Back a decade or so ago, I used to have two fully packed bags.  One for warm weather and one for cold weather.  Because I was always traveling and never knew where that next trip may take me.

To this day, I have a second wallet.  Loaded with credit cards to travel the world.  My passport (always up to date).  Notes about various airports.  Travel insurance.

I no longer have a fully packed piece of luggage, let alone two.  But, I can pack in under 10 minutes for almost any place in the world.  (My daughter still recalls when I announced that we were going to take a little trip- to Israel.  And, she needed to pack in 10 minutes, because the plane left in two hours. Yes, we have Clear and TSA PreCheck.)

Over the years, my method of travel has left me with problems.  Like the one I had trying to leave Barbados.  You needed to have money to pay for an exit visa.  No credit cards- just cold hard cash.  And, that’s something I rarely, if ever, have.  (Ask any of my friends. I use a credit card for a piece of candy- and never buy anything from street vendors, for just that reason.) I eventually convinced the authorities to let me pay by check- but it was a long and arduous negotiation.

Or, right after I was awarded custody of my children in court, I encountered a completely different problem.   As soon as the court hearing was over, I left for a planned trip to Toronto.  Taking my nine-year old son.

The first leg of the trip was a disaster. Southwest was delayed for three hours.  When we got to Buffalo, the only car the rental agency had in stock was from Arkansas.  Which is how we arrived at the border of the US and Canada a little after 1 AM.  With a car from Arkansas, a dad from Virginia, and a 9-year-old sleeping in the back seat.

You guessed it.  The authorities were afraid that I was kidnapping my son.  (Or someone else’s , I guess.)  Except, when the authorities finally were honest and told me why they were delaying me, I asked for permission to get out of my car and get something from the trunk.

Yes, they followed me- with guns out.  But, I knew what I had in my luggage.  The signed court order granting me custody of my kids.  And, once they saw the documentation, they were rushing me on my way.  (Unfortunately, we still reached our hotel at 3:30 AM- with a 9 AM appointment the next day.)

Given the current terrorist situation, heightened security, child trafficking concerns, slavery operations- we need to be up on the latest regulations to ensure our trip can proceed with as few snags as possible.

Traveling with kids is one such trouble area.  Some countries now require birth certificates for kids, besides their need to have valid passports. Because the birth certificates list parents’ names- which is lacking in the passport data. (And, if only one parent is traveling- whether married or divorced- it is important to carry either a signed and notarized document from the missing spouse or court authorization justifying single parent/child travel. See my above case about Canada.) And, given the outbreak of diseases (because some very crazy folks have refused to immunize their kids), we also often need complete immunization records.

And, still other countries require us to carry additional passport photos, in case they desire to issue a visa to let us get into (or out of) the country.

And, it’s going to get even more complicated.  Europe (at least the European Union countries)- in 2021 and beyond- will be requiring American travelers to request what I would call a mini-visa. The program is called the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS).  The “travel authorization” permit will also require paying a small fee (7 Euros).  (It’s tit for tat- under TheDonald, we’ve demanded the same from European visitors to the USA.)

To obtain this travel authorization, one must have a valid passport (some countries require the passport to have at least 6 months before it expires), an eMail address, and a credit or debit card.  This authorization process needs to be completed and filed at least three days prior to departure.  Oh- and it will be valid for 3 years from date of issue, and can be used for multiple entries.

It’s only going to get more complicated, folks.