Indian passport sucks, but its cross-border tools do not.

Yes, an Indian passport sucks. We all know that

My entire Twitter feed is complaints by fellow Indians about how they got rejected for Schengen visas or American tourist visas. Indian passport ranks globally in 85th position as per the Henley passport index.

Now enter the enlightenment phase

You got only one life to live, and India's passport strength might not improve in your lifetime. So now it's better to acknowledge the reality and focus on what India does offer and how you can leverage it.

So what exactly doe India offer?

• Visa-free access to ample nearby SEA (South East Asian) countries.
• A very comprehensive set of financial tools for cross-border finance.

How do cards and financial tools matter in traveling?

They do. They make your traveling not only convenient but also affordable. The lower the overhead cost of traveling, the more often you can travel.

Get Zero forex credit and debit cards

If you take any random Indian credit/debit card overseas, it can incur forex markup charges on every transaction, which can be as high as 3.5%.

But India has ample competition in the credit/debit card space. You can get zero forex markup credit cards and debit cards, both.

Both cards mentioned below are zero annual fee and zero joining fee.

• Credit Card- IDFC First Wow 🔗
• Debit Card- Fi 🔗

Get a cheap Travel Insurance

Your local health insurance won't pay for the hospital bills that incur overseas. You need a travel insurance 🔗. They cover your overseas hospital bills at a low price.

For example, my 26 days holiday in Da Nang, Vietnam, was covered by digit insurance for ₹1276. It gave comprehensive coverage in that amount.

Order USD currency notes

Imagine losing your wallet overseas. If the wallet has your credit and debit cards, it can be a troublesome situation.

For emergencies, carry some USD currency notes and keep them separate from your wallet. You can get any local currency in any country easily in exchange for USD.

You can get USD currency notes from any local forex dealer in your city. You can also get them delivered via online platforms like BookMyForex 🔗, which I used.

Note: If your wallet ever does get stolen, block your debit and credit card via the mobile app.