Foreign Travel

 

            Soon after the first settlers arrived in Haven a line of communications was established with the Third Reich. Initially the Reich's embassy was a warship docked in Resolute Bay, but once Caelo was firmly in place a proper compound and building were erected at the northern edge of Cliffside. From there all business between the Third Reich and Haven is conducted. For the average Havenite the embassy remains aloof and mysterious; the vamps are seldom seen in public, only occasionally showing up at local events hosted by the Haven government.

            At the beginning of the decade of the sixties the government, under President Ellison, began negotiations with the Third Reich to increase co-operation between the two nations. It is at this point that the Third Reich expressed an interest in having Immune workers provide services that could not readily be performed by the vamp population. An agreement was quickly established and the first Immunes entered the Third Reich in 1962. Outside of politicians, diplomats, and a handful of reporters, no Immunes had set foot in the Third Reich up to this point.

            The initial wave of this temporary migration was small, numbering less than a hundred in the vamp city of New York. However, within a year the program was deemed a success and the number of Immunes working in the Third Reich swelled to thousands spread throughout all the vamp cities.

            Immune workers are generally limited to short term contracts (six months to a year—rarely two) and are required to return to Haven after the completion of a contracted period of work. Upon return to the islands, they must be engaged locally for a minimum of two years before being permitted to apply to work in the Third Reich again. While in the Third Reich, workers from Haven stay in compounds expressly set aside for their use. Fraternization between Immunes and vamps is not encouraged.

            After the Immune temporary worker program had been running without incident for several years, a request to begin a tourist trade with the Third Reich was put forward by private concerns in Haven. After much negotiation it was agreed that a limited amount of Immune tourist traffic would be permitted within the Third Reich, and by the seventies the first Immune tourists arrived in New York.

            Immune travel within the Third Reich is strictly monitored and tourists are confined to particular areas and activities within the vamp cities. Interaction between vamps and Immunes is also tightly controlled. Tourists are generally not free to wander unattended, though in some of the cities there are routes that tourists may follow without the accompaniment of a "minder."

            Once the tourist trade had been agreed to and worked out, a formal arrangement was made between Lufthansa and Island Transnational Shipping to supply Immune crews for the airships carrying Immune passengers. Generally, these crews work only on flights carrying Haven citizens. Initially they were limited to those personnel who would have direct contact with the Immune travelers (i.e. stewards, maids, etc.); however, over the years Lufthansa has extended its employment of Immunes to all levels of the airships, and it is now accepted practice that ships on which there are Havenites will be crewed by an equal number of vamps and Immunes.

            The most common Third Reich destination for Haven tourists is New York – largely because fares to the North American city are the cheapest. London, Paris, and Berlin are also popular, but see far less of the tourist traffic. They are, however, common destinations for Haven businessmen doing trade with the Third Reich and for Immune workers contracted by vamp companies.

            A visa is required to travel to the Third Reich and may be applied for through a designated Haven travel agency. Such agencies work with the Embassy to ensure that processing times are as quick as possible. Generally the usual turnaround between application and receipt is about an hour or two.

            The visa must be presented to Haven customs officials upon departure and return. Within the Third Reich the visa must be carried at all times and presented when requested by any officer of the Third Reich, government or military. Any Haven citizen losing his or her visa must report immediately to the nearest Haven embassy. It is forbidden to travel within the Third Reich without a visa and proper identification.