I have one of the worst passports in the world – travelling with it is much harder than you think
A TRAVELLER has revealed what it’s like travelling with one of the worst passports in the world.
TikToker Hamza, who runs the account @unwelcometraveler, currently lives in Canada but holds a Pakistani passport.
A passport’s ‘strength’ is often determined by how many countries the holder can travel to without a visa.
Pakistani passport holders can only visit 10 countries in the world without a visa, with another 34 countries allowing a visa on arrival, making it the fourth worst in the world.
This is compared to the UK passport with Brits able to visit 187 destinations visa-free.
Hamza explained exactly what he had to go through to get a visa for his current two-month trip backpacking through Europe.
As he was travelling across the Schengen Area, he had to get a visa to cover all of the European countries.
However, he said it was a “massive hassle,” and revealed the process.
First he said he had to decide which embassy to apply at, based on the main destination of his travels.
He explained: “So I had to plan out my entire trip beforehand and then hope that the embassy that I picked had appointments available.”
He then said if you can get an appointment, you have to fill out a bunch of forms, as well as have a full plan already sorted.
Hamza continued: “You have to submit your actual itinerary, you have to tell them exactly what you will be doing every single day to make sure it is accounted for with proof as well.
“So you need confirmed hotel reservations or hostel booking to show exactly what nights you are going to be there.”
But he said the riskiest part was booking the flights in and out for his travels.
He said: “This is a massive hassle because if you are booking flights there is a chance your visa is still going to be rejected so you have to pay more for a refundable ticket which is a premium not a lot of people can’t afford.”
While there are other options such as a “flight reservation” without needing to book, this may not be accepted by embassaies.
He also said you have to have proof of bank statements, credit cards and employments documents to show financial, as well as pay all kinds of fees such as the embassy, passport shipping and couriers.
He said he even had to write a cover letter including “why you want to go, what inspired you and what you are planning to do there as well as plead your case on why you are going to return”.
He added: “I have to convince them that I’m not going to be extending my visa and staying in that country and going to be returning back.”
After all that – saying he spent around $300 (£178) – it could still all be rejected.
Thousands of people have watched his videos, with many saying they felt “so bad” for him.
One person said: “Damn bro, that’s rough.”
Another said: “Sorry you have to go through this!”
Brits will also need a visa to go to Europe next year – here is everything you need to know.
We’ve also explained why passports are certain colours.