Yellow fever, red light: paperwork problem sinks Costa Rica vacation

Whose responsibility is your travel-related paperwork, like visas and vaccinations? If you said “mine” — you’re right.

If you hesitated before saying “mine” then meet Cathy Pace, whose sad story about a Costa Rica vacation will certainly make you double check your paperwork before you leave for the airport.

In January, we went on a trip to Peru with the intent to continue on to Costa Rica. When we arrived at the airport in Lima we were informed by our airline, Taca, that there was an agreement between the government of Peru and Costa Rica that no one could enter Costa Rica from Peru without a yellow fever vaccination.

We had no idea, and our travel agent had researched all restrictions beforehand, and there were no published restrictions. We were not allowed to go to Costa Rica and upon our return we confirmed that not even the official Costa Rican Embassy Web site had this information listed. We had no way of knowing!

Pace wanted a refund on her $760 deposit at the Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge.

The Lodge refuses to refund our deposit. While we understand the operating procedures of hotels, this was not information that was published and we had no way of knowing. Do you think we are entitled to our deposit?

Unfortunately, no.

The yellow fever vaccination requirements are listed on the Centers for Disease Control site. They are also prominently displayed on the Costa Rican embassy’s Web site. Pace’s travel agent should have known about that.

But more importantly, you should never rely on anything other than an official government source — not an airline, not a cruise line, not a travel agency — when obtaining proper travel documents.

Securing the proper paperwork is your responsibility, and yours alone.

  • Jasper

    Euhm, Chris, isn’t this one of those cases where you’re supposed to say that the travel agent – if (s)he were a good one – should have known?

  • SirWired

    I would have a nice, long, chat with the travel agent. While the lodge certainly shouldn’t be required to do anything, I think something from the travel agent would be appropriate. Maybe not a full deposit refund, but some sort of discount on future travel. I would think that this sort of thing would be the agents job. Knowing about restrictions is part of what you are paying the agent for, no? The agent should have known this before booking the itenerary.

    SirWired

  • Joe Farrell

    So why does this oops not get the Chris Elliott treatment while people doing stupid things like making reservations in a married name for a honeymoon trip where therei is no way you can get legal id in a married name until you are married get it?

    I’m just pointing out the dichotomy.

    Also, I’m with Sir Wired and Jasper here – the travel agent’s JOB is to know.

  • Christopher Elliott

    Well, I said the agent should have known better. But it’s not the agent’s responsibility — it’s the traveler’s. Are you suggesting the travel agent should cover the $760 deposit?

  • MarkA

    I will defer to our legal expert on this – Joe F? – but yes, I certainly would consider asking the travel agent for some sort of recompense. In any other agent/client relationship, the agent has some sort of fiscal responsibility to the client. I’ve never employed a travel agent, so I am speaking from a position of ignorance here, but I’m sure there’s a contract, no? What does it say? What SHOULD it say? In general, isn’t it an agent’s (any agent, not just a travel agent) job to “buffer” the client from this kind of mistake? And if they fail? Should they just be able to throw up their hands and say, “Whoopsie! Sorry about that.” I don’t generally advocate suing people for your own mistakes, but if you go the extra mile and spend the extra dollar to hire someone to navigate the tricky waters of international travel for you, don’t you think you’re entitled to some compensation when they screw up?

  • Chicky

    I agree, the agent should have known before booking the trip. They get paid to research this information. However, there is still a responsibility on the part of the traveler to find out for herself about restrictions.

    Case in point: In 1998, I won a trip to Aruba. It was arranged and booked through AAA–certainly a reputable, throrough service. Even though I didn’t figure there would be any restrictions, I still looked on the Aruban consulate Web site, the CDC and the U.S. State Department to find out if there was anything my husband and I needed to know before leaving. It might have been something as simple as making sure our measles vaccines were up to date. You just never know. Turns out, there were no restrictions, but I did look. If I do the research myself, I know what I’ve found, and can then ask the travel agent about what I’ve discovered. But that’s just how I am.

    I do realize that many travelers leave this kind of legwork to their travel agents, and for that very reason, agents who book any trips outside the U.S. and Canada should be current with this kind of information.

    I’ll side with SirWired and say the travel agent should waive his or her fee and maybe arrange some freebies if Ms. Pace chooses to book with that agent again.

  • http://www.oasisofthetoucans.com Doug Ward

    Forrest Gump comes to mind.
    People actually still use travel agents ?
    Stupid is as….

  • Steve Cousino, CTA

    As a travel agent, I would agree that the client had an expectation from the travel agent to help them be fully prepared for the situation. In any traveler/travel agent relationship, the agent has full responsibility to ensure the traveler is aware of all necessary documents, potential snafus, etc. and help them be prepared to overcome them. It is the traveler’s responsibility, however, to ensure they actually LISTEN to the agent.

    I have my international travelers acknowledge that they have been advised of the proper requirements and documentation needed to travel where they’re going. They are also welcome to research the requirements and documentation on their own to verify my information, or to make themselves feel better about it.

    But, yes, I do believe the agent has a responsibility to ensure the traveler is aware of the requirements.

  • http://www.singleparenttravel.net John F

    This goes back to Chris’s old argument of who is the travel agent an agent for?

    If they charged a fee for the trip planning and it was paid for by the client, then the agent should have some responsibility here. They are acting as the agent of the customer.

    However, it is the customer’s responsibility to comply–or not–with the recommendations.

    If they booked the trip on behalf of the supplier, then the agent is an agent of the supplier. Some travel suppliers will not sell direct to the public. Maybe this was the case and it had to go through an agent?

    Regardless, a competent agent should have at the VERY LEAST informed the client that they ought to look into any requirements. Ideally, they should have advised them of the requirements AT THE TIME and advise the client to re-check before departure.

    This falls in the same category as proper travel documentation (Visas) and ultimately it is the travelers responsibility!

  • John M

    As a travel agent with 23 years experience, I have plenty experience with these sorts of things and I am very careful in what I tell people. When it comes to passports, visas and travel restrictions I do a lot of research and if it is something unusual, such as a refugee from another country I will refer my customers to a passport/visa service who specializes in the unusual.

    When it comes to shots and medical treatments I refer my customers to their doctor because I am not licensed to practice medicine and thus cannot make recommendations concerning medical treatment.

    When it comes to something like this, I always consult the most current database of information on visas and health restrictions because I know that there are lots of them when you are dealing with third world countries. After checking the various websites and programs available to me, I always tell my clients what I have checked and what I have discovered and what they need to do. I also insist that my clients provide me with a copy of their passport so I can verify the names and validity of their documents. You would be surprised how many people book their domestic travel under their nicknames instead of their legal names, for example Ted instead of Edward or Jo instead of Joanna and while it can be a hassle getting by TSA, it isn’t anywhere near the problem that it is when your name on your ticket doesn’t match the name on your passport at Customs and Immigration in another country. Or the people who assume that it is okay to travel on a passport that will expire during their journey. Or that they don’t need a passport to fly into Canada from the USA. These are commonplace errors that people make all the time and are the reason why I insist on a copy of their passport. No copy, no reservation, it’s that simple.

    If this had been my client, I would have covered the cost because in my view it was my error. If it was something that I had advised them of and they decided not to follow my advice, then I’m not responsible.

  • Joe Farrell

    Chris – the simple answer is yes. The facts are likely to be convoluted, and the legal issue is what is the duty of care owed by the travel agent to inform the traveler of the governmental requirements.

    The agent’s reply: “You can’t me to know the entry requirements of every country in the world!”

    The reply to that is: “What is the traveling public paying you for?” Entering names in a computer reservation form?

    What are the equities here? Traveler engages travel agent to set up a complex international trip that is more than a straight here to there, there to here itinerary. There are intermediate international stops – what if there was visa requirement? Is the travel agent needed to tell the passenger about a visa? I think so. Even more elementary. . what about a passport? I think so there as well.

    The other side of the coin is that the passenger is the traveler and is responsible for the proper documents. The difference is one of knowledge – the travel agent HOLDS THEMSELVES OUT as having specialized knowledge. Do they? Did they tell the traveler ” Gee, I can help you with all that,’ either directly or indirectly?

    Thats why many BIG agencies get you to sign boilerplate that when they are paid a commission they are no YOUR agent, but that of the person paying, which to them is the travel company.

    Just because it is the responsibility of the traveler to get the proper vaccinations and documents, it is the role of the travel agent to KNOW what they are so the individual can comply with the rules. Otherwise, how hard is it to call a hotel to make a reservation and then make airline reservations?

    What is the ‘good’ travel agent selling if not knowledge and advice?

  • Joe Farrell

    I will say that it took me less than 1 minute to locate the requirement . . .

    you should NOT simply go to the US State Dept website to located this information since Americans arriving from the US are not required to have an inoculation unless you have been to a place where yellow fever is endemic.

    Straight off the World Health Org site:

    “Regions affected

    The virus is constantly present with low levels of infection (i.e. endemic) in some tropical areas of Africa and the Americas. This viral presence can amplify into regular epidemics. Until the start of this century, yellow fever outbreaks also occurred in Europe, the Caribbean islands and Central and North America. Even though the virus is not felt to be present in these areas now, they must still be considered at risk for yellow fever epidemics.

    Thirty-three countries, with a combined population of 508 million, are at risk in Africa. These lie within a band from 15°N to 10°S of the equator. In the Americas, yellow fever is endemic in nine South American countries and in several Caribbean islands. Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru are considered at greatest risk.”

    Now off the Costa Rican documents site:

    “REQUIREMENTS FOR U.S. CITIZENS TO ENTER COSTA RICA

    TOURIST TRAVEL

    * U.S. Passport required, must be valid 30 days beyond intended stay.
    * No visa required for stay up to three months
    * Tickets and Documents for return or onward travel
    * Vaccinations – International Certificate of Vaccination for Yellow Fever required if arriving from infected area within 5 days

    BUSINESS TRAVEL

    * U.S. Passport, must be valid 3o days beyond intended stay.
    * Tickets and Documents for return or onward travel
    * No Visa Required for stay up to three months
    * Vaccinations – International Certificate of Vaccination for Yellow Fever required if arriving from infected area within 5 days ”

    If a traveler wants to avoid the inoculation requirement, then they need to go someplace that is NOT infected for 5 days and THEN travel to Peru.

  • Allison

    There is plenty of air service from the USA to Costa Rica without connecting thrugh Peru. Why were they connecting through Peru and whose idea was it to use that schedule? If the agent suggested using the non-stops on American from Miami to San Jose and the client says “I found this really cheap fare going through Peru”, then I’m thinking this one rests on the passengers alone. If the agent suggested the schedule withouth checking required documentation, the agent needs to stand behind it.

  • Joe Farrell

    Hey Allison – what part of:

    “In January, we went on a trip to Peru with the intent to continue on to Costa Rica.”

    is not clear? The OP’s went to Peru, intentionally, with the intent thereafter to continue to Costa Rica FROM Peru – they did not fly to Costa Rica THROUGH Peru.

    You need to read it and understand it. . . . sorry for the sharpness of the response but’s folks like you in situations who do not read what is plainly in front of them and then get upset because they do not understand what is happening.

    Do you have a different opinion now? [Sorry Chris, but I tire of folks who just don't pay attention to the details - like words used to express thoughts].

  • Tabby Stone

    The yellow fever restrictions for Costa Rica are listed on the CDC website:

    Although yellow fever is not a disease risk in Costa Rica, the government requires travelers arriving from certain countries where yellow fever is present to present proof of yellow fever vaccination. If you will be traveling to one of these countries where yellow fever is present before arriving in Costa Rica, this requirement must be taken into consideration. See Yellow Fever Vaccine Requirements and Information on Malaria Risk and Prophylaxis, by Country for more information.

    The specific information page for Costa Rica says yellow fever vaccination is required:

    If traveling from the endemic zones listed below:

    Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Sudan.

    Americas: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, and Venezuela.
    (Updated September 24, 2007)

    ————
    It is ultimately the traveler’s responsibility to get any needed vaccinations, visas, etc.

    But, the travel agent is supposed to be the expert and should warn the traveler about the need for vaccinations, visas or other potential problems which might not be obvious to the casual traveler or at the very least, tell the traveler to check the CDC website.

    This is especially important when there are actual restrictions on entry, rather than just warnings about certain diseases.

  • Ken

    I rarely use travel agents….but if and when I do, this is a cautionary tale. I will emal the agent, to confirm the reservations made and ask if there are any visa, vaccination, or other requirements I need to be aware of, At least this provides a good piece of evidence if things go amok later.

  • Ed Kummel

    This is a tough one to figure out though…If you read the yellow fever announcement on the costa rican embassy site, it says that only travelers entering the country from certain other countries…
    Well, the United States is not a country that is listed for the yellow fever vacination! So, how does this rule?
    I would rule that the travel agent fell down on their job. They should have known that the connecting flight from peru to costa rica would have required the vaccination…so that would include this traveler. To the traveler’s perspective, they just wanted to get to costa rica…but due to the connecting flight in peru, they need the vaccination….this is the travel agent’s fault!
    Ed
    web/gadget guru

  • Meredith P

    Okay Ed, to echo what Joe told Allison, The traveler’s first leg of the trip was Peru. Then they wanted to visit Costa Rica… Not use Peru as a connection.

    But yes, Paperwork is on the traveler, though a Travel Agent should have done their best to say “Hey you need this.” Not every traveler knows where to look and a travel agent should.

    Hells, I knew where to look as a Customer Service rep for a hotel chain… and my job was to type information into the itinerary.

  • Arizona Road Warrior

    The agent has full responsibility to ensure the traveler is aware of all necessary documents and etc. We have taken international land tours and we booked them through the same travel agency. Before booking, I applied for the visas that we needed and the travel agent required to see our passports and visas before she handled our tickets and etc. to us to make sure that we were ready for these trips. If you are using a brick & mortar travel agent, you are paying them to do the full and complete job. If they not, why use one.

  • Wendy

    Why didn’t the couple just get a yellow fever vaccine when they landed in Peru since they knew at that point they would not be allowed into Costa Rica without one? That solution seems obvious to me…

  • Swati

    This is a tough one. The travel agent does bear some responsibility, but so do the travelers. This reminds me that I need to check my next foreign country’s information on vaccines, etc.!

  • Shelly

    Christopher Elliott, you nailed this one.

    I own a travel agency and have been a travel agent for eight years. Even though I hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, and worked for nine years as a critical care nurse, only doctors of medicine can dispense medical advice. Ever.

    When I book a travel package through a tour operator, they do not give advice on immunizations nor do they tell what visas are required. Immunizations and visas are the responsibility of the consumer.

    All of my clients are advised to check with our county health department for vaccinations recommended/required for their destinations. I use a visa/passport company to advise me of documents needed. It would be foolish of me to pretend that I have expertise in these areas, also.

    Continue to use a travel agent for all of your travel needs. The best agents know the boundaries of their knowledge and will admit it.

  • Kathleen V.

    Travel Agents out there…
    We travel, but only to Mexico and Europe. We use a travel agent for most (not all) trips. Someone earlier referred to Forrest Gump …stupid is as stupid does! That may be a description of me! If I traveled to a country new to me, I would use a Travel Agent and I would rely 100% on my travel agent to tell me what was needed – a Visa, vaccinations, etc. Is it because I can’t research requirements myself – no. I would rely on my agent because I expect that level of service from the agent; they hold themselves up as the expert on travel; that’s why I went to them in the first place! The good news is that I’ve quickly gotten smarter while reading the issue/responses. Thanks!

  • Mindy M

    I would tell you that as a Travel Agent, I would feel responsible for this and would have split the deposit with the Client. It is my practice to check Timatic in these instances and it (timatic) specifically asked “other countries visited int he previus six days”. Normally, I print the Timatic response for the client and include it with the travel documents.

  • Jasper

    @ Shelly.

    It is not that hard to check what visa and immunizations are required. Especially, for a travel agent who *should know* what to look for and where. A lot of travellers have no clue thei might need a visa for some countries, or immunizations. As a travel agent, you must be aware of most of those requirements. A good travel agent will inform their clients without prompting.

    Personally, I’d ask my travel agent what the deal is. If the agent then would say it’s my job to figure that out, I’d realize and tell him that it’s his last job from me.

    I understand that requirements change all the time, and that sometimes things go wrong due to last minute changes. It is hard to legally define in advance where the responsability of a travel agents ends and where ‘last minute new requirements’ start, but overall, I think reasonable people understand perfectly where that line is.

    In this case, the travel agent should have known.

  • Curmudgeon

    Once my wife and I were going to a wedding. Her family, also local, were going to the same wedding, and her sister called the travel agent to ask which flight we were on. The travel agent told her sister, who then booked the entire clan on the same flight (we really didn’t want to travel with them).

    The point is that the travel agent thought they were providing service, whereas they were in reality doing just the opposite. We rebooked, and had a stern talk with the agency manager. It cost us a bit, and the agency learned its lesson about giving out travel information. I suppose we could have asked that our change fee be reimbursed, but we have and continue to have a good relationship with this agency (not for flights any more, but for cruises and other excursions).

  • Jennifer

    Shelly – so you don’t provide any information about vaccinations but do provide information regarding visas and passports? I’m scratching my head still trying to figure out why TAs are necessary. Maybe I’ll save a couple of bucks, probably not, maybe I’ll get a decent TA (small likelihood given past experience) who can give me a better routing than I can find for myself, probably not. But what I will not get is the correct information to actually allow me entry into the country I am booked to travel to?

    Thanks for pointing this out. I think that the point of your post is that you’re out to CYA by providing little to no information. By the way, telling someone to contact their county health department to get information on vaccine requirements for foreign countries is not good advice. Some will have the information but the vast majority will not. A yellow fever vaccine is not the same as the MMR vaccine requirements to enter 1st grade. At least you could give them the correct place to contact before you tell them they’re on their own.

    Mindy, on the other hand, seems like one of the few good TAs.

  • Jennifer

    In addition, I especially want to thank Mindy for providing the information regarding Timatic which I never heard of. I ran a search and NWA has a great Timatic web page which anyone can use. I ran the original letterwriter’s itinerary from US to Peru and then to Costa Rica.

    Guess what? The yellow fever vaccination requirement popped right up. Visitors to Costa Rica from Peru must have vaccines that are at least 10 days old, so getting vaccinated in Peru was not an option. The fact that TAs know about Timatic site but their customers do not makes me even more sure that the Paces’ TA should be at least partly responsible for this. Any TA should be responsible to providing all the information at their disposal to their customers regarding their customers’ travel purchase.

    Here is the search I did:
    http://www.timaticweb.com/cgi-bin/tim_website_client.cgi?SpecData=1&HEALTH=1&VISA=1&page=health&NA=US&AR=00&EM=US&PASSTYPES=PASS&DE=CR&selDest=Costa+Rica&selTrans=Use+ctrl-key+to+select+or+deselect+transit+point%28s%29+above&VT=PE&selVisi=Peru&Submit=Submit&user=NWB2C&subuser=NWB2C

    The main site to access NWA’s Timatic information is:

    http://www.nwa.com/services/timatic.html

  • Canadian Agent

    Jennifer – Although you may not see any value in TA’s perhaps you should research Chris’ site further and read the myriad of problems that people have had by not using a real live travel agent. Problems that they would not have encountered had they actually used a travel agent. I find some of your comments actually insultive to TA’s out there who do their job properly and who also do their job very well. Anyone can reseach anything on the web, as you have so carefully made a point of doing so, so why is it is that OP could not have done the same thing? I do agree that their travel agent should have advised that there were health requirements but then again, it’s ultimately the responsiblity of the person travelling to get the proper health documentation / shots from their health clinic or doctor. Do you expect the Pace’s travel agent to accompany the Pace’s while they get their vaccinations done or while they consult with their doctor prior to their travelling? I don’t think it’s fair of you to slam travel agents if you’ve never worked as one.

  • Jennifer

    I am not slamming all travel agents. I said there were a few good ones. I specifically said Mindy was a good one. I was talking specifically about the one travel agent who claimed that telling someone about vaccination requirements was practicing medicine without a license. Give me a break. I said I was sure that there was some value in a TA but not in the Paces’ case. Their TA did not provide exceptional service.

    I’m not the first one nor the last who have had rather poor experiences with TAs, if you read the other posts just on this page. If the OP was supposed to have researched her trip and all of its requirements, the TA doesn’t deserve to get paid a full commission because she didn’t earn it. However, I also said I thought the Paces should also be PARTLY responsible. Did you read that?

    You and some of the other TAs on this board get extremely defensive. One wonders why? If you do a good job, you have nothing to worry about, right? My profession gets painted with a broad brush also by people who think they can do what I do. I don’t think they’re insulting me personally. I have developed a rather thick skin.

  • Canadian Agent

    Actually your words were this: :”…The fact that TAs know about Timatic site but their customers do not makes me even more sure that the Paces’ TA should be at least partly responsible for this. Any TA should be responsible to providing all the information at their disposal to their customers regarding their customers’ travel purchase…” and the tone of your post comes across as pushing the blame squarely on the TA. The unfortunate part is that the TA involved is not here to explain his / her side of the story.

    I think one has to be very careful and not paint everyone in the travel industry with the same brush – there are many good agents out there who actually do provide their clients with all the relevant information needed when arranging all kinds of travel plans. People seem very quick to forget that. It’s too bad that you’ve had negative experiences with the TA’s you’ve used (or so your posts indicate, anyway) – perhaps one day you’ll find a good TA.

  • Jasper

    I love how this thread is turning into a thread where bad TAs explain how narrowly they interpret their reponsibilities, as opposed to recognizing that as a *service* provider, their job should be to make the life of their customer easier.

  • Canadian Agent

    Guess it all depends upon how one interprets the posts on this thread. I haven’t got that impression from the TA’s who did respond to the thread but you are certainly entitled to your own opinon as we all are.

  • http://www.EmergingHorizons.com Candy Harrington

    i see no dichotomy here — Chris has always been one to remind folks of thier own personal responsibility. Personally I don’t care what the travel agent does or doesn’t say, I feel it’s ultimately up to the traveler to check and double check to make sure they were givenhe correct information (or that it’s hasn’t changed). It took me approx 25 seconds to find the info from a trusted source (CDC) on the web. Anyone who travels should know how to check for entry requirements.

    Sure the travel agent should make folks aware of entry requirements, but some agents are better at their job than others, so ultimately the responsibiity for getting the correct information lies with the traveler.

    Candy Harrington

  • Barry

    I just looked at this and even though it is a little late I will make a comment.

    One thing I noticed about this is there is no mention of a time line here in which the travel agent was working in, which becomes very important considering the yellow fever notice was up late in the year 2007.

    If the travelers booked this trip 1-3 months prior to departure then I would say the blame is moreso on the Travel Agent as the notices appear to have been on the various web-sites.

    On the other hand, if the traveler booked their airline tickets and made a hotel reservation months in advance (up to 11-months) or even a day before the notices went up on the web pages concerning yellow fever vac. this would not be the agents fault. The Agent may have very well provided these customers with accurate information at the time the clients purchased airline tickets and reserved their hotel room.

    Unless the client was paying the Travel Agent some type of retainer to monitor changes up until their day of departure from the U.S., the agent is not at fault here. It is the passengers responsibility to know the entry requirements.

  • http://www.elliott.org/blog/yellow-fever-red-light-paperwork-problem-sinks-costa-rica-vacation/ Daphne

    A Canadian travel agent did not make a casual traveller, who is a Canadian resident, not a Canadian citizen, aware that a visa was required for a Vancouver/Amsterdam flight. On arriving at the airport, the traveller was not allowed to fly. I believe the TA should advise people of the entry requirements for a country and check their passports for their name so it appears exactly the same on their air ticket. This was not done. The agent has clearly not done a good job and is at fault, for which a full refund for the air ticket and agents fees should be made.

  • Tim

    I just suffered a similar fate while on a business trip that included Peru and Costa Rica on the intinerary. Upon arrival to the airport in Lima I was informed that unless I had a yellow fever vaccination document I could not fly to Costa Rica. Strangely enough I could fly to other countries in Central America. Since I had a connecting flight in Panama I decided to “end” my trip there and book another ticket from Panama to Costa Rica. This was costly and risky. Not only did I have to purchase another ticket but I had to pay for an additional hotel in Panama (I had already guaranteed a hotel in Costa Rica for the same night). In addition I ran the risk of not being allowed to board the flight in Panama or being rejected if I did make it through to Costa Rica.

    Luckily I made it through without incident. I don’t recommend that others do this, but given the circumstances I felt I didn’t have anything to lose. My logic was if I got stopped in Costa Rica they would get me on the next flight out of the country. I already had a ticket home from Cost Rica so the most I would have lost would have been the change fee.

    Next time I’ll be sure to thoroughly scan the CDC website for each country I’m visiting in sequence.

  • zos

    I would like to add my 2 cents’ worth to the mix, since I’ve just dealt with this situation myself, it was extremely stressful for the last 48 hours and I found the information on this page to be very useful – even though it dates back 5 years. I’m going to provide a lot of detail, because I found myself looking for every little tit-bit of information I could get from real travellers, rather than official web sites.
    I went to a friends wedding in Colombia, I had 10 days there and then planned to have another 10 days in Costa Rica – a country I love, and have visited twice in the last 18 months from the US without incident. I’m a very experienced traveller, I reside in the US, travelling on an Australian passport. I had a connecting flight out of Cartagena via Panama on COPA, so CTG – PTY – SJO. I booked the entire trip on American Express (Centurion) Travel – for anyone saying that “travel agents should’ve just known”, well Amex Centurion has infinitely more resources available to them than independent travel agents. If they didn’t know, then someone in a small company shouldn’t be expected to know. To me though, this does illustrate the value that a personal travel agent can provide – it appears that this problem is quite common.
    When I went to check in, the girl printed my boarding passes, seat assignment was 1A PTY-SJO, and 8D CTG-PTY. She handed me the boarding passes, then said “you can’t go to Costa Rica”. Her English wasn’t very good, I was like WTF? She said “yellow fever”, but wasn’t able to explain the situation. I asked to speak to her supervisor, she went to get the supervisor, then got on the phone instead. Lucky I got to the airport 2.5 hours before my flight, because I was waiting at the counter for about 25 minutes with no-one there while she was on the phone – it turned out, to Costa Rica immigration. She came back all smug and said “I called Costa Rica, you can’t go”. I said “well can you just get me to Panama then”, figuring that Panama is pretty close, maybe I could get another flight, get in by road, maybe even charter a plane. She issued me another boarding pass, just to Panama – seat 31D, second to back row on the plane. Once I got through security, I jumped on the free wifi to try to figure out what the hell they were on about. I found this blog and Tim’s experiences, and also Wade’s information at http://www.vagabondjourney.com/yellow-fever-vaccine-for-international-travel/
    I considered going into CR from Panama by road, but was put off by the story of 15 hour bus journey and many checkpoints at http://www.ratherbesailingsouth.com/article/adventures-in-latin-america-%E2%80%93-taking-a-bus-from-panama-to-costa-rica-part-1/ I also considered flying back to the US, but it seemed crazy to fly so many hours back and forth to Miami or elsewhere when the flight to Costa Rica was only 1 hour, and there is no reason for them not to let me on the plane from Panama.
    I ended up staying a night in Panama at the Hard Rock Hotel, and booking another flight on TACA (operated by LACSA). Had absolutely no problems with the (business class) booking. I was a little concerned that the Costa Rica immigration form would ask me what countries I’d been in on my trip, but it didn’t. So far, so good. I believe in positive thinking so I visualized myself being super happy when I made it through Costa Rica customs. I went in with a big smile, all friendly, telling the immigration girl how much I loved Costa Rica and how happy I was to be back. She asked me a couple of questions, like how long had I been in Panama – I said 2 days, technically true. All seemed fine, she went to stamp my passport – and saw the Colombia stamp on the same page as my 2 previous Costa Rica stamps. She asked me how long I’d been in Colombia for, I lied and said “I can’t remember, about 4 days I think”. She took a deep breath, stamped the passport, then wagged her finger at me “you need yellow fever”. Which I certainly don’t! But I was extremely happy that I got through, so thanks everyone for your tips.
    The whole experience does support Wade’s comments in the link I provided, that this is more about the airlines not letting you check in, than Costa Rica not letting you in. The COPA girl certainly had an attitude against me (relegating me to 31D), I would try to avoid them in the future if I could. TACA’s always been great. With the benefit of hindsight, I could’ve asked that they not stamp my passport in Colombia – I got both an entry stamp AND an exit stamp. Or I could’ve brought my second (New Zealand) passport, and entered CR from Panama with the “clean” passport. Perhaps I could’ve bribed my way in once I got to CR, this wasn’t necessary as I tried charm instead. I’ve learned my lesson and will always check the CDC and US state department web sites before travelling anywhere in the future.
    It’s not fair to blame the travel agent, but this type of thing is a positive opportunity for travel agents to add value to their clients.

  • zos

    I would like to add my 2 cents’ worth to the mix, since I’ve just dealt with this situation myself, it was extremely stressful for the last 48 hours and I found the information on this page to be very useful – even though it dates back 5 years. I’m going to provide a lot of detail, because I found myself looking for every little tit-bit of information I could get from real travellers, rather than official web sites.
    I went to a friends wedding in Colombia, I had 10 days there and then planned to have another 10 days in Costa Rica – a country I love, and have visited twice in the last 18 months from the US without incident. I’m a very experienced traveller, I reside in the US, travelling on an Australian passport. I had a connecting flight out of Cartagena via Panama on COPA, so CTG – PTY – SJO. I booked the entire trip on American Express (Centurion) Travel – for anyone saying that “travel agents should’ve just known”, well Amex Centurion has infinitely more resources available to them than independent travel agents. If they didn’t know, then someone in a small company shouldn’t be expected to know. To me though, this does illustrate the value that a personal travel agent can provide – it appears that this problem is quite common.
    When I went to check in, the girl printed my boarding passes, seat assignment was 1A PTY-SJO, and 8D CTG-PTY. She handed me the boarding passes, then said “you can’t go to Costa Rica”. Her English wasn’t very good, I was like WTF? She said “yellow fever”, but wasn’t able to explain the situation. I asked to speak to her supervisor, she went to get the supervisor, then got on the phone instead. Lucky I got to the airport 2.5 hours before my flight, because I was waiting at the counter for about 25 minutes with no-one there while she was on the phone – it turned out, to Costa Rica immigration. She came back all smug and said “I called Costa Rica, you can’t go”. I said “well can you just get me to Panama then”, figuring that Panama is pretty close, maybe I could get another flight, get in by road, maybe even charter a plane. She issued me another boarding pass, just to Panama – seat 31D, second to back row on the plane. Once I got through security, I jumped on the free wifi to try to figure out what the hell they were on about. I found this blog and Tim’s experiences, and also Wade’s information at http://www.vagabondjourney.com/yellow-fever-vaccine-for-international-travel/
    I considered going into CR from Panama by road, but was put off by the story of 15 hour bus journey and many checkpoints at http://www.ratherbesailingsouth.com/article/adventures-in-latin-america-%E2%80%93-taking-a-bus-from-panama-to-costa-rica-part-1/ I also considered flying back to the US, but it seemed crazy to fly so many hours back and forth to Miami or elsewhere when the flight to Costa Rica was only 1 hour, and there is no reason for them not to let me on the plane from Panama.
    I ended up staying a night in Panama at the Hard Rock Hotel, and booking another flight on TACA (operated by LACSA). Had absolutely no problems with the (business class) booking. I was a little concerned that the Costa Rica immigration form would ask me what countries I’d been in on my trip, but it didn’t. So far, so good. I believe in positive thinking so I visualized myself being super happy when I made it through Costa Rica customs. I went in with a big smile, all friendly, telling the immigration girl how much I loved Costa Rica and how happy I was to be back. She asked me a couple of questions, like how long had I been in Panama – I said 2 days, technically true. All seemed fine, she went to stamp my passport – and saw the Colombia stamp on the same page as my 2 previous Costa Rica stamps. She asked me how long I’d been in Colombia for, I lied and said “I can’t remember, about 4 days I think”. She took a deep breath, stamped the passport, then wagged her finger at me “you need yellow fever”. Which I certainly don’t! But I was extremely happy that I got through, so thanks everyone for your tips.
    The whole experience does support Wade’s comments in the link I provided, that this is more about the airlines not letting you check in, than Costa Rica not letting you in. The COPA girl certainly had an attitude against me (relegating me to 31D), I would try to avoid them in the future if I could. TACA’s always been great. With the benefit of hindsight, I could’ve asked that they not stamp my passport in Colombia – I got both an entry stamp AND an exit stamp. Or I could’ve brought my second (New Zealand) passport, and entered CR from Panama with the “clean” passport. Perhaps I could’ve bribed my way in once I got to CR, this wasn’t necessary as I tried charm instead. I’ve learned my lesson and will always check the CDC and US state department web sites before travelling anywhere in the future.
    It’s not fair to blame the travel agent, but this type of thing is a positive opportunity for travel agents to add value to their clients.

  • zos

    the vaccine certificate has to be at least 10 days before the date of travel – so they would’ve been stuck in Peru for 10 days+

  • zos

    the vaccine certificate has to be at least 10 days before the date of travel – so they would’ve been stuck in Peru for 10 days+

  • bodega3

    The airlines get fined if they let passenger onboard without the proper papers, so it is the countries telling the airlines to follow the laws. For future travels, use this website. It is what the carrier’s use and what our agency uses. Delta has it on their site as well and probably other international carriers have it as well, but I haven’t ever bothered to look since I have it bookmarked.

    http://www.staralliance.com/en/services/visa-and-health/

  • bodega3

    The airlines get fined if they let passenger onboard without the proper papers, so it is the countries telling the airlines to follow the laws. For future travels, use this website. It is what the carrier’s use and what our agency uses. Delta has it on their site as well and probably other international carriers have it as well, but I haven’t ever bothered to look since I have it bookmarked.

    http://www.staralliance.com/en/services/visa-and-health/