It’s a common dilemma most travelers face when booking a dream vacation: how many days are you going stay in one place? It's a choice that can be the difference of having perfectly enjoyed the time in a city, and being somewhere just a little too long. This week, the dilemma spilled over into an online discourse on Reddit where hundreds of travelers weighed in on which cities require the most amount of days to visit, and which can be skipped over. One of the top cities that travelers felt needed extra time is Tokyo. The city has a population of 14 million across 847 sq. miles, while for comparison, New York City is only 468 sq miles. “Definitely Tokyo, if we're counting the Tokyo Metropolis. Just the city proper requires 10-14 days to explore its variety and sprawl,” one traveler wrote in support of the Japanese city in the tread.
This European Country Now Has World’s Most Powerful Passport, New Index Finds
20.12.2023 - 17:35 / forbes.com
A European country has taken over the top spot as the world’s most powerful passport, according to a new index by VisaGuide.World. As of December, the Spanish passport has claimed first place from Singapore, a new study by the visa advice website has found.
European countries also dominate the rest of the rankings, with Japan being the only other non-European country in the top 20.
VisaGuide.World’s ranking looks at the number of destinations passport holders can enter without needing a visa.
It also takes into consideration other factors to generate a ‘destination significance score’ for each country or territory. These are related to entry policy, including requirements for Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), visa on arrival, electronic visa, embassy or government-approved visas, passport-free entry and banned entry.
If a passport permits visa-free access to a country with a high destination significance score, it earns higher points than for entry to a country with a low destination significance score.
According to the group’s most recent ranking, Spain’s passport is the most powerful in the world. As of December 2023, those holding a Spanish passport can gain visa-free entry to 160 countries and territories.
Singaporean passport holders can actually enter more countries visa-free than Spain. These include Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Djibouti, Ghana, Guinea, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Myanmar, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
However, Spain takes the top spot because of the number of destinations accessible with just an ID card. There are 43 countries that permit entry without a passport.
Spain can also access 11 countries and territories without a visa that Singaporeans cannot. These include the Falkland Islands, the Marshall Islands, Palau, São Tomé and Príncipe, the Seychelles, the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Ukraine and Venezuela.
After Spain and Singapore, Germany comes in third place. It has visa-free access to the same 160 countries and territories as Spain, however Spanish passport holders can take advantage of the visa-on-arrival policy in Papua New Guinea and Togo, whereas German passport holders must apply for an e-visa.
Italy comes in fourth place, followed by France, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Czechia, Portugal, Hungary and Luxembourg.
Japan takes the 15th spot, after which come Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland and Poland.
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