Travel is something we cannot avoid, nor is it something most of us want to avoid. There will still be many reasons to travel under Aretecracy, be it for business or pleasure. Here is how the system will deal with exploring the planet.
Travelling within the Aretecratic Union
Travelling between Aretecratic nations will be a simple procedure. As all citizens are linked to a central system via their ID’s; there will no longer be a need to use passports or boarding passes for those who never need to leave the Aretecratic Union. Travelling to another country which adopts Aretecratic rule will be no different than travelling to another city within your country.
Eventually when all nations adopt Aretecracy, anybody can travel or move to any part of the world without any difficulty.
Leaving the Aretecratic Union
If you wish to travel outside of the Aretecratic Union then this is a little more complicated and the way you would manage that travel will depend on what type of travel it is:
Business
Travelling for business requires a government official (probably your companies assigned official) to requisition an airline ticket and provide a sufficient amount of currency for the time spent within that country. This can be done by assigning the travellers with an international cash card, they will have access to any ATM’s within the destination country and can withdraw any local currency they require. Upon returning the card will be deactivated and will need to be returned to the government.
Note: Purchases within the country should be for the trip only, purchases made for the intention of import into the country should be made through government channels wherever possible.
Pleasure
Everyone loves a holiday and under Aretecracy it will be easier than ever for everyone to be able to travel the world. If you wish to travel to a country which is not within the AU then you can book your holidays through a travel provider, they will be able to provide you with flights and accommodation within the destination country and will provide each traveller with a cash card for use within that country. Your return flight and accommodation is guaranteed for the planned duration of your trip. However your vacation credits will be converted into local currency and that will be the balance applied to your cash card. If you run out of currency before your holiday ends, you will need to contact the local Aretecratic Embassy in order to alter your flights and return home early.
Note: Vacation credits are only spent when you book your flights or make purchases abroad, you can spend them on anything you like in your destination. Accommodation is provided for free by the Government. The amount of credits deducted for a flight will relate to the length of the flight and is only there to prevent over-use of air travel. If you are able to make your journey without the use of the airlines then transportation will be free until you leave the AU.
Coming into the Aretecratic Union
The more countries who join the AU, the higher the likelihood that people will want to enter it in order to carry out business meetings or go on holiday. As the AU has no concept of borders, anyone will be entitled to enter.
Upon entry to the AU (or preferably, before entry), they will be required to register with the government, they will be issued a permanent ID and will be provided with a weekly allowance as though they were a resident. If their journey is short then they can book into a hotel or other short stay accommodation.
If they plan to stay for a while then they can apply for housing.
The only form of border policing which will be done will be to check for illegal items and to ensure nothing will be brought into the country which could damage the ecosystem.
International Transport Infrastructure
Travel to and from other countries, both in and out of the Aretecratic Union is provided by the Department of Transportation. All airlines, railway[1], coach and shipping companies will be taken over by the Government and the services will be provided freely to anyone who uses them, this includes anyone who wishes to travel to a country within the AU from a country outside of the AU.
- In order to prevent abuse of the airlines, a small fee will be charged to holiday makers (if they are AU residents this will be taken from their vacation allowance). This fee will be scrapped if a non-polluting air-transportation system is developed.