What's the deal with Visas for travel?

It is tit-for-tat plus it is a way for the consulate to generate revenue. A visa is basically permission granted by a country to visit at a particular time for a stated purpose - business, vacation, study, transit and temporary work. Depending on the country the types of visas can vary.

Most countries, which require visas, do not require you appear in person. I can only recall having one client who had to appear in person and he was a foreign national here in the United States applying for a visa to country where he had to conduct business for extended period of time. While it is true those who will be living in a country and not just visiting may have to appear in person most can generally apply via mail.

When applying by mail be sure you allow enough time since the processing of the visa can take longer than they state and make sure you include everything required for the visa otherwise you will have it bounced back to you. The major advantage of having a visa service company assist you with getting your visa is it is completed much faster. They walk the application in and those applications are usually given priority and they frequently can get the visa request expedited, of course, for an additional cost.

A visa service will also (or at least they should) double check all your documents to be sure everything is in order so there will not be any delays. The obvious downside with using a visa service company is the cost; most charge over $100 for standard processing. Whatever you do never rely solely on what a visa service company tells you what is required to secure your visa, be proactive and verify this information yourself by checking the consular website and by calling the consulate or embassy.

The actual visa is attached or stamped in your passport. In some instances it is a separate document which you then take with your passport when you travel. I use to have business clients who would specifically request the visa be separate and not put in the passport.

This would be done because their travel would involve trips to countries who did not have diplomatic relations with each other and having the visa in their passport could be problematic. Hope your trip is memorable!