TRAVEL | Visa-free destinations for easy travel

Between the paperwork and the application fee, getting a visa can be nearly as painful as getting a jab at the travel clinic.

So why not avoid the whole laborious process if you can?

Though the power of the SA passport has slipped in recent years, there is still an array of exciting destinations we can visit visa-free.

A whopping 70, in fact, according to the 2020 Henley Passport Index.

This index ranks the world’s passports from strongest to weakest based on data from the International Air Transport Association and research by Henley.

The Henley Passport Index’s website (https://www.henleypassportindex.com/passport) is updated in real time, as and when visa policy changes come into effect, making it a handy resource to use when planning your next overseas holiday.

It not only shows which destinations SA passport holders do and don’t need visas to visit, but also those where visas can be obtained on arrival.

Here are the 70 destinations it currently states we can travel to visa-free:

AFRICA

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Eswatini (Swaziland), Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Reunion, Senegal, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia, Zimbabwe

AMERICAS

Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Falkland Islands, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela

ASIA

Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macao, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand

CARIBBEAN

Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands

EUROPE

Ireland, Kosovo, Russian Federation

MIDDLE EAST

Georgia, Israel, Palestinian Territory, Qatar

OCEANIA

Cook Islands, Fiji, Micronesia, Niue, Vanuatu

DISCLAIMER: Always check visa requirements with your airline and travel agent well before your departure date.