Comments on: Why the Freedom to Travel Matters

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 12:14:27 +0000

The most painful thing is no one pays attention to travel freedom. Most 3rd world countries don’t have this privilege. And even for a basic tourism, they have to go through an intense process and basically an interrogation to get a visa, which can be denied at the whim of the visa officer who is interrogating the applicant. This is not right.

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Thu, 03 Dec 2015 10:08:20 +0000

In reply to Maja. Thank you, Maja. We do. Good luck as you continue to make your way.

By: Maja

Maja — Sat, 28 Nov 2015 17:37:40 +0000

This is such wonderful post and I was nodding all the time while reading it. I totally agree with you and your points. Travel makes us better persons and broadens our horizons but it is not so easy for me because my country is still not EU member so it can be difficult to get visa for many countries. So far I visited most of European countries, for most of them I needed visa. I would like to see Asia or South Africa but for the time being it would be too complicated. You can really consider yourself lucky to have American passport

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Sun, 25 Oct 2015 21:20:10 +0000

In reply to Mary B. Mary, so glad to hear of your trip to Iran and that you had a good experience there. And yes, travel to places like that do provide so much perspective in terms of travel privilege. As you said, even though the visa to Iran was a bureaucratic process it wasn't the same process that most people in the world need to go through to just go on a simple vacation. Thanks for your thoughtful comment!

By: Anisha Goel

Anisha Goel — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 06:36:53 +0000

Wow! I’m so glad going through the article. My friends always tease me saying I’m mad since my aim is to explore as many new destinations as I can in the given lifetime. Now I know it’s a treat to my soul.

By: Mary B

Mary B — Thu, 22 Oct 2015 08:42:11 +0000

Beautiful and thoughtful post, as usual. This has been on my mind lately as I recently returned from Iran (thanks for inspiring that trip with G Adventures!) As you well know, the visa process for Americans to get to Iran is a huge pain – I got mine with 1 hour to spare before the embassy closed for a long weekend, 36 hours before my flight to Tehran. But as stressful as that experience was, it reminded me how lucky I am that this was the FIRST TIME in 18 years of travel that I’d had to go through something like that to get a visa – and it was still relatively easy and painless. No proof of income, no one trying to ensure I wasn’t going to stay in Iran illegally. Just an application, some money and a 10-minute interview. My G Adventures CEO, on the other hand, has to apply for an expensive visa to go almost anywhere in the world. We are similar in age, education, income and desire to experience as much of the world as we can – but his freedom is greatly curtailed by his passport. His hope is that one day the world will be “borderless” so that we are all free to go where we choose. (Of course, then there are those that do not have the economic freedom to travel but that’s a whole other issue…)

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 10:51:47 +0000

In reply to Jeff. True all that, Jeff. Travel reinforces that we're all human. Your comment reminds me specifically of a previous discussion regarding the Danger Map of traveling the world. Thanks again for sharing your experience.

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 10:47:29 +0000

In reply to Marina. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences, Marina!

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 10:45:28 +0000

In reply to Stephen Lioy. Thanks for your continued kind words and support, Stephen! We really appreciate it.

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 10:44:19 +0000

In reply to Alyssa @ Uneven Sidewalks.

Thank you for joining the discussion, Alyssa. We understand having to pay for visas, as we’ve had to purchase our share. But to your point, it does reinforce the appreciation of our privilege. Having said that, we’re hoping one day that visa fees ought to be reduced or eliminated so that everyone — travelers and citizens alike — can share in the benefit of travel…and enjoy the freedom to interact that you speak of.