how much would a visa be for a common trip?
say, Paris?
I know when I go to DR I gotta pay $10
Visas aren't really expensive, that isn't the prohibitive aspect of it. My visa for Europe last summer was like $75 or so, not really bad. It's the pre-planning part of it (at least for Europe, UK etc) that can be a hassle. You have to bring bank statements from the past 3 months, write a cover letter explaining the purpose of your trip, provide all the documents - original and copy - for your travel (flights, accomodations), take biometrics and conduct an "interview" where they review your documents. After that, you have to wait to get your application processed and then go retrieve your passport. For Europe you also have to take out travel insurance (~$15). From start to finish, the process can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks. The UK a short term visa was like $100 and then the mailing courrier was like $60 IIRC.
I remember when I was putting together my application for Europe, one of my coworkers saw the paperwork and asked if I was applying for a mortgage. I told him na, I'm tryna go see the Eiffel tower and hit up a Dutch coffee shop
All of that prevents me from doing any kind of "spur of the moment" trips. My boy (US citizen) that travels internationally for cheap often finds tickets at the spur of the moment. He was browsing Secret Flyer or so and saw a round trip ticket to South Africa for like $500, but the flight was leaving in 5 days.
He booked it, took off from work and hopped on down.
Lol, for me I'd look at that ticket like
Most of my travels involve serious planning. I'm a green card holder so I can go to some countries without a visa (Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, DR, Haiti and most of the Caribbean). As a Nigerian, I can also go to any West African country visa free (Ghana, Senegal, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire etc). Some African nations allow visa on arrival e.g. Kenya for $50.
No lie, that visa on arrival at Kenya is mad smooth. I got in from South Africa, handed them my passport and a crisp Grant. Was in central Nairobi 35 mins later
Most US brehs can just pop up some place, they stamp your passport and you're good for like 90 days. Lol, in South Africa they gave me only one additional day from when I said I was gonna leave the country.
Used the additional day to get at some Zulu women. Day was well spent