I am from Singapore, one of the countries on the top of the list, with visa free access to a lot of countries.
But I am sad to report that most Singaporeans don't even make use of this advantage. They (I write in the third person because I consider myself an exception to the topic on hand) prefer to travel to countries which are practically open to anyone with a passport, like France, Spain (EU), Australia (Oceania), Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia (close neighbours), USA.
Relatively "exotic" countries like Ukraine, Czech Republic, Nigeria, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Costa Rica, Paraguay (thanks Paraguay, their removal of our visa requirement allowed us to be tops), are never on their "to visit" lists.
Most Singaporeans' travel choices are baised.
- White supremacy: USA or Europe are top travel destinations for long distance travel.
- Same race, same creed, same ancestry: Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia... trump equally near countries like Cambodia, Myanmar or Nepal.
- Instagram: I MUST go to Paris because taking a selfie with the Eiffel Tower is the latest instagram hit. Never mind that it costs three times as much as equally beautiful Croatia.
So, seriously, having a powerful passport in a regular Singaporean's hands is like having a top of the class kitchen in your house but continuing to buy takeout every day, from the same store.
Thank you for sharing some habits of your fellow countryman! It is interesting to see the differences in cultures. I am glad to see you come out different! Wishing you happy travels! Tomas
Thanks. I'm roaming South America "Oh! So dangerous! There are drug wars aren't there?" at the moment. When I was about to begin on my gap year "Why such a long holiday? By the time you come back your classmates will have had a year extra of work experience under their belt.", the most common advice I got was "Why not visit a majority Chinese (my family is of Chinese descent) country? It is safer.", oh really?