Major Travel Tip: How To Travel Without A U.S. Visa

As a travel blogger and a frequent flyer there are two things that I hold near and dear to my heart, my Bahamian passport and my U.S. visa. If you live in The Bahamas, you know that it is always a struggle to get a new passport, and as a holder of a U.S. visa, it allows me entrance to America, a country that I loveeeee. Without any of these, I might as well stop breathing. (Just kidding…..kinda!)

I was moved to write this piece after hearing the story of someone who recently lost their U.S. visa and was devastated at the thought of never being able to travel to the United States again. This is the sentiment of many people that I know who have lost their U.S. visa, simply don’t have one or who have been banned from traveling to the U.S. “I can’t travel, my life is over.” I’m sorry to be the bearer of good news but there are 196 countries in the world, America is just 1 of them. Your life is not over, you can travel, and I’m here to tell you exactly how!

Here are a few major tips to traveling without a U.S. visa.

Travel domestically. Explore your country. Rediscover all of the things that make it unique and a magnet for visitors. Live in The Bahamas? There are 16 major islands, explore them. Live in Canada? There are 10 provinces waiting to be discovered. Live in The Caribbean? There are 20 plus countries waiting to show you some major love.
Do a little research. Depending on where you are from, you don’t even need a visa to travel to many countries around the world. As a Bahamian, my passport is an extremely powerful one, ranking 27th in the world as per the Visa Restrictions Index. It allows me to travel visa-free or visa on arrival access to 140 countries. Amazing isn’t it?!
Get Creative. Not having a U.S. visa allows you to be a little more creative in your travel plans, which isn’t such a bad thing. Unfortunately, depending on where you live, you may have to spend a little more money on airfare as you can not travel through the U.S. Many people that I know gravitate to the U.S. because of its proximity, but to be honest, one of my favourite places to travel is Europe. The culture, the shopping and the overall travel experience is so amazing! It’s my absolute fave!

The world is an amazing place. Don’t limit yourself, because of a circumstance and always remember, ‘the world is too big to stay in one place!’