Drew Arellano reminds fellow ‘biyaheros’ to study travel laws, prepare needed documents

Image: Instagram/@drewarellano

Travel host Drew Arellano reminded those who wish to go abroad to study travel laws first, and to prepare and check documents for a smooth and hassle-free process.

This comes after Arellano shared on Sunday via his Instagram page that his wife, television host Iya Villania, and his mother-in-law experienced inconvenience from not being aware of Canadian travel laws, during a layover flight in Vancouver headed for New York.

Villania and her mother, who are Australian passport holders, were informed that they still need to acquire an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).

The eTA is required from those who will travel to Canada, even if only for purposes of transiting through the country, according to the Citizen and Canada Immigration (CIC) official site.  The policy was implemented in March 2016.

*Thinking aloud: I want to get back at the canadians(IT dept, i guess) and engulf a dozen pancakes smothered with maple syrup and canadian bacon. Lesson learned: Don’t just focus on the destination, TRY to educate yourself with updated travel laws of the countries that you may just be passing through. You might save a lot in the process. Trust me. There goes my son’s 2020 school tuition. #NotReallyAWarning #MoreOfARant

A post shared by Drew Arellano (@drewarellano) on Nov 18, 2017 at 6:24am PST

But Arellano added that the CIC site, which issues the eTAs, was down, making them miss their scheduled flight.

“This meant paying for hefty rebooking fees which was very unfortunate and stressful,” Arellano wrote in his post.

Despite what happened, the host joked that he wanted to get back at the Canadians and “engulf a dozen pancakes smothered in maple syrup and Canadian bacon.”

“Lesson learned: Don’t just focus on the destination, TRY to educate yourself with updated travel laws of the countries that you may just be passing through. You might save a lot in the process,” Arellano added.

Actress Chyna Ortaleza thanked Arellano for sharing his experience.

Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@drewarellano

One netizen shared the same experience similar to Arellano’s family.

Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@drewarellano

While another netizen pointed out that travel agencies should be aware of Canada’s air travel policy.

Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@drewarellano

Arellano is a regular traveler who hosts “Biyahe Ni Drew”, a show that features his journeys to various destinations in and out of the country. JB

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