If you live in the developed world and like to travel, then chances are the travel experiences you’ve had have been pretty good. China, India, Australia – the only trouble you’ve had getting to those countries is making sure you’re at the right gate on time. See, even if you have a million travel stories that end in horror, you only have them because you even were able to travel there in the first place. For many countries worldwide, that actually isn’t the case. We all remember getting our first passport. The freedom and symbolism that comes with owning one is seemingly universal. The ability to travel to any country you want, any place, any time – it’s magical. However, what if I told you that wasn’t real? That feeling of freedom and magic, what if it was a lie? Because the truth is, for people in other countries trying to utilize a family destination guide, it is.
Some Passports Are Superior to Others
CNN recently released a list documenting passport usability by country. In other words, they calculated what countries were accessible by other countries. See, when you travel from one country to another, your passport can actually be refused if the issuing country has been banned. Remember all the hullabaloo when Trump ordered a travel ban on Middle Eastern countries? Well, the US is far from the only country to have banned visitors from that region. Afghanistan ranks the lowest, alongside other Middle Eastern countries. As is, Afghan passports are only good to get into 25 other countries without a visa. Syria and Iraq are in the same boat, with their passport only guaranteeing access to 30 countries in total.
In fact, most countries made up of non-white ethnicities have a harder time visiting other countries. It doesn’t necessarily have to do with war, political reasons, or crime. The one common denominator that all low-ranked passports have is the fact that their populations are predominantly non-white. That means that anyone from an ethnic country who has seen a family destination guide will have to double-check to see if their passport will even work for them before making vacation plans.
Can This Be Fixed?
As is, it’s completely unclear whether or not these issues that non-white countries have is even racially motivated. However, the evidence is fairly black and white. The statistical probability that race didn’t come into play in decision-making like this is very low. Is there hope? Of course there is – developing countries have more and more access to information sharing technology than ever before. The fact that a major news organization like CNN is reporting on this makes things look that much more hopeful – it’s getting coverage. Things can get better for these countries.
All over the world, there are fathers striving to make full use of a favorite family destination guide. As is, if you’re from a poor African nation or Middle Eastern country then your ability to do so is prohibited. While this is a frustrating reality for many, the fact is that people are now talking about it. Hopefully, racial tensions will be resolved by sharp-sighted world leaders. Until then, however, all we can do is keep bringing it to light.
