A new passport invites more travel, but is the world still friendly to travelers?

For the frequent traveler, it is a once-per-decade ritual. Visit the nearest embassy or consulate in whatever country he happens to reside in at the time, and come out with a brand-new booklet ready for entry and exit stamps. It is almost a temporary reminder of patriotism: someone who intentionally left the homeland to roam the world, only to pledge allegiance in the form of a bureaucratic procedure indispensable for a nomadic lifestyle in the modern world, where every country seems more sensitive to national security risks. 

My latest iteration of the ritual took me for the very first time into the massive US Embassy in Malta, a gated compound next to the country's sole national park, almost comically big for a microstate of half a million people. If an embassy building is the physical manifestation of national power and prestige, one could certainly do worse than the US has done. While Malta has historically been strategic as an island that connects the eastern and western halves of the Mediterranean, as well as between Africa and Europe, it is questionable whether its modern reincarnation as a tourist magnet deserves such a symbol.

But that doubt was, in some ways, quickly responded to when I was handed the new passport book. Its design had changed. While its pages had always contained symbols of Americana, ranging from the bald eagle to the Liberty Bell to the Constitution, now the symbolism has become even more apparent. The sturdy pages are now all full color, ensuring that anyone taking a casual glance at the pages (looking at you, bored customs officers at international airports) does not forget both the economic and diplomatic power of the US. 

Perhaps it is that visual form of patriotism, or the fact that the pages remain blank save for those symbolic drawings, that the passport's recipient is forgiven for the excitement of getting on the road again, just to collect even more stamps and visas than the just-expired one. I might be ten years older than I was when I last became so excited, but with age comes even more determination to prove that the days of travel are not over. More responsibilities at work and less energy in the body do not signal a more sedentary lifestyle. 

Reality, however, is not merciful for the US passport holder with itchy feet. What is now commonly termed the Third Persian Gulf War is cutting off the most frequently used route that connects Europe and Africa with Asia, all the while pushing up jet fuel costs that in turn increase flight prices. With global opinions of America at an all-time low as a result of a military conflict that its government consulted almost no one about but detrimentally affects almost everyone on the planet, those customs officers at airports probably are not going to be impressed by a few colorful symbols of Americana.

Indeed, as I continue to trek to more corners of the world, it has become wiser to hide my American background rather than flaunt it, keeping the passport as hidden as possible when there is no explicit need for official identity confirmations. Visiting the local embassy or consulate will feel ever more like a secret dash to finish some paperwork at a fortress under siege, rather than a moment of nationalistic pride in a foreign land. Wanting to travel more, I now "have" to go through with it, turning what may have been positive and spontaneous into an anxiety-filled obligation.

Unfortunately, none of us chooses where we are born and bred, owing our allegiances to family circumstances, socialization through local education, and pure luck. There is not a day during my travels that I do not remind myself of being blessed with a powerful passport that allows me to enter visa-free into so many countries with so few questions asked. Taking for granted the smoothness of crossing borders, complaining about the negativity with which many greet Americans, almost feels like a first-world problem that many fellow travelers have no luxury to worry about.

Moreover, as the US economy continues to outperform so many developed countries, availing myself to employement opportunities that require an American background and legal right to work has made traveling across the world financially easier as well. The US dollar may be devaluing against many other currencies, but in absolute terms, an American salary is growing so fast that local expenses, even when converted into the US dollar, seem so much cheaper, for the same quality, than anything that high-inflation America can offer. It is a trade-off that I can live with.