Top 5 Most Powerful Passports in the Caribbean (2017)

Top 5 Most Powerful Passports in the Caribbean (2017)

Since our independence, the Caribbean islands have been home to an every expanding population and almost unprecedented growth. Although we still have ways to in go until we can truly be a rival to some of the world’s larger economic and political power houses, we can and should still appreciate exactly how far we’ve come in the short time we have achieved it.

It can be a little overwhelming for Caribbean nationals to truly grasp and understand how far our countries have actually gone in terms of economic and political growth. With so many different aspects and strengths to each island, it can be hard to measure our true force on a global standing. One of the best ways to measure this is by looking at our Passport Index.

A passport index is basically a way of measuring your passport’s “strength” in comparisons to other countries. Its “Strength” is measured by looking at its overall usability for hassle free or visa free travel around the global.

To understand what a visa is, it is authorization from a country, granting a foreign visitor conditional entry. There are numerous restrictions and timelines to the visa holder’s entry and must be approved by an immigration official. Obtaining a visa is often a long, expensive and harrowing journey, but it is absolutely necessary for entry. For two countries to not require a visa, it usually requires a mutual political understanding or agreements.

    1.       Barbados

The east coast is an ideal area for nature lovers, and surfers who can test their skills at the famous Soup Bowl in Bathsheba! #LoveBarbados

A post shared by Visit Barbados (@visitbarbados) on Oct 24, 2017 at 3:47am PDT

Global Rank: 20
Visa Free Score: 136

The number one most influential and versatile passport in the Caribbean Caricom community goes to Barbados. This booming island nation tightly holds on the #20 spot on the global ranking. To compare, the lowest current global ranking goes to Afghanistan at #94. The visa free score also doesn’t include an additional 28 countries citizens of the robust island state can visit and be issued a visa upon arrival.  

    2.       Bahamas

Palm trees and crystal clear water= Beautiful Bahamas 🏝💙💙💙 follow ➡@bahamas Photo: @vanalany  #bahamas #crystalclear #chilling #soakingthesun #carribean #palmtrees #carribeanlife #sea #beachtime #whitesand #ocean #bluesea #crytalwater #clouds #bluewater #blue

A post shared by @bahamas (@bahamas) on Oct 5, 2017 at 11:48am PDT

Global Rank: 23
Visa Free Score: 131

Second place goes to the Bahamas, with is lush beaches and thriving economy. Although, it should be noted, that this ranking goes specifically to the Bahaman Common Wealth Passport and not citizens with only a US passport. This doesn’t include an additional 29 countries that will issue a visa upon arrival.

    3.       Saint Kitts & Nevis

“No cruise ships or long-haul flights stop at [Nevis], which has helped the area retain its peaceful charm.” This @dailymail travelogue explores why Princess Diana loved Nevis: goo.gl/dBWG4G #nevisstories

A post shared by Nevis Island (@nevisnaturally) on Oct 24, 2017 at 12:33pm PDT

Global Rank: 27
Visa Free Score: 127

These beautiful sister islands follow closely behind in the global ranking. Citizens of both islands share the same passport and enjoy the same level of travel. However most international flights are scheduled to and from the larger island of Saint Kitts, there are still a few airlines that operate smaller scheduled flights to Nevis. This doesn’t include the 28 countries that will issue a visa upon arrival.

    4.       TIE! St Vincent & Grenadines / Antigua & Barbuda

If it doesn't rain nothing grows...rainy mornings in paradise 😍 - Are you here yet?!?! See you soon!🇦🇬 #VisitAntiguaBarbuda  #Paradise #rainymorning  #Tropical  #IslandLife  #ForeverAntiguaBarbuda  #LoveAntiguaBarbuda 📸 @eat_drink_lou

A post shared by Antigua and Barbuda W.I. (@antiguaandbarbuda) on Oct 27, 2017 at 6:09am PDT

Global Rank: 28

Visa Free Score: 125

These two sister island pairs happen to tie for the same spot in the top 5 passports in the Caribbean. Most international travel goes to and from the main airport in St Vincent, and Antigua with many international departure and arrivals every day. However the tie can be debatable with St Vincent & Grenadines boasting 27 countries that will issue a visa upon arrival vs. Antigua & Barbuda to boasts 29.

    5.       Trinidad & Tobago

Goood Morning World! • • • • #goodmorningpost #morningmotivation #friday #friyay #ig_travel #travelogue #cannon #canon6d #landscapephotography #landscapelovers #thepines #getaway #hideout #positivevibes #thehills #enjoythelittlethings #enjoylife #bluesky #pictureperfect #trinidadandtobago #knullebu #stanns #ttunseen #photographylovers

A post shared by Kyeon lucian Constantine (@kyeon.photog) on Oct 27, 2017 at 2:58am PDT

Global Rank: 30
Visa Free Score: 123

As the saying goes, two is always better than one! Another lovely sister island pair, and home to one of the Caribbean’s most lively and popular music genres, Soca! Most international flights are routed through Trinidad but both islands enjoy the same benefits from their passports. This does not include the 27 countries that will issue a visa upon arrival.  

Want to see how the rest of the Caribbean Community compares?

The highest ranking Caricom Passports Rank as below:

Ranking	Country	Visa Free Score
20	Barbados	136
23	Bahamas	131
27	Saint Kitts & Nevis	127
28	St Vincent & Grenadines	125
28	Antigua & Barbuda	125
30	Trinidad & Tabago	123
31	Saint Lucia	121
33	Grenada	119
36	Dominica	115
49	Belize	85
53	Jamaica	78
53	Guyana	78
58	Suriname	69
73	Haiti	53

For the Comparison and list of countries each island can visit, please visit the link below:

https://www.passportindex.org/comparebyPassport.php?p1=bb&p2=bs&p3=kn&p4=vc&p5=ag&fl=&s=yes

To view the entire global rank list, please visit:

https://www.passportindex.org/byRank.php

Independent Vs Organized Travel

Independent Vs Organized Travel

So you’ve got some time off from work and want to go somewhere fun. Maybe you’re aiming for budget friendly destination or splurging and seeing as much as possible during your trip. Before booking anything you should decide if you want to go as an independent traveler or as a part of an organized group.

Now each of these types of travel has their pros and cons, and each type can be somewhat customizable completely depending on what you plan to do. But what you need to decide is which is right for you based on your comfort level. We will explore both types of travel below.

Independent Travel

Before labeling yourself as an independent traveler, take a look back at your last trips. Independent travel is not just travelling on your own; it is not just traveling, but also organizing, booking, planning every aspect of your trip, yourself, then going to a country where you may have no family, friends, acquaintances, possibly not even same language for a the duration of your trip. This can be quite an intense experience for even the most experienced travelers!

“Independent Travel: Travel in which you organize things yourself, rather than using a company who will arrange flights, hotels, etc” - MacMillan Dictionary

Now, while this type of travel may be a little intimidating for some, don’t let it deter you. There are varying degrees of independent travel in which you can plan. For instance, maybe instead of renting private accommodations, you can rent a hotel which normally the concierge helps arrange some excursions and tours for you. Or instead of arranging your own transportation to visit an excursion, you can go with a group day tour. Its best part is, it’s completely up to you!

Organized Travel

Maybe you’re not exactly Indian Jones. Maybe your idea of a vacation is not prepping and planning each step of your trip meticulously for weeks before you actually travel. Have no fear, organized travel is here!

The most common form of organized travel would be tour packages. These are commonly sold with major tour operators such as Sunwing Vacations, Transat & Air Canada Vacations, etc. They typically include a hotel, transportation and sometimes meals. Typically you would have to option to book excursions with your tour operators ahead of time and those also include transportation, etc as well.

“A package tour, package vacation, or package holiday comprises transport and accommodation advertised and sold together by a vendor known as a tour operator. Other services may be provided such a rental car, activities or outings during the holiday.” - Wikipedia.org

Just like independent travel however, there are varying degrees of organized travel. For example, you book an all inclusive hotel in Mexico, but rather that booking your excursions with the tour operator; you rent a car and visit locations yourself, or used local, public transportation to move around. You could also haggle with local tour operators to get an organized day tour at a lower rate. Of course this is still very much organized, but you can explore varying degrees of independence during your trip.

So how do I know which is right for me?

There is no right and wrong ways to travel, just book the one you think fits the type of travel you are aiming for! And always do research on your destination before you travel, like anything important you do in your life, always be prepared, your safety is your #1 priority!

Like my page? Subscribe for more!

Want to spice up someone’s life? Share!

8 Tips for travelling on a budget!

1. Budget, budget, budget!

“Meh, I don’t need a budget! They’re for squares!”

The most important thing you do before booking anything is to organize a budget. I cannot stress how important it is to have an idea of costs beforehand. Not only does it give you a realistic idea of whether of not your trip would possible, but it also gives you an idea of how much you need to save on top of that!

“How am I supposed to keep track of my budget?”

Literally, there is an app for that. Just search for one and pick your favorite.

My top paid app: My Budget Book (OneTwoApps).

My top free app: TripBudget (Calibvr LLC)

Apps, unless paid, are a little iffy sometimes though. I find that most are lacking on certain features or missing certain variables that can affect your budget. Those two just happen to be the best that I found that meet most of the requirements you’d need to accurately budget your adventure.

OR…

A great, completely FREE tool for tracking your vacation budget is Microsoft Excel. For those of you new to entire concept of Excel, there are templates pre-programmed into the program. Simply open Excel, click on the funky microsft logo on the top left hand corner; click on New. Once you do this, a new box will open, on the left hand side, select the second option “Installed Templates” and click on one of the handy, pre built templates they offer! It does all the calculating for you, just plug in the numbers! (Ps. My favorite one to use is titled: Holiday Budget Planner).

2. Early Bird Get’s the Worm!

“What about last minute deals?”

Another extremely important thing I cannot stress enough; book early. There is no such thing as last minute super sales. If you see a good deal, go for it.

A lot of the hesitation for booking early is from the “what if something better comes along?” mentality. It’s all poppycock. The chances of you finding that golden egg are slim. By default, if you’re within 30 days to departure and you still haven’t booked yet, those prices are going nowhere but up.

“When should I book then?”

Well, you can never guess precisely when and what airline prices will do. It is completely based on some complicated, headache of an algorithm programmed into the airlines systems.

And those random seat sales? 

Reprogrammed or literally, randomly place due to low sales.

Despite this, from my experience, I would say aim to book about three months in advance. I usually start tracking prices about 4 months before, just so that by the time 3 months come along, I know if I’m banging a good deal or if I should hold off another week or two.

Also by my experience, within 1 month of departure is the jack up mark. At this point, the airline has already come to terms with the number of seats sold on that flight. Yes, they may throw a insanely low rate in there if they’re desperate, but most of the time they increase the price because they know anyone booking now, would be desperate to get on that flight.

Save yourself the headache of waiting last minute then having to completely scrap your plans or paying more for a ticket you could have had cheaper 2 months ago! Even if the price goes down, you had less of a head ache, and more time to plan, budget and save with no last minute curve balls!

3. Location, Location, Location

This applies to not only your destination, but also your accommodations!

When searching for a destination, consider the price, safety and popularity during that time. For example, Cuba in mid January won’t be the same price as Cuba in June. Try to avoid peak seasons; this will save you money on air and accommodations. If you have no choice on that destination, then book early!

When it comes to your accommodations, try to find something budget friendly in as central a location as possible. For example, if you chose to focus on excursions in Cancun, aim for a place downtown, near most of the major bus lines. Or if you’re more of a beach bum, aim for someplace closer to the beach zone for more ease of travel. Want to do both? Aim for somewhere in between. Splurge a little bit more on a place that closer to your needs, what you spend in the added cost will save you time and money on transportation.

4. Exchange Rates

Now I don’t know about you guys but if math wasn’t your favorite subject in high school, then this may be where your trip will bite you in the butt.

Research the exchange rate of your destination ahead of time to get an idea in your head. For example; 1CAD = 15.52Pesos (by today’s rate). I write this on a piece of paper and keep it with me along with a few other multiple values. Eg:

1CAD = 15.52Pesos
5CAD = 77.6Pesos
10CAD = 155.21 Pesos
15CAD = 232.81 Pesos
Etc.

This is so I don’t end up over paying for something that I didn’t need to. It’s easy to get confused with the big numbers. And honestly, when a currency is weaker that your own, most people become splurgers because “everything is so cheap!”.  Don’t let the big numbers fool you though!

5. Insurance

GET IT. Period.

There is no such thing as saving money and skipping insurance. Working in the travel industry, I could list you hundreds of absolute horror stories where clients skipped on insurance and got, for lack of a better word, royally f&#ked. Add it to your budget as a necessity and shop around for quotes.

Travel insurance is no joke. Medical, Cancellation, Interruption, etc, can sometimes literally end up being life or death. If you decide to ignore my warning and want to skip it any way, for pete's sake, at least get medical. For most people medical for 7 days is like $40 CAD.

6. Shop till you drop!

Looking for a good deal on a flight is like looking for a good deal on a car, or on anything in fact! You won’t know if something is really and truly a good deal until you search all alternative options. Don’t restrict your search to one site, move around! Try a different routing, airlines, departure dates!

One of the best and my favorite tools for search by far is Google flights. It doesn’t even matter that I have a system that grants me direct access to airline availability and pricing at my finger as a travel agent, I still check everything on Google flights first. It’s just SO comfortable and user friendly!

7. Go Local!

You know that saying? When in Rome, do as the Roman’s do?

Apply it to any destination you go to. When visiting a country, do as the local’s do. This means, eat, travel, drink, explore what local products you can. Of course there is always an extent to this. Know where your limit is, and of course, always keep your safety in mind. Avoid untreated water, and food cooked in less than hygienic surroundings or vendors who have already prepared food and look like they’ve been on that street for way to long. If something looks questionable, take that as your stomach telling you that’s your queue to get out of dodge.

But that’s not to say that all local food is bad. Getting out of your comfort zone gastronomically can be an amazing experience that can open your world to so much more! 

I also recommend, when possible, travel like a local! Some of the best conversation's and most memorable experiences I've had has been taking local transportation. You meet the most interesting and amazing people that can open your eyes to new experiences and things to do in the area! Of course, always research the local public transportation system before just hoping on a bus and hoping for the best. You don't want to be stranded in the wrong part of time after dark (personal experience -.-). 

And when it comes to alcohol, honestly, some of the best drinks I've had are local to that region. Don't expect to pay the same price for a Heineken in Columbia as you did in Montreal. Alcohol, unlike food, is usually disinfected. So drink and be merry! ... Responsibly of course!

So feel free to explore! (Safely of course)

8. Souvenir’s Schmivenirs!

Another way to save some cash, avoid tourist traps and cashing on Souvenir’s. If you feel like you really do need to buy something for that special person in your life, then go local. You will be paying the same price as that shiny shot glass with Tahiti written all over it but instead getting a hand crafted piece and supporting the island economy.

Most people don’t know this, but most resorts, hotels, cruises, barely contribute to the local economy as much as you’d think. Yes, a few people are employed and may be getting tips and gratuities that help their family. But consider the entire population of the area, not everyone can work at hotels. The more you stray outside and spend, the more you are supporting their economy and helping a family in need.

Regardless, it’s your vacation and you enjoy it the way you feel comfortable!

Like me page? Subscribe to get more!