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Desire to Go
For years I have wanted to visit Venezuela. For some that might seem odd, for others obvious – for my wife it just seemed dangerous. But between you and I, I don’t think she hates the idea of a little danger – something I am certain she will dispute. She’s not alone, just last week United changed their routing to stop in Aruba and Matthew discussed the security risks. On my first attempt to visit Venezuela, I made the most basic travel booking mistake.
My draw to the country is for a few reasons. Prior to the Chavez/Bush feud I wanted to see a true Bolivarian state, one that never lost the respect and appreciation for the liberation Bolivar brought. I also loved the fact that it was Caribbean facing but still held the elements that I love about South American culture: the food, the people – it held a mystique for me.
As of late, things economically have deteriorated. Less than a year ago the currency (Venezuelan Bolivar) had a black market rate of 450VEF to $1USD according to Bloomberg though the official ate has only risen about 25% over the period.
Because hyperinflation has taken over the currency’s value, Bloomberg came up with their own metric for tracking the true value of the Bolivar which is not reflected on the open market (today it officially trades at a rate of just under 10 VEF to $1USD). Their metric is the unofficial “Café Con Leche Index” which bases the movement of the currency solely on the rising cost of a single common drink in a cafe on the east side of Caracas. At last check, the currency had an unofficial inflation rate of 1,155% and the same café con leech in August of 2016 that cost around 450 Bolivars is now 1,800.
Other stories talk about bringing your own toilet paper, barren shelves, and taking backpacks full of cash to a restaurant for dinner to pay for a meal.
For most, this seems like the worst possible time to consider a trip, but for me, I read café con leche and instantly put myself in a sidewalk cafe in east Caracas on a warm and sunny day. I want to go and see a different story, one that shows Venezuelans filled with hope and going about their daily lives as opposed to the stories that play occasionally on the news.
If nothing else, perhaps I would go and prove those stories right, but most importantly, I just wanted to go and see for myself.
Price
Flights to Caracas have been expensive as of late. Nearby Bogota in Colombia has seen fluctuations between $450-600 depending on the season and departure points which I considered a bargain. Last year I even completed a mileage run to Medellin in business class for $800 from LAX via JFK and Miami. Caracas, however, can run as high as $1200 in coach on a recent check from the east coast. That’s too rich for my blood and award space hasn’t been good.
When I saw a price that was just a shade over $500, I was sold. The rate was good (though some Caribbean islands just as far south are less than $300), and the timing was right. My wife and daughter who had no desire to join me would be away for a long weekend.
Booked
We discussed the whole process. The security risks, the costs, the timeline; it took a bit of convincing but my wife knows that I have wanted to go for some time and was a gracious though worried supporter.
As I often do with prospective trips, I held the tickets every 24 hours that the price remained in a certain range using American Airlines generous hold policy (still in effect for me though the carrier has indicated this may be going away). When the flight times are no longer available, or the price jumps, that indicates it is typically decision time. That exact situation occurred and about two and a half weeks out from departure, it was time to take the reservation off hold and purchase.
For the first time in a long while, completing my purchase brought mixed emotions. Had I really considered the safety aspects? I had arranged for a hotel car from the airport but was I taking an unnecessary risk – I’m a father now, people depend on me. At the same time I was also elated. I was finally going to see this place that had been on my list for so long. After 53 countries and hundreds of cities all over the world, the narrow list of places I have wanted to go for years but not yet been has its own attraction. In just a few weeks I would be in that cafe (I planned on trying several and comparing rates) drinking coffee and changing my perspective.
Oh No!
I woke up in the morning and started to have some doubts. It felt like something was missing, that all of the details were not complete. It’s times like these that I go to the State Department website to check for alerts. The standard “be cautious in public” type alerts were present, but then I saw this:
“U.S. citizens may be detained and/or deported by Venezuelan immigration officials for not complying with visa or immigration regulations. U.S. citizens traveling to Venezuela must have a valid visa that is appropriate for their specific type of travel (tourism, journalism, employment, study, etc.) “
I was planning on a tourist visa because, though I planned to write a post, I am certainly not a journalist by these standards.
“Journalists must possess the appropriate accreditation and work visa from the Venezuelan authorities before arriving. International journalists are closely scrutinized and have been expelled and/or detained for lacking appropriate permissions to work in Venezuela or for participation in what could be seen as any anti-government activity, including observing and reporting on public health facilities.”
But wait, tourist visa? Like visa on arrival visa? Like visa waiver for Americans visa?
No.
I needed a proper visa. I will cover more on that soon, but suffice to say, this was substantial additional pressure on a trip I was already becoming reluctant to take just 10 hours after I booked it.
CFR 399.88
I have written extensively in the past regarding the CFR 399.88 (here, here, and my comments were part of a USA Today article) which is more or less the 24 hour cancelation rule. In essence it states two things, only one of which is enforced. The first is that airlines have to honor ticketed fares “even in the case of a mistake” – this is the portion that they have openly stated they will not enforce (which begs the question, why keep the language in the rule, or why not write a new one?) The second portion allows for travelers booking tickets to, from or transiting through the United States a 24 hour cancelation period following their booking for a full refund even on non-refundable tickets.
Many OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) boast this as a feature of their website, omitting that it’s required by law, and some have more generous policies than others. Some OTAs and airlines will allow you to cancel by midnight the following day (which could be up to nearly 48 hours) and still get a full refund. The rule doesn’t spell out how quickly refunds should return to customers so some are faster than others. It’s this rule that saves you from yourself and allows you to book any fare sale you like. If you see a good deal, grab it, put it on a credit card and if you don’t feel so enthusiastic about it tomorrow, cancel and you’re not out anything.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJvzptyMR4A
The long standing exception to this rule was American Airlines. American argued (and was able to defend) their position that because they offer a 24-hour free hold period, they are in compliance with the rule and actually exceed the requirements because there is no upfront payment from the customer. All other airlines dropped free holds on tickets and converted to the policy while American would not issue a refund on tickets because they offered the hold. They moved away from this policy in April for a variety of reasons. I had tried to cancel within the window before they changed their policy and was denied. I had not attempted since.
I called up American, gave them the record locator and stated, “In compliance with CFR 399.88 I would like to cancel this reservation and refund the ticket within the 24 hour window”. I held my breath. Not all agents get the memo every time there is a change and while I believed that my understanding was correct, I didn’t feel very confident because I was in a compromised position.
“No problem sir, I have canceled the reservation and the refund will be back to you in 7-10 business days”.
I was relieved but nervous. I could instantly see the reservation no longer appeared in my account, but there was no cancelation email, no confirmation of what just took place. Just two business days following my call I received an email stating that they had issued my refund. Two days following that it still had not yet materialized but at least now I have a paper trail.
Mistake
Everyone makes mistakes, and this one is all mine. I should have checked in advance if Venezuela required a tourist visa and didn’t. I am so thankful that the process to cancel was an easy one, that American made it simple and quick and that I am able to re-book this later.
The question that remains: How many Bolivars will I need for a coffee when I finally make it to Venezuela?
Between 2000 and 5000.
Just spent two weeks in Caracas. Beautiful!
Cariverga – Thanks for the valuation update. The currency fluctuation is particularly interesting to me. Your comments on how beautiful Caracas is only makes the fact that I’m not going right now harder. I was scheduled to fly this weekend and avoid the blizzard on the east coast.
Thanks for reading and for commenting. Out of curiosity, how hard was it to obtain cash on the street at those levels?
I’d say it would be close to impossible. My airbnb hosts helped me with that (though at a slightly lower rate, i got 3300 for 1 EUR, while the regular one is above 4000). Still, one needn’t change much since there is not much to spend on, so this different is negligible.
Everyone’s afraid because of the quantity of the bills… 150EUR i exchanged resulted in about 10 kilograms of bolivares.
i got some pics on instagram.com/cariverga.
I checked out your IG page, amazing photos – you’ve been everywhere! Want to offload some of those excess bolivars?
would be happy to jaja, i exchanged too much and when i visit venezuela next these would have zero value
Email me: kyle@travelcodex.com
I am not from the US, so it’s hardly feasible 🙁
hello there
unfortunately I couldn’t make it to Venezuela till now
I have friends in Caracas and they would easily exchange 1 Euro for 11000 bolivares so I was wondering why u get such a low rate ?
and besides, outside big cities life is safe and naturally beautiful, the highlands, the beaches, nothing to fear, I mean if u wanna travel, u hardly stay in cities like Caracas right ?
so, again don’t believe the media hype, communicate with locals and u will get a more authentic picture
con ciudado
The exchange rate was accurate according to Bloomberg as of March 13, 2017. Between then and now (December 28th, 2017) an awful lot has happened so I doubt neither the original nor current exchange rate. Also, while it’s just shuffling the deck chairs on the titantic, Bloomberg’s rate is based on the US Dollar not the Euro so there is about a 20% premium in your exchange rate to mine as wel.
HELLO FROM RIOHACHA COLOMBIA..Thinking of crossing the border into Venezuela for a month.Any info you can give me would be appreciated. A CANADIAN GYPSY.. (PHONE NUMBER REDACTED BY AUTHOR)
I would say that I think you take your life in your hands a little bit. If you are crossing over and staying close to the Colombian border I think you have an easier time than the major cities, but I wouldn’t head to Caracas right now.
Kyle – great article!…My 2 cents… stay away from Venezuela… someone close to me doesn’t even travel to visit family… you could get robbed, kidnapped or killed… you have a daughter and wife to attend to… the country is beautiful, the people are great, but the environment is a charged one…it’s always this naivite from foreigners trying to get an insight into socially divided countries, Chavez and his revolution were not a good thing for the country… stay away!…
Al – Thanks for the comment, my wife certainly agrees with you, and based on some of the feedback, I fear I will be missing out on Venezuela for some time. I will cash in on your two cents and postpone my trip, but they can’t keep me away forever.
Thanks for reading and for your comment.
I have to side with Carly on this one. You’re clearly braver than me to think about heading to Venezuela in the current environment, though I’ll admit I’m also just a little curious to see what it’s really like.
You two are probably right, it’s my curiosity that has overtaken my sense of safety.
Awesome. An article about nothing basically.
Thank you for your thoughtful response Credit.
It’s not just the skyrocketing crime and economic chaos brought about by the collapse of the country’s infrastructure and currency, but the fact that even basic consumer goods are becoming nearly impossible to find. There’s a “let them eat cake” quality to the post that is truly distasteful.
I’d recommend Mr. Stewart and others curious about Venezuela’s descent into misery read the strong reporting on the crisis in The Economist or The New York Times.
Thanks for reading the blog and taking time to comment. I do read the Economist and the Times and agree that those are not the only causes to the issues in Venezuela (pegging to a per bbl oil price of $140 for several years was problematic of course as well as the instability of government from nationalization through to transition of power). The basic consumer goods that are nearly impossible to find were at first a symptom of those issues more than a cause – though, now those absent consumer goods are driving the issue home to millions of Venezuelans that might otherwise have been mostly removed from the matter.
I don’t share the your assessment of “let them eat cake” but I can understand that perhaps my approach appears to be cavalier towards the plight of the common Venezuelan. My desire to go isn’t purely voyeuristic, but it’s also openly not a humanitarian mission either and I don’t want to pretend otherwise. I want to see the country and its people as they are right now, amidst the turmoil. Is it as bad as publications suggest? Is it better or worse?
I appreciate you reading the blog and your comment.
Let me explain you Mr Stewart. As a Venezuelan and as a Traveler… As a Venezuelan citizen there is a high currency control in the country. So the “official rate” of xe.com is wrong one… It is just for importations. The Bank rate is around 700VEF per 1$. So A coffee payed with your card (in a hotel of course) it can cost you 6$). There is a third exchange in black market one which floas around 3000vef per 1$. (dolartoday.com) Venezuelan citizens can’t access legally foreign currency. There is NO oficial currency exchange places here… just the one controlled by goverment… So there is so much corruption here starting with national guard policemans and so on… Now as a traveler I HIGHLY recommend you ONLY visit with someone from here… Even for us venezuelan people traveling is quite dangerous. My two cents… I previously arrange my transportation in advance from the airport to the hotel with known chains (marriott reinassance etc) NEVER EVER carry watch or cellphone or a lot of cash with you… Dress simply and plain… There is a lot of beggers here starting from luggage personel. Crime here is high rate specially in caracas… So I just don’t recommend to travel unless you came here with any venezuelan citizen which spoke fluently spanish and know how to behave and move around the country… It is better for you and your family go to Bogota even cuba is safer… Socialism here is bad even for their own people. And the “venezuelan tourist visa” you must do it in person and the thing can be not worth in this moment….
Thank you very much for your comments, I have certainly given it a second thought, though the desire is still there. Perhaps I will wait a bit. I had arranged a car through an international chain, but without local contacts perhaps I would be best served to wait. Thank you for reading the blog.
Venezuela is a beautiful country but so bad managed by the government (I work for Colombia consulate in systems) so when things go better and I hope they will… So anytime I can invite you and your family to come here and guide you around with the right people… I frequently travel to MIA, JFK, IAH, CT and IAD so I can reposicionate easily and explain you better how things work down here
Thank you for the invitation!
Friends do NOT let friends travel to Caracas and beyond. Period.
At least my friends do not let me come over any longer – it’s just too dangerous.
I was a longtime resident of Carupano (now apparently a major drugs distribution center) and Caracas; two of my children were born in Caracas when times were wonderful and relatively safe. They carry their Venezuelan passports as souvenirs these days.
During these relatively “safe” periods, my family and I got robbed at gunpoint at least 5 times at home, behind our gated, wired walls and security checks.
I often contemplate to risk a short visit, but then I remember my last trip just two years ago from the airport into Caracas and how scary it was avoiding the motorizados that try to ambush you – especially in the tunnels.
The gunshots and the bodies lying around in broad daylight. The impossibility to take a trip somewhere to the beach, like we use to do so often.
If danger attracts you, by all means go. You might, or might not regret it.
Eek! That seems like more than I bargained for, and I am sorry to hear about what has happened to your home country. I hope things settle down and we are both able to visit soon.
Dear Mr. Stewart.
So sad you couldn´t make it. Venezuela didn´t ask for visa before and i hope you do get it.
When you do come to Venezuela you will not only have the best coffee you´ve ever had but you will also realize it was the cheapest coffee you ever paid for.
Like any downtown area or metropolitan city: crime is high. but please don´t mind the voices of those who try to make-belive that you are heading into war and that venezuelans are out there to hang you… this is farther from the truth than the far far away galaxies depicted in starwars.
I will take this opportunity to recommend some beach cabins and hotels:
– look up for sietemares in la guaira, this is like an hour away from the airport.
-you can also look for parquenivaldito in rio caribe, which funny enough is next to carupano where “Genise” mentioned she used to live, this sector has always had pirates and smugglers due to its proximity with trinidad and tobago, dating as far back as when the spanish ruled over us, but I go there everytime I can. crime rate there compared to downtown miami is like non-existing. think about it, why would someone smuggling fuel, oil, food, fish and others into Trinidad and Tobago would be interested in you? lol. They wont even notice you and if they do notice you they will most likely treat you like a god and ask you to tell them about north america. But she probably mentioned because not long ago news about a shooting between two knowed smugglers went viral, anyhow, look up in instagram @sucreenfotos so you can see pictures of the “major drug distribution center” she talks about lol. (sorry about the sarcasm but i had to lol)
– you can also look for: parque nacional morrocoy, hotel punta palma in puerto la cruz. los roques, margarita. parque nacional mochima, there are just too many places.
If you are worried about the media highlights about venezuela then I would recommend going from a unique travel experience like parque nivaldito or parque nacional morrocoy, where you would literally not need to worry about anything but using sunblock, and then in future trips head more into caracas once you have realized that it is not as bad as they make it sound and also have more experience with our culture.
I recommend not renting a car. you will not know where to go and GPS do works but it doesn´t know venezuela. Also we get to most of the good places with offroad vehicles (4×4) which is a pretty common hobby here in venezuela. Renting a car will not only increase your risk and lower your fun but also traffic is crazy (2 to 3 hours of traffic before and after office hours and if it rains or the subway has delays it can easily become 4hrs long… yeah you would imagine from news and other comments barren streets and not a single car but yeah that is BS hehehe)
There are many tour companies that will pick you up and take care of every need you may have. Lots of services ranging from: going in a offroading trip to the amazonas (@pinerotours) or enjoying a beach party with a yatch in a beach key with transparent waters (@azulparaiso) (also look for cayo juanes morrocoy in youtube) to high end hotels with more metropolitan-like attractions (@hotelveneturalbaccs; @pestanacaracas)
experiences can change a lot if visiting a place during season (carnaval, semana santa, vacaciones, long weekends) or non season. during season expect a lot of people… like a lot a lot. so if you are not a “people person” stay away from seasons or go to expensive places. if people bother you then you´re better off forgetting about caracas.
other things to keep in mind are:
– venezuelans are naturally amazingly beautyful
– it is super normal for females to show off and to have super small swimming suits and with this i mean bikinis are for the old lol
– males like to “show off” too
– and we are knowed to have flirtatious, charming, talkative personality
so if you come with your wife she may ask you to close your eyes a lot, and if you come with your daughter you may find yourself asking her to close her eyes a lot lol.
I hope you do come to Venezuela and fair warning: places like Miami and New Orleans will never be the same if you come to Venezuela.
So it sounds like my article on “Can’t I Just Show Up?” was timely, but just a tad too late 🙂 Hope you make it there eventually!
I actually consulted your post first, but Venezuela is one of the countries that are not included in the database. If you were to add them, this would be a “4” in terms of difficulty based on my experience.
Kyle, I am in exactly the same boat as you. Maybe we can join up? Or share information. I will email you.
For many years I also want to visit Venezuela again, visit the capital and all other places I visited in the past. I lived there in the nineties under the Perez regime, when everything was still safe.
But from what I all have read and have heard from locals living abroad about the current violent situation, I’m scared to go.
For tourists Venezuela is the cheapest country to visit; €1 = Bs136.000 on the black market right now, you’ll need to carry a bagpack full of money to buy ur daily needs. Restaurants and hotels are extremely cheap for foreign travelers, when locals are hardly able to live on a $40 montly salary with prices rising each day.
I’ve read many blogs; most people indeed say to keep away because of safety reasons, kidnapping, robbery and even getting killed. I also read stories of people who have travelled all around.
I speak Spanish, know some locals. But what to beleave? Is it or isn’t it safe enough to travel to Venezuela?
I have travelled to Thailand during riots, many cities following terrorist incidents and as much as I want to see Venezuela, especially right now in a very delicate and raw state – I just can’t do it. Getting kidnapped from the airport or held against my will has crossed from “something you see in movies” to genuine concern for my well being. I wish that it wasn’t the case. I would gladly go down there and benefit the economy, eat in local restaurants, trade in USD if they would prefer, buy their goods – but the personal risk is just too high and I have too much to lose. I also speak enough Spanish to confuse a waiter and get myself out of a serious situation, but I just can’t risk it. I only wish I had gone sooner before it descended into chaos as it has.