Brits have one of the most powerful passports in the world, study finds

British passport holders have fewer impediments to travelling than almost all other nationalities.

The passport control queue at airports is simultaneously one of the most boring and interesting parts of any flight. The interminable wait to be ushered into the UK or Spain by some surly looking border guards is alleviated somewhat by playing ‘Spot the Brit’ or ‘Spot the German’.

As you wind your way around the snake-like queue barriers, a quick glance at a fellow passenger’s passport will either confirm your suspicions or leave you scratching your head. The passport is a curious thing, and can alter how you view people and how they view you back…

But on a global scale, passports are serious business. Queue games aside, Brits armed with a UK passport are some of the luckiest travellers going, beaten only by the Swedes, Finns and Germans when it comes to being accepted with open arms anywhere in the world.

According to a recent survey by transport search comparison site GoEuro, the British passport is the fourth most powerful in the world in terms of lowering barriers to travel. A British passport will allow visa-free travel to 174 countries worldwide for a cost of just £73. Largely, Brits are able to swan in and out of places hassle-free.

The UK just beats out the USA, with Americans also able to visit 174 countries visa-free, but have to pay £16 more for the pleasure to do so. In fact, 174 countries is the maximum visa-free entry available for Swedes, Germans and Finns, but their passports are simply cheaper.

Spaniards only have to pay £20 for their passport, but visa-free entry exists in just 172 countries – two fewer than British passport holders, making Spanish passports the eighth-most powerful in the world.

If you were thinking “Which is the world passport to hold?” then worry no more: according to the research, Afghans have it the hardest when travelling, being given visa-free access to a mere 28 countries, while Turkish passport holders have to shell out a whopping £166 just to get hold of one.