The Fashionable Frequent Flyers

As a traveler who’s been to 31 countries in 5 continents, I’d consider myself a zealous traveler. I don’t take these opportunities for granted as I know many people are not able to have these experiences. And with every new travel adventure, I find that my appetite for travel only grows. But, despite having made it to 31 countries, what I’ve not talked about are the hurdles I face traveling with a Kenyan passport. Why would my passport matter, you may ask? If you’re not aware, there is a passport index that ranks the “strongest” and “weakest” passports around the world. The strength of a passport is evaluated by the number of countries a passport holder has visa-free access to. Visa-free here means access without requiring an application for a visa in advance, including countries that you can obtain a visa on arrival. According to the Henley Ranking, the strongest passport is the Singaporean passport which grants passport holders access to 193 countries visa-free. Generally, passport holders from the Western and developed world have visa-free access to anywhere between 180 and 191 countries. By comparison, as a Kenya passport holder, I have access to ONLY 76 countries. This is a discrepancy of over 100 countries. So, how has this impacted my travel experience?

First, let’s talk money! For every country that I have to apply for a visa in advance, there is an associated visa application fee. For example, application fees for a UK visa with six month validity costs £120. For a 5-year multi-entry visa, it costs £670 (or approximately $850). By contrast, American passport holders do not require a visa to visit the UK and can spend up to six months in the country. Therefore, if I intended to visit London every year for 5 years, it would cost me approximately $850 in visa fees, whereas if I had an American passport, it would cost me nothing in visa fees. The UK does not stand alone. Schengen visa fees to visit countries in the EU costs €80. The validity is usually for the duration of your trip. For a tourist visa to the United States, it costs $180. You can obtain a multi-entry visa for 5 years at an increased cost. In other words, I have to pay an “access tax” just to be able to APPLY to gain access to several countries around the world. For many, these costs can be prohibitive or can be very limiting. For those who can afford these costs, these visa application fees don’t guarantee entry. They merely grant you the ABILITY to APPLY for the visa!

Second, the visa application process is intrusive and often demeaning. As an initial matter, for most of these application processes, they ask for everything under the sun short of your birth certificate, e.g., bank statements, which need to show “adequate funds” (often an excessive amount far above your trip needs), pay stubs, travel history for the last 5 years, invitation letter (for some destinations), reason for travel, hotel bookings, flight bookings, transportation bookings between cities, bookings for flights to additional destinations on your trip, and a few other documents. And after you submit all of these, you’re typically subjected to an interview that has to be scheduled 2-3 months in advance. During your interview, without the benefit of privacy, you answer personal questions about yourself and your circumstances, often within earshot of several other individuals at the consulate or embassy. It honestly feels like the DMV but for visas. On so many occasions, I’ve heard applicants answer extremely personal questions, including about their marriage, sex life etc., only then to be denied a visa loudly in everyone’s presence. Fewer things are more condescending than this process.

Third, some destinations are just not predisposed to accept individuals with African (specifically, Kenyan) passports. I once applied for a visa to go to China, and after going through the above two steps–paying the fee, and gathering all the necessary documentation–I was told TO MY FACE that I would not be granted a visa because I had a Kenyan passport. In order to obtain a visa, I apparently needed a letter from the Minister of Tourism in China. Of course I had no way of getting that so I was essentially denied access purely because of where I was born and the passport I held. For other destinations, it does not matter how many times I visit, I will NOT be granted a multi-entry visa. I’ve been to Japan three times, and despite that, I can still only get a single-entry visa. Sigh. I can’t describe how defeating it is to be restricted or limited just because you are YOU.

And believe me, I wish that was it, but it’s not. I still experience “passport discrimination” even to destinations that DO NOT have visa requirements for Kenyan passport holders. Now, often times, these tend to be minor inconveniences, but can end up taking up a lot of time. Sometimes I plan for excursions that end up getting missed because I have to answer several questions about my reasons for visiting a country simply because of my passport. While I didn’t miss any excursions (thank God) during my trip to Fiji, I was subjected to an additional interview that took an additional hour upon arrival, even though Fiji is a visa-free destination for Kenyan passport holders. In the end, my trip to Fiji was spectacular. I just wish it didn’t start off the way it did.

Now, let’s talk about transit. This is a particularly frustrating topic for me because I often travel with American or other Western European passport holders. Here’s the problem. One of the most effective ways to get more bang for your buck is to transit through a destination you’re interested in and have a long layover. During that time, you can explore that destination–see major sites, grab local food, etc. I CANNOT DO THAT! That’s right, I cannot do it because I’d need a visa to even spend less than 24 hours in any destination. And to make matters worse, to get that visa, I’d need to apply several months in advance. Often times, it is not known that the particular layoff destination will be the layoff destination. Therefore, for most of my friends, traveling with me can be somewhat limiting.

By now, you’re probably as exasperated as me, and you’ve just been reading this. The red tape and excessive requirements exist based on the “false” assumption that people from the developing world are looking for their first opportunity to abscond and move to the developed world. What most people who are from the developing world will tell you is that they don’t want to leave their homes. They are happy there for the most part (save for certain regions in crisis). Instead, those of us who like to travel just want to see the world like everyone else. We just want the same respect that is afforded other folks in the world. For myself, who lives in the diaspora, I can assure you that I did not leave Kenya because I was trying to escape some terrible life back home. I came to the United States to pursue post-graduate education, after having moved back to Kenya after college, and it just so happened that during the time I was working after I received my degree, I fell in love. So here I am. But I love Kenya and I visit twice a year because I miss it terribly. Look at how beautiful it is (including in photos below). I say this to say, people with “weak passports” just want to travel the world too. For the love of all that is good in this world, save us all this hassle and do away with all these hurdles. I AM TIRED!!

This is my first entry on this subject. I do have some anecdotes and stories that are worth sharing, but I’ll save that for another post.