Why Do I Need A Passport To Travel?

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• published: 05 Jan 2016
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For the vast majority of international travelers, a passport is a necessity. But why? Learn more at HowStuffWorks.com: http://people.howstuffworks.com/passport.htm/printable Share on Facebook: https://goo.gl/REzgAU Share on Twitter: https://goo.gl/u049kE Subscribe: http://goo.gl/ZYI7Gt Visit our site: http://www.brainstuffshow.com If I were going out of the country – let’s say to sunny Bolivia - my whole trip would have hinged on one vital thing: my passport. But what is this thing, exactly? Why do I need it to travel? The first question has a pretty clear-cut answer. A passport is a document issued by a government that verifies your identity and gives you the right to travel under its protection. The word “passport” comes from “passeport” – a Middle French phrase from around the 1500s. However, the idea of a passport is positively ancient. You can find evidence of state-sponsored travel documents dating from as far back as 450 BCE. Since about the 1980s, most passports have been regulated by a department of the United Nations called the International Civil Aviation Organization, or ICAO. So why do you need one? Ultimately it goes down to proof of nationality. For example, let’s say I was caught up in a vast conspiracy and had to travel to the Vatican. That happens, right? Anyhow, I’m flying into Italy and I have to present some sort of proof that I’m really coming from where I say I’m coming from. Otherwise, any old super villain with a plausible Yankee accent could stroll off the runway pretending to be an American, right? So possessing a passport is like having your country of origin vouch for you, assuring other nations that you are in fact the person you say you are. Keep in mind, however, that possession of a valid passport alone doesn’t guarantee your entrance. Countries allow visitors at their own discretion, which means that, in theory, they can refuse entry to pretty much anyone, at any time. So, even if you have a valid passport, make sure to check the entry policies of the country you’re visiting BEFORE you hop on the plane. And not everyone’s happy with the passport system. In “The Invention of the Passport”, Professor John Torpey argues that it is inherently a monopoly of the state, meaning a private company like, say, HowStuffWorks, couldn’t just slap my mug in a little book and send me off to Japan. Religious organizations can’t do this, either. Not only do countries control the passport system, but the issuing country can revoke your passport at any time. In clear terms, this system is about as “big government” as you can get. So there you have it. In theory, almost every single person on the globe needs a passport, or some sort of official document, to travel. This “official document” could be something for an individual, or it could be an agreement between specific countries. At one point or another, there’s no other way to legally travel. Virtually everyone needs something like this. Ahh – but… did you notice how I said “almost every person” and “virtually everyone?” That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. There is one person in the world who can travel freely and legally without a passport or other documents. And that person is… Paul, could we get a drumroll please? THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND! True story. British passports are issued in the name of the Queen; therefore it’s not necessary for her to have one. The rest of the family has to possess a passport, though. Even the princes, William and Harry. SOURCES: http://people.howstuffworks.com/passport.htm/printable http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-23038996 http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/statistics.html http://www.theexpeditioner.com/2010/02/17/how-many-americans-have-a-passport-2/ http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2006/nov/17/travelnews http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=passport http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2006/nov/17/travelnews https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr;=&id;=5vBtAgaFh6EC&oi;=fnd&pg;=PR9&dq;=passport+&ots;=As-cjkkQ46&sig;=JOJOcRJzTWOavE0hEMDAd547CkU#v=onepage&q;=passport&f;=false http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?docid=415c3cfb4 http://fff.org/explore-freedom/article/book-review-invention-passport/ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/travel/26armchair.html http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/apply.html http://www.icao.int/Security/mrtd/pages/Document9303.aspx https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=nehemiah%202:7-2:9&version;=NIV http://elibrary.law.psu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1122&context;=fac_works http://jalopnik.com/why-the-queen-of-england-doesnt-carry-a-passport-574058936 http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Queen%20and%20Commonwealth%20Visits/Queenandpassport.aspx