WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Why Do I Need a Passport to Travel?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>rain Stuff, I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, and I have another classic

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<v Speaker 1>episode for you from our erstwhile host, Christian Sager. This

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<v Speaker 1>one is on my mind as the holidays are currently approaching,

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<v Speaker 1>bringing with them some of the busiest travel days of

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<v Speaker 1>the year. Today, we're talking about where passports come from

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<v Speaker 1>and why of us humans need one to travel internationally. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>this is brain Stuff. I'm Christian Saga, and I just

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<v Speaker 1>got back from a vacation. Here's the thing, though, if

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<v Speaker 1>I were going out of the country, let's say, to

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<v Speaker 1>sunny Bolivia, my whole trip would have hinged on one

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<v Speaker 1>vital thing, my passport. But what is this thing exactly?

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<v Speaker 1>Why do I need it to travel? Well, the first

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<v Speaker 1>question has a pretty clear cut answer. A passport is

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<v Speaker 1>a document issued by a government that verifies your identity

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<v Speaker 1>and gives you the right to travel under its protection.

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<v Speaker 1>The word passport comes from passport of Middle French phrase

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<v Speaker 1>from around the fifteen hundreds. However, the idea of a

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<v Speaker 1>passport is positively ancient. You can find evidence of state

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<v Speaker 1>sponsored travel documents dating from as far back as four

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and fifty b c E. And since that time

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<v Speaker 1>these documents have existed in one form or another, with

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<v Speaker 1>varying degrees of success. Since about the nineteen eighties, most

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<v Speaker 1>passports have been regulated by a department of the United

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<v Speaker 1>Nations called the International Civil Aviation Organization or I see A. Oh,

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<v Speaker 1>so why do you need one? Well, ultimately, it goes

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<v Speaker 1>down to proof of nationality. For example, let's say I

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<v Speaker 1>was caught up in a vast conspiracy and I had

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<v Speaker 1>to travel to the Vatican. That happens, right Anyhow, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>flying into Italy and I have to present some sort

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<v Speaker 1>of proof that I'm really coming from where I say

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<v Speaker 1>I am coming from. Otherwise, any old supervillain with a

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<v Speaker 1>plausible Yankee accent could stroll off the run way pretending

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<v Speaker 1>to be an American. Right, So, possessing a passport is

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<v Speaker 1>like having your country of origin vouch for you, assuring

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<v Speaker 1>other nations that you are in fact the person you

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<v Speaker 1>say you are. Keep in mind, however, that possession of

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<v Speaker 1>a valid passport alone does not guarantee your entrance. Countries

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<v Speaker 1>allow visitors at their own discretion, which means that in theory,

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<v Speaker 1>they can refuse entry to pretty much anyone at any time,

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<v Speaker 1>so even if you have a valid passport, make sure

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<v Speaker 1>to check the entry policies of the country you're visiting

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<v Speaker 1>before you hop on that plane. And not everyone's happy

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<v Speaker 1>with the passport system. In the Invention of the Passport,

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<v Speaker 1>Professor John Torpi argues that it is inherently a monopoly

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<v Speaker 1>of the state, meaning a private company like say how

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff Works, couldn't just slap my mug in a little

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<v Speaker 1>book and send me off to Japan. Religious organizations can't

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<v Speaker 1>do this either. Not only do countries control the passport system,

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<v Speaker 1>but the issuing country can revoke your passport at any time.

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<v Speaker 1>And of course, not everyone has a passport either. Only

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<v Speaker 1>about forty six percent of Americans had either a passport

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<v Speaker 1>or the less comprehensive passport card. The fifty percent who

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<v Speaker 1>don't have one overwhelmingly didn't get it because well, they

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<v Speaker 1>just didn't want the thing. However, people can end up

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<v Speaker 1>without a passport for numerous reasons. Perhaps it's lost or stolen,

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<v Speaker 1>in which case you'll need to contact your local consulate.

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<v Speaker 1>In cases of war torn countries, refugees may not have

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<v Speaker 1>a passport. Some people are even considered stateless, meaning the

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<v Speaker 1>country they live in does not consider them a citizen.

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<v Speaker 1>The United Nations has special laws describing how to issue

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<v Speaker 1>travel documents in these cases, So there you have it.

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<v Speaker 1>In theory, almost every single person on the globe needs

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<v Speaker 1>a passport or some sort of official document to travel.

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<v Speaker 1>This official document could be something for an individual will,

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<v Speaker 1>or it could be an agreement between specific countries. At

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<v Speaker 1>one point or another, there's no other way to legally travel.

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<v Speaker 1>Virtually everyone needs something like this. Ah. But did you

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<v Speaker 1>notice how I just said almost every person and virtually everyone.

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<v Speaker 1>That's right, ladies and gentlemen. There is one person in

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<v Speaker 1>the world who can travel freely and legally without a

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<v Speaker 1>passport or other documents, the Queen of England. True story.

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<v Speaker 1>British passports are issued in the name of the Queen,

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<v Speaker 1>therefore it's not necessary for her to have one. The

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<v Speaker 1>rest of the family has to have a passport, though,

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<v Speaker 1>even the Princes William and Harry. Today's episode was written

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<v Speaker 1>by Ben Bollin and produced by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of I Heart Radios How Stuff Works.

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<v Speaker 1>To hear more history you might not have known about

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<v Speaker 1>from Ben, check out his podcast Ridiculous History, and of course,

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<v Speaker 1>for more on this amounts of other international topics. Visit

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<v Speaker 1>our home planet, hows to works dot com plus for

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