What proof of travel do you have to show you have been where you say you have been? We have four ideas you can use to show the doubting Thomases that you have been there and done that.
1. The Immigration Stamps in Your Passport
The passport contains crucial proof of travel evidence that you can use to show you have travelled somewhere. Especially outside your country of origin. At every border crossing, the immigration officer stamps your passport with an entry and exit stamp.
These stamps become your evidence that you have gone where you say you have gone. It gives you the much sought-after bragging travel rights. Do I hear you ask if a Visa fits this bill? In our opinion, no it does not. You could acquire a Visa and never actually travel because something happened that forced you to cancel your trip.
2. Your Boarding Pass
The boarding pass is another watertight proof of travel you can use to show that you boarded an airline, train or ship. The reason the boarding pass and not the ticket itself provides rock-solid evidence is the same as a visa above. You may have purchased a ticket but never actually travelled. Besides, you might have cancelled or missed the journey. Who knows!
The boarding pass, on the other hand, shows you were inside some transport mode and since it has both your name and destination, it is enough proof of travel. Of course, in rare circumstances, a journey could still be cancelled at this stage but this is very rare!
3. Selfies you have Taken
These have become the latest fad in travel. Everyone, including presidents, is taking selfies of themselves nowadays. So beyond the usual scenery photos, which you can get on Google anyway, a selfie becomes the hard evidence that you were there and did that.
Just make sure you capture them while standing in front of a recognisable landmark. For instance, while visiting Kenya, take selfies in front of the Kenyatta International Convention Centre or a signboard to any one of our national parks.
You could even be more creative and capture a selfie of yourself standing in front of a Kenya Airways plane. Be warned that people nowadays can tell apart fake photoshopped pictures so steer clear of those!
4. Unique Souvenirs you Have Bought
These really need to be unique so they leave no shadow of a doubt that you were there and did that. Try as much as possible to get something very indigenous to the location you are visiting. If again you are visiting Kenya, you might want to get some of those beaded Maasai bangles decorated with the colours of the Kenyan flag. A place like the Maasai Market sells a range of unique and authentic souvenirs that fit the bill.
What might really be awesome though is if you could get local books, music and videos autographed by their local artists to take back home with you. There cannot be more authentic proof of travel than this.
Can you think of some more proof of travel items you can exhibit to claim bragging rights for being there and doing that?
Comment (0)