Solo traveling with a weak passport feels like carrying a constant burden

Every time I want to go somewhere, it's like an endless test. Tons of paperwork, insane visa fees, long waiting times, and zero guarantee I'll even get approved. I love my country, but carrying a weak passport is just… not it. It gets worse because I'm a freelancer. No long-term labor contract = extra suspicious. So I have to dig up contracts from my clients, I work with fintech companies in the US like Hood, SoFi, WTF, etc. I have to screenshot the signed contracts with their names on it, get these companies to verify my identity, show bank statements matching the payments, highlight every detail so the embassy doesn't think I'm faking it? And sometimes if I'm traveling with my partner or anyone else in my family or my friends? More paperwork: photos together, proof of relationship, all that. And more savings. Because apparently if you don't have $10k+ sitting around, they won't believe you're coming back home. Meanwhile, after all that work and money spent, there's still a chance they'll just say no. No refund. Just a rejection stamp. I know why it's like this, there are so many people from poorer countries like mine who overstay or try to live illegally in richer countries. It happens all the time, so we get blacklisted. But it's depressing when you realize there's basically zero hope that your passport ranking will ever improve. The idea of booking a last minute trip is a privilege we don't have. Imagine wanting to go somewhere next week and you have to prove 1001 things about your life, your job, your savings, your relationship, just to see if you might get approved. --- **Post Details:** - **Subreddit:** r/solotravel - **Author:** u/Financial-Custard286 - **Score:** 48 upvotes - **Upvote Ratio:** 87.0% - **Comments:** 18 - **Posted:** 7/9/2025 - **URL:** https://reddit.com/r/solotravel/comments/1lvekna/solo_traveling_with_a_weak_passport_feels_like/