Get a Rush Passport And Celebrate New Year’s Eve In Berlin - Expedited Passports

Still looking for something to do on New Year’s Eve?  Here are 4 good reasons to get a rush passport (if you don’t already have one), book a flight to Germany and celebrate New Year’s Eve (otherwise known as “Silvester”) in Berlin.

One of the Largest New Year’s Eve Parties in The World

You want to be somewhere memorable when you wave goodbye to the awkwardly-named decade of the Aughts, right? Where better to bid the decade farewell than one of the world’s largest open-air New Year’s Eve parties?

Every year, over a million people come to the Berlin Open End New Year’s Eve party, an extravaganza complete with food, music, drinks and fireworks.

German Beer

Sure, champagne is the traditional fizzy alcoholic beverage of choice for New Year’s Eve, but German beer is world-famous.

Cheesy Music

This year, folks attending the Berlin Open End party can celebrate the future with the cheesy pop music of yore.  Musical performers include the ABBA Celebration Band and Right Said Fred. Wait, you don’t remember Right Said Fred? Maybe this will ring a bell:

“I’m too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts!

I’m too sexy for your body, too sexy for your body, no way I’m disco dancing!”

Oh yeah, those guys…I used to have that album on a  quaint musical device called  a “cassette tape.”

Fireworks

The New York Times’ InTransit blog has an informative post up about the New Year’s Eve celebration in Berlin, including recommendations for smaller parties if you don’t want to attend the Open End blowout. The commenters on the post also pointed out that New Year’s Eve in Berlin is an “orgy of fireworks.” In addition to the big fireworks show, expect to have firecrackers go off around you or even be used as missiles. Stay away from those super-flammable synthetic fabrics, mmm-kay?

If you want to leave the country for New Year’s and you don’t have a passport, you’ll need to submit a rush passport application. At this point, your choices are to get an appointment at a Regional Passport office or to use a private expediting service like RushMyPassport.com.  An expediting company is often a more convenient choice, since you don’t have to make an appointment or wait in line.

With RushMyPassport, you simply complete your application and forward your application package to us via Fed-Ex. Then, we deliver it by hand to the US Department of State, for processing times as fast as 24 hours.

Celebrate the New Year in style-let us help you rush your passport today!

Usually, getting passport service is a fairly straightforward process. You fill out a passport application at a passport acceptance facility (often a post office, library, or County Clerk’s office) and provide them with the following documents to send to the Department of State along with your application:

• Proof of US Citizenship (such as a previously issued passport, a birth certificate, a Certificate of Citizenship or a Naturalization Certificate)
• Proof of identity (such as a driver’s license or state-issued ID)
• A photocopy of your proof of identity
• 2 passport photos
• The appropriate fees.

However, for 86-year-old Katherine Young, getting passport service wasn’t that easy. When she applied for a passport, she had long ago lost her birth certificate. Usually, this is not a problem-you can simply purchase another copy from the Department of Vital Records in the state you were born in. Or, if you are in a big hurry, you can pay an extra fee to have the Department of State look up your birth record for you. For more information, see How to Get a Passport Quickly Without a Birth Certificate.

Unfortunately for Katherine Young, who needed a passport to go on a Caribbean cruise with her son, the South Carolina Department of Vital Records didn’t have a copy of her birth certificate on file. And, she was the only surviving sibling in her family.

Don’t worry, this story does have a happy ending: Mrs. Young’s congressman’s office was able to help her obtain passport service, tracking down a 103-year-old woman from her hometown in South Carolina who remembered when she was born. The woman signed an affidavit, the State Department accepted it as proof Katherine Young was born in the US, and she was issued a passport in time to go on the cruise.

If you have all of the documents you need to apply and just need to speed up the application process, RushMyPassport.com can help. Our easy-to-use checklist makes it simple to fill out the paperwork and assemble the necessary documents. Then, once you send them to us, we deliver them by hand to the Department of State, to be processed in as little as 24 hours.

Apply for passport service with us today!

Where is your US passport right now? Is it squirreled away in your desk drawer? In your purse? Still in the passport holder you wore around your neck on your last trip?

Wrong, says Jean Chatzky of The Daily Journal.  According to Chatzky, because your passport is such an important document, it needs to be located somewhere safe, where you can find it instantly if you have to leave your house in an emergency.  She suggests making a list of all things you would want to take with you in an emergency-your US passport, birth certificate, backups of important family photos, bank account information and any other documents that are important and hard to replace.

You might think that the best place to store these original documents would be in a bank vault somewhere, but Chatzky advises against this because you might need the documents in a hurry. She says that it’s best to store copies of your US passport and other important documents in a safe deposit box. However, your original passport should be located with the other documents somewhere in your house.

Of course, disasters don’t always wait until you are home to strike. So, ideally, you should store your US passport and everything else in a fireproof, waterproof safe.  Just don’t lose the key or forget the combination!

It’s 10:30 pm. Do you know where your US passport is? If you do happen to lose your passport, you need to report is missing immediately by calling 1-877-487-2778 between 8 am and 10 pm. Then, you’ll need to submit Forms DS-11 (Passport Application) and DS-64 (Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport).

Passport applications normally take about 6 weeks to process if you request normal processing, and about 3 weeks if you request the government’s expedited processing. If you need your passport faster, using a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com is the quickest and easiest option. Depending on the processing option you choose, RushMyPassport can have your passport processed in as little as 24 hours!

Apply for a passport with us today.

There’s something satisfying about being first at something, don’t you think?  If you’d like to cross the finish line into 2010 first, before most of the world’s population, consider catching a plane to Australia to catch the New Year’s bash in Sydney, which bills itself as the New Year’s capital of the world. While 2010 technically starts in New Zealand, Sydney will be the first of the world’s major cities to say goodbye to 2009 and welcome in 2010.

Sydney also puts on a spectacular show for New Year’s Eve, one that’s worth flying out for. There are two sets of fireworks: the 9 pm family fireworks especially for families with small children will give your little ones something to dream about, and Sydney claims that the midnight fireworks display is the “world’s most epic.” In between is the Harbour of Lights parade, where selected boats parade around Sydney harbor festooned with a dazzling array of multicolored lights.

Of course, to travel to Australia you will need a US passport. If you don’t have one, you’ll need to get one fast-2009 is disappearing rather quickly!

If you apply for a fast passport using the government’s expedited service, you may be out of luck.  It could take up to 3 weeks for your passport to come back, and New Year’s Eve will be long gone by then.  Once you have tickets, you could also try to set an appointment at the nearest Regional Passport Agency-but be aware that there is no walk-in service. You have to get an appointment, and if you don’t live in a city that has an office, you could also be looking at some serious driving time.

If you need a fast passport before New Year’s Eve, the easiest way to get one is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport. An expediting company will hand-deliver your paperwork to the Department of State for amazingly fast passport processing-often in as little as 24 hours!

Need a fast passport? Apply with us today!

Are you looking for a cheap way to see the Caribbean? If you don’t mind working and learning new skills, you can often find a position as a crew member on a private boat. If you have experience sailing, you might even make a little bit of cash. But don’t worry, some boats will take you even if you are a complete landlubber, although you might have to pay a small fee each night for the privilege.

The New York Times’ Frugal Traveler wrote an excellent article about his experiences as  part of the crew on a schooner called the S.V. Illusion, which took him around the Caribbean for the bargain price of $55 per day. Go read the entire article…it sounds like he had one heck of a trip!

You may not need prior sailing experience to get a job on a schooner, but there’s one thing you definitely do need: a US passport. This is true even if you are just sailing to the Mexico, Caribbean or to Canada.  In June of this year, the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) became effective, requiring that US citizens traveling to Mexico, the Caribbean or Canada by land or by sea carry US passports prove their identity and citizenship.

One of the exceptions to the WHTI is for cruise ship passengers on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same US port).  However, joining the crew of a private boat is not the same as sailing on a cruise ship. You must have a US passport to re-enter the country.

Don’t let the ship sail without you-make sure to allow enough time for your new passport to arrive in the mail. If you apply with regular service, you should allow at least 6 weeks for it to arrive in the mail. The government’s expedited service takes about 3 weeks.

For faster passport service, a private passport expediting service like RushMyPassport.com is a great investment. With RushMyPassport, you’ll be assigned a case manager who will help you with the process of filling out your paperwork and gathering the necessary documents. Then, we’ll hand-deliver your application to the Department of State, for processing times as low as 24 hours.

Apply for your US passport today!

It’s almost Christmas, and hopefully you, unlike me, already have most of your Christmas shopping done. You have presents for Mom, Day and Aunt Sally, but what about for yourself?

If you’re going to need a little bit of R and R to recover from this holiday season, why not shake off the winter’s chill in Belize? The New York Times‘ In Transit blog has found some excellent deals on both hotels and airfare.  If you stay at The Phoenix hotel between January 9th and February 6th, you’ll get a sweet discount on rooms- in some cases, saving well over $100!

But what about getting there?  Fortunately, American Airlines also has deals on flights for approximately the same time period.  One-way fares range from $149 to $189.

The Phoenix Hotel is located on Ambergris Caye, Belize’s largest island. The island is famous for its resorts, white sand beaches, bright blue water and excellent scuba diving.

If you decide to give yourself a well-deserved vacation for Christmas, there’s one other item you should add to your shopping list: an express passport, if you don’t already have a passport.  You need a passport to fly to Belize, and you don’t have much time to get one if you are going to take advantage of these travel deals.

Ordinarily, it takes about 6 weeks to get a passport if you apply with regular processing, and about 3 weeks if you apply with expedited processing. If you need an express passport sooner than that, the easiest way to get one is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com.

At RushMyPassport, we provide easy instructions and checklists to help you fill out the application and gather the necessary documents. Then, we take them in person to the Department of State for express processing, often in as little as 24 hours.

Apply for your express passport today!

The University of South Florida’s football team has a chance to compete in the International Bowl in Toronto on January 2nd. There’s just one catch-to fly into Canada, everyone needs to have a passport.

According to TBO.com, the team didn’t hear that they would be going until December 6th, so everyone is having to scramble to get expedited passports. In fact, the passport acceptance facility at the Hillsborough County courthouse ended up processing 178 passport applications for the team in a single week.

The team is having their passports expedited through the Department of State, and officials from the courthouse told TBO.com that they could take up to 4 weeks to process and there was no guarantee that all the players would get their passports back in time. Chris Freet, USF assistant director of athletics, says the team is dealing with the surprise international trip as best they can and keeping their fingers crossed: “It’s not a normal situation and it’s the first time that we’re going,” he told TBO.com. “We tried our best to be as thorough as possible and we hope that nothing gets turned around in Miami.”

Circuit Court Clerk Pat Frank, who helped the team apply for the expedited passports, wished them well, saying “I just hope they get their passports and win that game. We were so happy to do it. They’re excited and nervous. When you take off the padding, they really looked liked fragile kids.”

Getting expedited passports through the Department of State can take 3-4 weeks, but there is another alternative if you need your passport sooner:  a private passport expediting company.  An expediter personally delivers your application to the Department of State, putting your application on the top of the stack for the fastest possible processing.  In fact, if you have your passports expedited through RushMyPassport.com, your application could be processed in as little as 24 hours!

At RushMyPassport, we specialize in expedited passports- apply for yours today!

Well, better late than never…it looks like citizens of New Mexico (as well as other states that issue driver’s licenses that aren’t compliant with the REAL ID Act) will still be allowed to fly with their driver’s licenses after the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve.

Previously, New Mexican government officials had been warning citizens that they would not be able to use their driver’s licenses to fly after January 1st, 2010. That is the date that the REAL ID Act, enacted in 2005 due to concerns about terrorism, was set to go into effect.  Three dozen states, including New Mexico, do not comply with REAL ID requirements.  If law goes into effect January 1st, as planned, that could leave a lot of people who wouldn’t be allowed to use their license to fly and who probably don’t have passports.

Now, KOAT.com is reporting that the New Mexico Delegation has been assured that somehow, the law will be fixed to allow people to continue to fly on their driver’s licenses after the deadline.  The article quotes the three senators as saying:

“We fully understand the anxiety this situation has caused New Mexico holiday travelers, but we have received every assurance that there is no need for them to worry. Anyone planning to travel with a state-issued identification will not be hindered.”

So, it appears passports won’t be necessary for holiday travel for New Mexicans after all. However, the government has not specified how they are going to circumvent the new regulations.  The federal government would prefer that the PASS ID act be passed and signed into law to postpone the REAL ID act, but other “contingency plans” are being developed.

If you decide you want to get a passport anyway, just in case, remember that it does take 6 weeks for normal passport processing and 3 weeks for the government’s expedited passport processing. If you are traveling internationally and you need your passport more quickly, the easiest way to get one is to use an expediter like RushMyPassport.

Expediters hand-deliver your application to the US Department of State, resulting in super-fast turnaround times. In fact, at RushMyPassport.com, we often mail passports back to our clients in as little 24 hours.

We make getting passports easy-apply with us today!

For most people, there’s no place like home on Christmas. But what if you want to travel, to experience Christmas somewhere new and different?

London is an especially magical place to spend Christmas, and right now, Virgin Atlantic is having a sale on fares  to London.  You can get to London from New York City for just $512 round-trip, while $526 will get you there and back from Washington, DC.  On the West Coast, $642 will get you round-trip tickets from either San Francisco or LA. See more fares and additional details on Smarter Travel.

Once you’re there, you can enjoy traditional activities like ice skating and watching the English National Ballet’s traditional performance of The Nutcracker. Pantomimes are another popular English pastime during the holiday season-these are humorous theater performances where men often play female characters, and vice versa. There’s also the Great Christmas Pudding race, where contestants dress up and compete to see who can run around Covent Garden the fastest while carrying a large Christmas pudding.

It almost goes without saying that London is an excellent place to do some Christmas shopping. Plus, the atmosphere is almost guaranteed to get you in the Christmas spirit.  An enormous Christmas tree lights up Trafalgar Square, and Christmas carols regale people passing by with traditional Christmas songs to raise money for charity. Plus, there are lights everywhere-see this post on Write On! for some excellent pictures!

Before you take off for London, you will have a final piece of Christmas shopping to take care of in the States-obtaining a passport.  If you don’t have one already, you may have trouble getting one before your plane leaves- Christmas is only 2 weeks away, and the US Department of State advises you t0 allow at least 3 weeks to receive your passport if you choose the government’s expedited processing option.

Your best option at this point for obtaining your passport in time is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. We make obtaining a passport easy by helping you complete the paperwork and gather the necessary documents, and then forwarding your application directly to the Department of State. This puts your application on top of the stack, resulting in processing times as low as 24 hours.

Apply for your passport today!

Do you love beer? Do you really, really love beer? Then you need to get a passport immediately and head to Austria, home of the Starkenberg brewery/beer resort (h/t Matador Nights).

What makes Starkenberg so special? Well, apart from the ability to tour the brewery (which includes an old castle) and taste the wares, Starkenberg is the home of the bierschwimmbad. You may be asking yourself “What is a bierschwimmbad, and why would I want to fly to Austria to swim in one?”

A bierschwimmbad is basically Homer Simpson’s dream come true: a swimming pool filled with beer! Starkenberg claims that beer is great for your skin, and that Cleopatra often bathed in beer in addition to her famed baths of milk and honey.  They also say that “it provides the whole body with relaxation and recovers frayed nerves.” I’ll bet it does!

You probably shouldn’t actually DRINK the stuff in the bierschwimmbad, though. Starkenberg advertised the baths as being quite beneficial for dirty skin, open wounds and psoriasis. Stick to swimming and get a fresh bottle from the brewery to enjoy poolside!

Of course, to get to Austria, you will need a valid passport.  Getting a passport can require a good deal of waiting-anywhere from 6 weeks or more for regular service to 3 weeks for the government’s expedited service. If you want to get a passport more quickly, the easiest way to do so is to use a private passport expediting company.

With an expediting company like RushMyPassport.com, you get personal, friendly service from the representative assigned to handle your case. You get help filling out the passport application and gathering the required documents, and then we hand-deliver your paperwork to the Department of State for processing times as low as 24 hours!

Ready to get a passport? Let us help!