All photos: Porapak Apichodilok Many Australians talk about how easy it must have been a long time ago to be able to travel the world because there were no restrictions on where you went. This is actually not true and travel documents have been around for many hundreds of years. It is hard to believe but many Australians still don’t have their first passport because they have never had the inclination to travel around the globe especially so since we had to deal with the pandemic over the past number of years and in some cases, we still are. Thankfully, everyone is starting to get itchy feet and they want to travel again not only around this great country of ours but further afield as well. Benefits of Getting Yourself a Passport Before Your Travel Other people from outside Australia have learned that our country is the land of opportunity and it isn’t the USA that many people profess. Australia offers many people the right kind of opportunities and if you are thinking of travelling here then obviously you will need a passport but you will also need the correct kind of visa as well. There are many different ones to choose from depending on your circumstances and some people choose a partner visa 309 Australia if they want to meet up with their better half that has already set up roots in Australia. It makes sense therefore to get yourself the right kind of visa so that you’re not always looking over your shoulder and you can start your new life on a stronger footing. There are so many different benefits to getting yourself a passport before you travel to any country and the following are just some of those. A widely recognized identification: Not only does it give you access to many different countries, but it also acts as an essential ID document that any government official can ask for at any given time. The police or immigration in any country may ask to see your passport when you travel around the country and so pulling out your passport every single time will give them the peace of mind that they need to let you continue on with your journey. If you intend to travel domestically around any country then they will usually want to see your passport as well. It opens up many different doors: Your passport is your ticket to freedom as many people say and it opens the doors of many countries to you all at once. For some of the more popular passports like American, Australian, and European passports, there is a potential to visit over 150 countries all around the world and if you don’t have one then you get to stay at home and not get the opportunity to expand your mind and frontiers. It is required for your visa: If it is your wish to get a partner visa then you certainly need a passport in which to put it. When applying for your visa, the application process insists that you have a passport and in many cases, that is all that you need to qualify for the visa that you want. It saves on paperwork and helps cut out all of the bureaucracy commonly associated with getting a visa and traveling to another country. It’s good for your resume: If you have a passport and you have traveled already then this is something that employers are looking for because they want individuals who are not afraid to travel internationally and learn about other cultures. The Internet has opened up the whole business world and so employers want someone who has international experience and who understands that businesses are conducted differently throughout the globe. Putting down that you have traveled extensively is going to look good on your resume and it may get you that job that you have been trying to secure. It gives you essential peace of mind: You may not have any intention to travel at the moment but it is reassuring to know that your passport is in the kitchen drawer and should an opportunity to travel on a trip that has been reduced dramatically in price then you can take advantage of that situation. You can be ready for adventure at any time and you will be able to go almost anywhere. Let's summarize... It is also fun to look back on the many trips that you have made and the many countries that you have visited. You can do this by thumbing through the pages of your older passports to reminisce and maybe to plan new trips. The thing to take away from this article is that you need a passport to travel and you need the correct visa.