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Do you still have your passport stamps? In a previous article I presented short stories from extra-ordinary border crossings and described the excitement of having souvenirs hidden inside your passport in the shape of a stamp.
Passports are fascinating
Read the article The Fascination of Passports. Here are some quotes from it.
I have never been one for souvenirs and gradually less so over the years. My prime souvenirs have been my videos and my photos, my diary notes and my (fading) memory. They are all visible on this blog and so is this extra souvenir, the passport contents.
Like all souvenirs some are more exciting than others. Some visa and stamp makers have gone lengths to create vivid, intricate, complex patterns of illustrations. Others are downright boring. Some are colourful, others are bland.
Scanned passport stamps
Here, I will offer images of my scanned passport stamps in a chronological view. The first goes back 40 years, to 1976.
There are some holes in this timeline, in particular most of the 1990’s and early 2000’s. The reason is partly that my travels went inside Europe at a time when border crossings became easier and immigration officers ceased to stamp Norwegian passports. Secondly, someone stole one of my passports. Thirdly, I travelled less abroad during these years.
My overseas travels have picked up in the last few years, and subsequently the numbers of visas and entry/exit stamps have increased as well.
Click to enlarge each image. Hover over the image to see year and country. (I have removed personal information)
