I Had to Fly Back Home Because of Passport Mistake I Won’t Make Again

After nearly 17 hours of air travel, I was groggy, jet-lagged, and excited to embark on a 10-day cruise through Asia for work.

I was ready for a few days of relaxation at sea, sipping Champagne and enjoying caviar.

So, I was quite surprised when, after landing, I was pulled aside at immigration in Indonesia and escorted away from the arrivals area to a small, windowless room.

Turns out, I’d made a simple (but important) mistake with my passport.

To gain entry to Indonesia, my passport needed to have at least 2 blank pages

After a few hours of anxiously waiting for answers, I learned that I’d been stopped because my passport didn’t have enough empty space.

Like several countries, Indonesia requires at least two full blank pages in your passport for entry. However, as a frequent traveler who’s been to over 70 countries, mine was filled with stamps and visas.

Not a single blank page was left, which meant I didn’t have enough space for another stamp and wouldn’t be able to enter the country. Instead, I’d have to head back home.

With no travel budget to spare, I frantically called a friend who stayed up with me all night, helping me purchase an expensive last-minute, same-day ticket home.

From there, I spent several more hours sitting on the floor of the airport terminal until I could board my 15-hour flight back to the US.

Now, I always check passport requirements before leaving the country

Though my story makes for fascinating dinner party fodder, I’d rather not live through this experience again. After all, I missed my cruise and had to pay thousands to remedy my mistake.

Nowadays, to avoid another incident like this, I always check a country’s blank page requirements on the US State Department website long before heading to the airport.

Had I done this research earlier, I could’ve avoided the oh-so-stressful debacle I had in Bali.

Plus, when I renewed my passport, I requested the larger, 52-page version (as opposed to the standard 26-page option).

This small change provided me with peace of mind knowing I wouldn’t have to scramble to find blank pages for a while. I’m happy to report that now, my passport always has ample space for a stamp (or three).

Fortunately, I made it back to Bali not just once, but three times since this experience. In fact, it’s one of my favorite places to visit. I just make sure my pages are blank before I go.