Destination Guide: Visas, Money, Language and Local Tips

How to use the Destination Guide: check visa requirements for your passport, and read the practical facts, phrasebook, cultural tips and cost estimates for a country.

6 min read · Updated Oct 21, 2026

The Destination Guide gives you the practical facts for a country before you go: whether you need a visa for your passport, the currency and language, the plug type, the emergency numbers, and the customs to know. It also shows typical daily costs.

Open it from the sidebar under Explore & remember.

Choose a destination

The country cards: each card shows the country name and a safety level such as SAFE, VERY SAFE or MODERATE

The page starts with a grid of country cards. Each card shows the country name and a safety badge: SAFE, VERY SAFE or MODERATE.

  1. Click a country card. The guide for that country opens below the grid.
  2. To close the guide, click the same card again. The page then shows "Select a country above to view the travel guide".

Set your passport country

The Visa Requirements panel uses your passport country. Choose it in Your Passport, under the Passport country list. The first option reads — Select passport —.

Until you choose a passport country, the panel says "Select your passport country to check visa requirements". After you choose one, it shows a visa check for the destination you picked.

The passport country is saved in your browser. It is not stored in your account, so set it again on another device.

Visa requirements

The Visa Requirements panel shows one of these results for your passport and the destination:

ResultMeaning
No Visa RequiredYou can enter without a visa.
Visa on ArrivalYou can get a visa when you arrive.
Visa RequiredYou need to apply for a visa before you travel.
Check EmbassyThe guide has no clear answer. Check with the embassy.

Visa rules change, and they can depend on the purpose and length of your stay. Confirm the result with the official government or embassy website before you book.

Practical facts

The guide lists the basics for the country:

  • Currency
  • Language
  • Timezone
  • Plug Type
  • Emergency Numbers, the numbers to call in an emergency
  • Greeting and Phrasebook, with useful words for the country

Cultural tips

Under Cultural Tips you find notes on Dress Code, Tipping and local customs, and Must-Try Food suggestions.

Cost estimates

The Average Daily Cost card: one estimate each for Budget, Mid-Range and Luxury, shown per day

The guide shows an Average Daily Cost in three tiers, each shown per day:

  • Budget
  • Mid-Range
  • Luxury

Each tier is a rough estimate of what one person spends per day. Use it to set the Budget of a trip, or to test the figures with the Forecast tool in Travel Tools.

The guide is a planning aid. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the official rules of the country you visit. For visas and health advice, use the official sources.

FAQ

The guide does not have a clear visa answer for that passport and destination. Check the embassy or the official government website.

Your passport country is saved in the browser on that device. Choose it again.

No. It only shows the requirement. Apply for a visa through the official channel.

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