The story of how I ended up going abroad in 25 days, starting from not even having a passport

"I'd love to try traveling abroad..."

This is a travel plan for a guy who
wasn't that type of person
[Preparation Phase] ✨

Here we go~

For those wondering, "Why suddenly go abroad?"
here is

an article about how it all happened so far 👇

My child got sick,

and I thought, well, that's that,

but since spring break is a good opportunity,
I thought I'd try to refresh myself.

That's how the flow of things went 😌

Personally,
as I wrote at the beginning,
if anything,

"Isn't domestic travel fine?"
I was on that side of the argument.

I didn't have a passport,
I was worried about the language barrier,

and I thought,
why go out of my way to do something so difficult...?

So, why did I decide to go abroad?

The trigger was
when I was making small talk at work.

"You should go abroad and refresh yourself."

Something like that.

But in terms of timing, it was
the kids' spring break.

I decided on March 4th →
departure is scheduled for March 29th.

Of course, at that point,
I didn't even have
a passport.

But after a quick search,
it's cutting it close, but
could I actually make it in time?

This time, I'll summarize

the preparation process for someone who wasn't interested in going abroad, to taking the family to Guam

👀

1. Starting from absolute zero

・No passport
・Don't know the process for traveling abroad
・Don't even know where to start

OK, OK,
"Is this going to be okay?"
you're thinking that, right?

But we live in the Reiwa era now.
Whether it's reading notes or doing research,
with just one smartphone,
you can make it work. 😎

2. The top priority is the passport

Nothing starts without this.

And, it's not like you get it
immediately after applying.

Applying at the counter takes
about 10 days.

Applying via My Number card is possible, but
applying at the counter
is often faster.

When the schedule is as tight as it is this time,
if you get stuck here, it's all over.

What I did was simple,

・Taking ID photos
(The ones in the pharmacy parking lot)
・Obtaining a family register
(Thank goodness my workplace was nearby)
・Filling out the application form
(You can print it from the internet!)

Everything up to this point was on March 4th
Finished on the day I decided to do it💡

The next day, March 5th, was
Passport Quest II
~The Examiners~

I slipped out of work for a bit
and headed to the Aichi Prefecture Passport Center.

Depending on the city or town,
there might be a local office,
but unfortunately,

there wasn't one where I live,
so I took a train, clackety-clack.

Just like at a driver's license center,
the counters were clearly marked,
so

I proudly brought in the ID photos, family register,
and the application forms for all four family members.

For identity verification documents,
I used my driver's license,
and for my family,
I used their My Number cards.

There were a fair number of applicants on a weekday afternoon,
but after a 30-40 minute wait,
the path to the application counter opened up✨

And then, the verification of the required documents
and the contents was successfully completed...

It was not.🙄

The signature field, the place for the handwritten signature.
They said the ink was faded,

so my wife, my older daughter, and my younger daughter were rejected!

Since it is an official document,
I couldn't complete the application that day,
and had to try again another day.

At that time, the receptionist
gave me additional application forms,

Rather than a correction seal,
if you sign a few extra copies
as additional signatures,
you can prevent application errors.

That's what they said.

That evening,
I filled out multiple application forms,
and the next day, March 6th, I was able to

Passport Quest III
~And Then, to Application~

clear it✨

For everyone else,
if you don't even have a month
from passport application to departure!

when that happens,please use this as a reference
and please be careful😉

3. Don't overthink
flight tickets and hotels

This was the conclusion.

If you overthink it, you'll never decide.
Especially when you don't have time,

if the period between the booking date
and the departure date is short,

this is true for trains as well, but
it is even more so for flights

・Availability decreases
・Prices also go up

So,

make a decision after looking to a certain extent.
This was fine.

Either way, since I have little experience,
it's hard to judge anyway🤣

I'd heard the name before,
and you can book hotels and flights at the same time.

Plus, breakfast is
included every day✨

So, I decided on
Hoshino Resorts
Risonare Guam
for my accommodation.

After applying for my passport,
and with the pickup date still unclear,
I booked it with a 'leap of faith' mentality🙄

4. G-CNMI Official ETA Application

Both the flight and hotel were non-refundable.
(Or to be precise, there's a cancellation fee)
So I was quite nervous
until I actually received my passport.

But, 10 days after applying, everything went well.

I was able to pick it up on March 19th,
the date posted at the passport center
as the day it would be ready😌

And then,
Chikyu no Arukikata (Globe-Trotter Travel Guide)and such,

I gathered information on YouTube👀

I found out that since Guam is a US territory,
you need to go through an application screening before entering.

- ESTA application (paid)
- G-CNMIofficialETAapplication

There are two types,
and of course, I chose the free
ETA application.

The ETA application is supposed to be done 7 days,
or at the latest 5 days before the deadline,
but,

I got my passport 10 days before departure,
so I was safe!

The application itself just involves uploading a passport image and
a selfie.

You just need to enter
your personal information and the address of your hotel,
and you're done.

Basically, there's nothing to worry about, but you do need to
enter your employer's information,
and

entering all the addresses
in Roman characters
was a real pain.

Even though children don't need
employer information, once I finished
uploading the photos,

I thought maybe I should have saved it
and done it on a PC.
I regretted it later.

It took a surprisingly long time 🙄

By the way,
since I processed it late Friday night,
the approval result didn't come through until
Sunday morning.

Well, they are off on the weekend, after all.

I thought it would be Monday,
so the result came back
faster than I expected.

5. Buying travel gear

As I write this, the only thing I bought
because I thought it was essential
was a suitcase.

We only have one so-called S-size
suitcase at home, so
6 days and 5 nights would be tough.

So, I went to check the local Aeon
and...

An M-size was 4,367 yen (tax included)

It's going to get damaged or
broken anyway, so
this should be fine!
I bought two on impulse.

I also bought one S-size for 3,267 yen (tax included).

Two size M, two size S.

In addition to this,
if I have my passport and smartphone,
I'll basically be fine!

I have that kind of groundless
confidence, but

since things other than myself
can be packed in the suitcase,

I bought portable compression bags,
bought sunscreen,
bought a passport case,
bought a Uniqlo crossbody bag,
bought a lightweight folding umbrella,
and bought water shoes.

……For the rest,
I think I can just pack
things from around the house
into supermarket plastic bags
and Ziploc bagsand take them with me!

That's about the state
of my preparations.

Well, I'm not going to a jungle
or deep into the mountains,
so if I have my smartphone and credit card,
at worst, I'll manage somehow once I'm there.

However,
I do, of course,
feel a little bit nervous too.

Will I be able to get there properly,
will there be any trouble,
will the kids be okay?

Especially the departure and return.
Getting on and off the plane
and the immigration procedures
make me feel nervous😉

But what I felt this time is that
the catalyst is really something small.

A casual remark can
change your actions just like that.

This trip was decided in a rush
with my family, partly for recuperation.

But I have a feeling
it will turn into
a pretty solid memory.

After all, this year is for home repairs
exterior walls, waterproofing, roof, termites
It's that kind of year, so
money is just
disappearing,
so it's a year to remember!

If there's something you're
even just a little curious about right now,
it might be worth

trying to take the plunge
if it's not
absolutely impossible.
It might turn out well.

Maybe 😉

At the end of the month,
I'll post a real-time report,

and if I have the energy left,
I'm thinking of writing
a summary article too, so

if you'd like,
please look forward to it.

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Yoshihiro earns from qualifying purchases.

I tucked some wet wipes and
Oshiri Celeb tissues into my pouch.
You never know what the toilet situation
will be like until you get there...