In the recent years, it has become more and more common for border officials to exercise caution when they encounter a child traveling with just one birth parent. So if you are traveling as a solo parent with your child and another legal guardian/parent for your child is staying in the US, it is a very good idea to obtain “Permission to Travel” letter -- a notarized letter from that parent granting permission for you to leave the country with the child. Bring this with you on your trip.
This goes for grandparents traveling with grandchildren, while the parents/guardians stay in the US. Some countries are stricter than others – chances are you may not even be asked to show any consent letter, but it is definitely a possibility. I think it is always safe to error on side of caution.
I just did this recently for a trip my daughter and I are taking to Costa Rica for a little mother-daughter bonding via adventure travel. (We leave on Saturday -- I'll do my best to check in and share a little of our adventures... No promises, we'll be on vacation after all.) Very simple – just printed off an online sample letter, filled in the travel dates, applicable names, and took it to a notary at our local bank. Done and done!
I also highly recommend that you check into the US Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs for additional advice, more information on entry requirements -- and/or the Embassy or Consulate of the country you're visiting is also a good reference.
I am a returning client to Adventure Life and am very pleased with their commitment to put together a great trip. Clara replied and clarified to any and all questions we had.
Claire Palmer
2 days ago
Jessica was very responsive to my questions and never balked when I asked her to go back and find more options. She really worked hard to find the right cruise for us.
Amy Siegel
2 days ago
Friendly, accommodating, knowledgeable, timely. They have made us feel very comfortable for our trip!
Gregg Chamberlain
2 days ago
Adventure Life took care of a lot of details for me because I flew separately and met up with the group at the start of the trip. On the return they dropped me off in Cantania and flew back to the UK as one group.
I was the only American on the Exodus trip which was not a problem. Communication between the two companies was good.
Happy Camper
2 days ago
We loved our time aboard the Angel. Beautiful boat and crew. Naturalist Jose Luis was incredible-very knowledgeable and thoughtful. He adapted tours to our group and we all had an amazing trip. Love staying a the quaint hacienda and the recommended activities.