When did Freedom End?

Exploring the Origins of Controlled Travel

During my early life, my family didn’t go on many holidays.

My mother is disabled, so travelling far from home was never an option.

We visited caravan parks across the north of England, and sometimes in Wales.

That was the extent of it, and in its modesty, I was thankful.

I didn’t get my first passport until three years ago.

Since then, I’ve travelled to a few countries.

And one thing has always struck me: the effort it takes to simply cross a border.

It is not a simple task.

I am not naive, I understand the safety concerns in the modern world.

But even so, it is a rigidly regulated system.

A system that requires, in essence, the surrender of part of yourself to the state.

I cannot leave England legally without a passport.

I could not sail across the English Channel and step onto a beach in France.

To do so would be a crime, regardless of my intentions.

So, what is freedom?

We may move freely within the country we were born in, but the moment we try to cross a line on a map, we are immediately const…