This Week in Ethical Travel: Passport Privilege

Everything is packed, you’ve made sure you have everything you need in your suitcase before you head to the airport. You grab your passport and off you go. For so many of us, we can just book a trip and plan a vacation, stress free. For so many more of us, we have to go through dozens of documents just to get the go ahead to begin even the planning phase of a holiday. Passports hold either so much promise for exploring new places or so much strife as a reminder of restriction, all in one little book.

Why are passports part of ethical tourism? Part of being an ethical traveler means to be thinking about the consequences of your travel and how it impacts people, places & the environment. That starts with being an educated traveler. Being cognizant of things like how easy it is for some to move from place to place is an important part of ethical travel. The passport you carry can come with a privilege that others don’t have and we often take that for granted.

Singapore, Germany, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States, Denmark and Sweden top the list for passport strength. Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Pakistan are a few that rank the weakest. Click to check out how your passport ranks globally.

Why does this matter? Who Cares?

Basically, this means that stronger passports can enter visa free or visa on arrival to more countries. A weak passport will often be restricted from visiting certain countries in addition to having to file a lengthy visa process. So, can a weaker passport have an advantage? Occasionally, yes. For example, India passport holders can visit Bhutan, an expensive travel destination, visa free.

Those who aren’t happy carrying their current passport do have an option to upgrade. The problem is that comes with a heavy price tag. Several countries offer “elite residency” if you purchase property, create jobs or pay a hefty fee for a second passport or second citizenship. For example, for a mere $100,000 you can donate to a residency fund or purchase a $200,000 real estate investment for citizenship in Dominica. This matters because the Caribbean island can travel visa free to over 100 countries. So really, only the wealthy can afford these types of second passport luxuries.

The ease of a visa matters because having to obtain one is work. You need to have the money, time & planning to arrange for visa applications, and that doesn’t always guarantee approval. You often need to pay processing fees, have documentation available, flights booked and invitation letters obtained before you can even begin the lengthy process for a visa approval. If you have a strong visa, you almost NEVER need to worry about these things. Just book your flight and go.

Also, even though you have a “strong” passport, it doesn’t mean that it’s accessible to travel. A simple google search reveals that the top two searches are “why is getting a passport so hard” or “why is getting a passport so expensive”. Not only can a passport have more clout from country to country, but it can divide a nation’s socioeconomic status.

The History of Your Passport

Why did we start using passports? We’ve gone from huddled masses on Ellis Island to microchips and face recognition at airports. The evolution of how visitors are documented is a tale full of drama and history. The first passport holder was said to be King Henry V, after creating a “safe conduct” document within the Act of Parliament in 1414. By the mid 1500’s the term passport was more readily used to describe travel documents. Foreign nationals had these issued gratis, but the rest of the English subjects had to pay a fee. Money and documentation have gone hand in hand since the passport’s inception.

If the passport had its inception in the UK how did the US get involved? Benjamin Franklin of course. The first issued “passe port” was created for a Continental Congressman who would be traveling from France to Holland in 1780. Franklin used his own printing press for a single paged letter requesting safe passage for he & his assistant while traveling abroad between countries. The original idea was just that, a document requesting safe passage through foreign territories.

Today’s passport was formalized at the time of WWI, when the League of Nations wanted to create a more standardized form of documentation world wide. Originally, Americans in particular didn’t want or need a passport. When other countries started to move around more freely, hegemony started to surface. That’s when certain countries are wanting to exercise dominance over other places. For those who feared change, what better way then to issue official documents to become an instrument of control. In a matter of only a few hundred years Americans had gone from only a few thousand issued to aiding in a global movement for documentation hierarchy.

What Passport Colors Signify

Been in a line at the airport and noticed that some people are holding red, green, black or blue passports? Why do some countries have different colors than others? Do they mean anything or is it just all random? So many color questions!!

The colors of the passports began as a way to reflect national character but this has evolved over the years. The International Civil Aviation Organization is in charge of standardizations such as size, format & technology, but color has never been a requirement. While there isn’t a rule, primary colors seem to reign supreme.

• Red passports are used mostly by European Union countries. Countries looking to join the EU seem to also gravitate to rouge hues. Call it a branding exercise. The other group that shares red passports are those in the Andean Community countries.
• Black passports have a more practical reason, darker colors hide dirt & grim. Some countries choose black because it’s associated with their country’s colors (New Zealand, Zambia or Botswana for example).
• Blue passports seem to represent the “New World” and many of the Caribbean islands and the Americas are blue passport holders. Always think the US has had a blue passport? Wrong. Up until the mid 70’s the United States passport was green.
• Green passports can have religious significance with the color. Islam is often associated with the color green, so lots of predominately Muslim countries carry the color green.

To Count, Or Not To Count

This topic has become a major debate. Do you count countries or not? How does this all tie in with your own passport? I’ve never been much of a country counter to be honest. I believe in slow travel, which can be contradictory to counting countries. Counting up countries can often quickly lead to a more “stamp tramp” style of travel. It starts to feel more like a game. At first, I believed that going to a large number of countries makes you an expert about travel, but I realized I’m not looking for advice from someone who bopped through Europe in a few weeks to tick off boxes.

I look to seasoned travelers who have taken their time in a place or travel to a location frequently. I look for locals as much as I look to visitors because they bring fresh perspective to a destination. Things like the “30 in 30” (traveling to 30 countries before your 30th birthday) in my opinion, have made the need to country count worse.

It doesn’t impress me much if you’ve been to 9 countries or 190 (the number is debatable, but there are around 196 countries in the world, FYI). Ethical travel is not about who can visit every place the fastest. Who issues your passport has a lot to do with the number of stamps that are in between the pages and sometimes, as an American, that just doesn’t feel much like an accomplishment. Remember when you’re ticking off the places you can visit, that not everyone has the luxury to just pack up and go. I’d suggest we all worry less about the numbers and more about our experiences.

Want to keep track of your travel accomplishments in a more respectful way? I keep mine to myself. I use an app called Been, which shows me my location not only by the numbers, but also the percentage of the world that I’ve seen. Stay humble about your travels by seeing that you’ve only been to 30% of the world.

Now We Know Passport Privilege Exists, What’s Next?

So, now that you know that there is a privilege to holding a passport, what do you do next? Acknowledging your world is larger depending on the passport you carry is a great first step! Being cognizant of our differences can help bridge gaps. Ok, so now that we’ve come to the realization of our passport privilege, the next thing we can do is make a space for those in the travel community with weaker passports to have a voice in the industry.

Support travelers from countries where moving from place to place is a challenge. Recognize their achievements by listening to platforms that aren’t the same as yours. There are TONS of amazing adventurers out there, find ones that carry an authentic, educational voice and share their work!

Support organizations that are actively creating inclusivity in the world of travel. Know a student who hasn’t left their home country? Help them by searching for scholarships or awards that will give first time travelers precedent to learn abroad. Give to non-profit organizations like FLYTE, which empowers students in underserved communities with more accessible travel experiences. Donate towards the Global Dreamer’s Foundation, an organization that is sponsoring Americans who can’t afford passport costs. Find groups in your area that are making strides towards accessible travel for all so you can make a direct, local impact for future travelers.

Lastly, I think this may be the easiest thing. Next time you’re on a trip where you didn’t need to go to an embassy for an interview, or pay extra funds for a visa, be grateful that you’ve had the opportunity to travel so easily and be kind to other travelers.

Want to share being an ethical traveler with others? Pin it!