland: Maximum stay of 3 months.

*India: All US visitors REQUIRE a visa for India.
Indonesia: Visa on arrival - fee varies depending on length of stay. Maximum stay of 30 days.
Ireland (Eire): Maximum stay of 3 months.
Israel (including Palestinian Territories): Maximum stay of 3 months.
Italy (including San Marino): Maximum stay of 3 months.

Jamaica: Maximum stay of 6 months.

Japan: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Jordan: Visa on arrival for fee of 10 Jordanian Dollars (free if part of licensed tour group.) Maximum stay of 3 months.

*Korea (North): Visa is REQUIRED. Available only in Beijing, China or Paris, France.
Korea (South): Maximum stay of 1 month.

Kosovo: Enter via Serbia. Maximum stay of 90 days.
Kuwait: Visa on arrival for fee of 5 Kuwait Dollars. Maximum stay of 3 months.

Kyrgyzstan: Visa on arrival for fee of 35 USD. Maximum stay of 1 month.
Laos (Lao People's Democratic Republic): Visa on arrival 30 days $35.
Latvia: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Lebanon: Visa on arrival for free if staying 1 month or less.
Lesotho: Maximum stay of 14 days.
Liechtenstein: Same as Switzerland. Maximum stay of 90 days.
Lithuania: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Luxembourg: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Macau: Maximum stay of 30 days.

Macedonia (former FYROM): Maximum stay of 3 months.
Malawi: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Malaysia: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Maldives: Visa on arrival for fee of MVR 750 (Local Currency) for maximum stay of 30 days.
Malta: Maximum stay of 3 months.

Mariana Islands: US Territory

Marshall Islands: No visa required.
Mauritius: Maximum stay of 6 months.
Mexico: Maximum stay of 6 months. Tourist card may be required depending on location of travel within Mexico.

Micronesia: Maximum stay of 30 days.
Moldova: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Mongolia: Maximum stay of 90 days. Visitors must register with police department within 10 days
of arrival.
Montserrat: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Morocco: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Mozambique: Visa on arrival for 25 USD. Maximum stay of 30 days.

*Myanmar: All US visitors REQUIRE a visa for Myanmar (Burma). Visa on arrival 28 days $40 reinstated June 2012.

Namibia: (former South West Africa) Maximum stay of 3 months.
Nepal: Visa on arrival. Fee varies depending on length of stay. Maximum stay of 150 days.
Netherlands – Holland, including Netherlands Antilles: Maximum stay of 3 months.
New Caledonia: Maximum stay of 1 month.
New Zealand: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Nicaragua: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Niger: Visa on arrival (fee) and 2 passport photos. Maximum stay of 1 month.

*Nigeria: All US visitors REQUIRE a visa for Nigeria.

Niue: Maximum stay of 30 days.
Norway: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Oman: Visa on arrival. Fee for 6 OMR (Local Currency). Maximum stay of 1 month.
Palau: Visa not required for stays up to 30 days.
Panama: Visa not required but tourist card is required for 5 USD. Maximum stay of 30 days.
Papua New Guinea: Visa on arrival for 500 PGK (Local Currency) for a maximum stay of 60 days. Must arrive at Jackson International. Airport or Kagamuga Airport.
Peru: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Philippines: Maximum stay of 21 days.
Poland: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Portugal: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Puerto Rico: US Territory
Qatar: Visa on arrival for 55 QAR (Local Currency). Maximum stay of 21 days.
Reunion Island: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Romania: Maximum stay of 90 days.

*Russia: All US visitors REQUIRE a visa for Russia.

Rwanda: Visa on arrival for no charge. Maximum stay of 3 months.
Samoa (Western): Visa not required but visitor permit must be obtained on arrival. Maximum stay of 60 days.
Samoa (American): US Territory
Senegal: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Serbia and Montenegro: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Seychelles: Visa not required but visitor permit to be obtained on arrival. Maximum stay 1 month.

Singapore: Visa not required. Maximum stay of 30 days.

Slovak Republic: Maximum stay of 90 days.

Slovenia: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Solomon Islands: Visa not required but visitor permit to be obtained on arrival. Maximum stay 3 months.
South Africa: Maximum stay of 90 days.
Spain: Maximum stay of 3 months.

Sri Lanka: Visa on arrival - fee unknown. Maximum stay of 30 days.

St. Kitts-Nevis: Maximum stay of 3 months.

St. Lucia: Maximum stay of 6 months.

St. Vincent and The Grenadines: Maximum stay of 1 month.
Swaziland: Maximum stay of 2 months.
Sweden: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Switzerland: Maximum stay of 3 months.

Taiwan: Visa not required if arriving at Taipei Chiang Kai Shek or Kaohsiung Airport. Maximum stay of 30 days.
Tanzania: Visa on arrival for 50 USD. Check visa with immigration officer for maximum stay.

Thailand: Stamp on arrival for stay of 30 days by air; 14 by land. Single 14 day extension.
Timor Leste (East Timor): Visa on arrival for 30 USD. Maximum stay of 30 days.
Togo: Visa on arrival - fee not specified. Maximum stay of 7 days.
Tonga: Visa on arrival for no charge. Maximum stay of 31 days.

Transnistria: Enter via Moldova.

Trinidad & Tobago: Maximum stay of 3 months.
Tunisia: Maximum stay of 4 months.
Turkey: Visa on arrival for fee of 20 USD. Maximum stay of 3 months.

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus: Maximum stay of 3 months.

Turks & Caicos Islands: Maximum stay of 30 days.

Tuvalu: Visa on arrival - no fee specified. Maximum stay of 1 month.
Uganda: Visa on arrival - fee varies depending on length of stay.
Ukraine: Maximum stay of 90 days.
United Arab Emirates: Visa on arrival - no fee specified. Maximum stay of 1 month.
United Kingdom: Maximum stay of 6 months.
Uruguay: Maximum stay of 3 months.

*Uzbekistan: All US visitors REQUIRE a visa for Uzbekistan.
Vanuatu: Maximum stay of 30 days.

Vatican City: Enter via Italy
Venezuela: Visa not required but tourist card must be obtained on aircraft. Maximum stay of 90 days.
Vietnam: Visa issued on arrival only with 'pre-approval' from an Embassy application.

Virgin Islands (USA): US Territory.

Virgin Islands (UK): Maximum stay of 30 days.
Yemen: Visa on arrival for 10,500 YER (Local Currency). Maximum stay of 1 month.
Zambia: Visa on arrival - fee varies depending on length of stay.
Zimbabwe: Visa on arrival - fee varies. Maximum stay of 3 months.

For countries not listed here, US citizens need a visa.  Also, for any travel purpose other than tourism, including business trips, you generally need a visa.  Check each country's requirements before you go! 

May your road rise to meet you!

Ann