So, I’m working on putting together a trip (it’s been too long), and I keep coming across examples of new entrance requirements for many countries. Japan will now take your photo and set of prints every time you enter it. Bolivia is joining the ranks of countries that have now decided to charge US citizens as much as it charges their citizens to apply for a visa ($134 for 30 days!). You can thank US policy for leading the way on all of this.

I realize that, as a holder of US and EU passports, I have it easier than pretty much anyone else on the planet when it comes to travel without restrictions (and even emigration). So I’m not really complaining about, say, the $134 to go to Bolivia. But I am foursquare behind making international travel easier, more accessible, and more frequent for *everyone*. And the US’s actions are helping countries around the world implement programs that work directly against that goal.