Welcome to an experiment. You’ve been a spectator reading my travelogues about life overseas from Korea to Zambia, but now it’s your turn to go on your own adventure! Immerse yourself in the story and make key decisions by choosing from among several options. Your selections could make the difference between a great trip or a travel disaster! Read and make your choice, and stay tuned as your story unfolds.

If you haven’t read the story from the beginning, stop reading this post! Click here to begin your journey.

You’re all set for your trip to Brazil. You can’t wait to experience the Amazon, Rio de Janeiro, the beaches, and the vibe of Latin America as the country gets ready for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. It’s going to be a great trip!

You arrive at the airport and check in with the airline. Presenting your travel documents, the agent flips through your passport and asks, “Where is your Brazilian visa?”

“What do you mean?” you ask, perplexed.

“You need a valid visa to travel to Brazil,” they explain.

The realization dawns on you that you should have applied for a visa before departure. You assumed that you either didn’t need one or could get it upon arrival, recalling that many countries let visitors apply at the port of entry. “I didn’t realize that I needed a visa before I traveled.”

“I’m sorry, but you must have a valid visa before I can issue the ticket,” the agent informs you. “Not only that, your passport has less than six months’ validity left, and you’ll need to renew your passport before the Brazilians will issue you a visa.”

“What?” you exclaim, surprised. “I can’t do that! My flight is in two hours.”

“Unfortunately, you can’t fly until you have a valid passport and visa to enter Brazil,” says the agent in a monotone voice. They’ve obviously confronted this situation before.

“Is there any way I can get one on short notice, like here at the airport?”

“No, I’m afraid not. You have to renew your passport online and then apply by mail for the visa through the Brazilian Embassy. It can take quite a while,” they tell you and hand back your passport and ticket.

You stand dumbfounded with your bag and travel documents as the ticket agent helps another customer.

Not only are you going to miss your flight, but you’ll have to postpone your trip until you update your travel documents. It could take weeks until you can head to Brazil. What a disastrous start to what could have been a great trip!

THE END

Images courtesy of Microsoft.

M.G. Edwards is a writer of books and stories in the mystery, thriller and science fiction-fantasy genres. He also writes travel adventures. He is author of Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill, a non-fiction account of his attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, a collection of short stories called Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories and Alexander the Salamander, a children’s story set in the Amazon. His books are available to purchase as an e-book and in print from Amazon.com and other booksellers. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex.

For more books or stories by M.G. Edwards, visit his web site at www.mgedwards.com or his blog, World Adventurers. Contact him at me@mgedwards.com, on Facebook, on Google+, or @m_g_edwards on Twitter.

© 2012 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved. All characters and events appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons or events is purely coincidental. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted without the written consent of the author.