Passports – The World’s Most Powerful in 2017
Passports – we all have them, or at least most of us. And we all have experienced the sometimes bureaucratic, frustrating, idiotic, (add your description here) process of crossing borders (even between friendly countries), obtaining visas, extending visas, etc.
Some time ago I was travelling to New Zealand via Australia. We had no plans to stay in Australia and were not even aware of the visa requirements for Canadians. Then the plane had mechanical issues and then a new flight crew had to be flow in. 12 hours later we finally boarded our flight having spent the entire day locked in a no-man’s land in the airport with 2 fast food joints and a bad coffee shop. Why? – we had no visa so were unable to even walk outside the airport for a breath of fresh air. Only later did I understand the reason for our “lock-up”. If you are travelling and crossing a border, do your homework and know what the visa requirements are for all the countries you will not only be visiting but also transiting through.
How does your passport stack up when it comes to ease of travelling? Read on…
Travelling can be a bureaucratic nightmare for those on restricted passports. Here we look at the best passport to have in 2017 based on the freedom it provides.
Ten years ago, in my first job after graduation, I shared an office with a researcher called Munir who I nicknamed Dr2 because he not only had a PhD but was also qualified as a medical doctor. (I recognise it’s not the wittiest name in the world but it was the best I could do at the time.)
Munir played loud Arabic music while he worked, loved learning British colloquialisms (“armchair critic”, “fairweather friend”), and held a Jordanian passport. One day, he came into work clearly frustrated and announced that he was giving up on travelling. Stationed in the UK for three years, he thought he would have a great opportunity to see Europe while he was here. Alas, his passport was so restrictive that securing visas became distinctly Sisyphean. He as a doctor (twice over) had fewer rights than I did as a new grad with relatively few skills just because our passports were different.
#passport #visa #travel #vacation
