Get a Passport Quick for National Cruise Vacation Month! - Expedited Passports

Did you know that this month is National Cruise Vacation Month?  It’s true…the Cruise Lines International Association celebrates National  Cruise Vacation month every October. To commemorate the occasion, cruise lines are offering great deals on exotic cruises.

For example, according to the New York Times, if you book a cruise on Norwegian before October 20th, you’ll only pay half the deposit that you normally would, and you will get an onboard credit to use for whatever your heart desires. Other cruise deals available this month include a 5-night Western Caribbean cruise from Celebrity starting at $279; a 10-night Royal Caribbean Western Mediterranean cruise leaving from Venice that starts at $499, and a 7-night Mexican Riviera cruise from NCL that starts at $229.

To see more cruise deals, check out CruiseCritic.com. Please note that some of these deals are for international cruises-and depending on when the ship leaves port, that means you might need to get a passport, quick!

Under the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which became effective in June of this year, passports are required for passengers who travel by boat to Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean.  The exception is if you are traveling to one of these locations on a closed-loop cruise, a cruise that begins and ends at the same US port. If you’re on a closed-loop cruise, you can get by with a state-issued photo ID and a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship.

However, it’s best to have a passport anyway, since you need one for air travel to and from these locations and you want to be prepared in case you have to leave unexpectedly. Also, you definitely need a passport for European and South American cruises.

The easiest way to get a passport quickly is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. RushMyPassport makes it easy to get a passport quick by hand-delivering your application to the Department of State, resulting in processing times as low as 24 hours.

Don’t let these great deals sail away-get a passport, quick!

Heading to Europe, but looking for a destination that’s off the beaten path?  Look for an European Destination of Excellence.  An European Destination of Excellence, or EDEN for short, is an award given out by the European Commission to highlight relatively “unspoiled” tourist destinations that still offer visitors the chance to experience local culture.

According to this article in the New York Times, European Destinations of Excellence include small, quaint villages with an ancient history, like Carlingford, Ireland Edirne, Turkey. Carlingford features fresh seafood and medieval monasteries, while Edirne has been around since the Neolithic era and claims to be the birthplace of marzipan.

Visiting an EDEN destination is also an environmentally responsible choice, since sustainable development is one of the criteria for winning the award.  In the New York Times article, Ton van Lierop, a spokesman for the European Commission, explains “We want to promote destinations, locations, regions and towns with particular historical and cultural backgrounds, where sustainability plays a role.”

So far, there are 52 destinations that have received the EDEN designation.  Check out the European Destinations of Excellence website here to discover awesome destinations like the Sierra de las Nieves in Spain or the Tourist Wine Route of the Jura in France.

Of course, once you find a place to go, getting a passport should be your first priority. It’s important to allow enough time for your passport to arrive before you plan to leave. Getting a passport takes at least 6 weeks if you apply directly to the Department of State with regular processing, and at least 3 weeks if you apply for expedited processing.

However, if you’ve found an irresistible last-minute travel deal, don’t despair. Getting a passport quickly is possible. The easiest way to get a passport in a hurry is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com.  RushMyPassport will hand-deliver your passport application to the Department of State, resulting in processing times as quick as 24 hours.

Getting a passport is easier with us-apply for yours today!

It’s not even winter yet, but the weather outside is frightful! With fall rains, wind and cold temperatures (even snow!) making most of the country miserable, you may find yourself dreaming of cultivating an off-season tan on a tropical island somewhere.

Can you imagine sitting on a warm beach by the blue ocean, drinking something fruity with a little umbrella in it?

Well, what are you waiting for? For today only, JetBlue is having an amazing sale on  airfares to destinations including Mexico and the Caribbean. For example, you can fly from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Cancun for $49 one-way, or to Nassau for $29 one-way.

From New York, you can fly to Barbados or to Montego Bay, Jamaica for $99 one-way. Kingston, Jamaica is $89 one-way  from New York, and Nassau, Bahamas is $79.

Are you ready to leave the autumn chill behind and soak up some sun? Well, you’d better act fast-this sale ends at 11:59 pm tonight! Check out available fares here.

To fly to Mexico or the Caribbean, you will also need a passport.  If you want to leave within the next few weeks, you’ will also need a rush passport.

The easiest way to get a rush passport is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com.  The government’s expedited passport service takes about 3 weeks door-to-door, but an expediting company can have your passport application processed in as little as 24 hours!

Plus, you’ll work with a trained passport specialist and get simple, easy-to-understand instructions that help you avoid common mistakes and make filling out paperwork a snap!

Order your rush passport today!

Halloween is creeping closer and closer.  For an out-of-the-ordinary fall vacation, why not visit get a fast passport and visit the scenes of some of your favorite horror stories?

• London, England:    This city is the scene of horror classics like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and parts of Bram Stoker’s classic Dracula.
• Bran Castle, Romania: This castle, located in Transylvania, is billed as “Count Dracula’s castle” although it was not a primary residence of the historical Count Dracula, Vlad Tepes. However, it’s located in Transylvania and looks exactly like what you would expect Dracula’s castle to look like, so there you go.
• Geneva, Switzerland- In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, A Modern Prometheus, Victor Frankenstein grows up near Geneva. Mary Shelley first got the idea to write Frankenstein while she and her future husband, Percy Bysshe Shelly, were staying with friends on the shores of Lake Geneva. The weather was horrible, so the group resorted to telling ghost stories to pass the time, and Frankenstein’s monster was born!
• Paris, France: The Phantom of the Opera was set in the old Paris Opera House, although the opera has since moved to a newer building. The famous Cathedral of Notre Dame was, naturally, the setting for Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Of course, to travel to any of these destinations this month, you’ll need to get a fast passport. Actually, you’ll need a really fast passport. Regular passport processing takes approximately 6 weeks to complete, while the government’s expedited service takes approximately 3 weeks.

The easiest way to get faster passport processing is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com.  At RushMyPassport.com, we hand-deliver your passport application to the Department of State, resulting in processing times as fast as 24 hours.

Apply for your fast passport today!

Genealogy is a fascinating topic and a popular hobby. If your ancestors were travelers, one way to find out about them is to look up their old passport applications, if you can.  In 2007, Ancestry.com released a collection of US passport application forms from 1795 to 1925.

What can your ancestor’s US passport application forms tell you about them? Lots! Applications generally included biographical data like names and birthdates, and more personal information like occupations and physical descriptions, plus information about the applicant’s foreign travel plans.  Starting in 1914, passport applicants also submitted photos of themselves.

US passport applications from that far back often seem quite humorous today.  For example, one Ancestry Magazine staffer found a copy of her great-grandfather’s passport that described her grandfather as having a “large” nose and a “common” face. You can read her amusing account of her find here.

However, according to this Ancestry.com blog post, if you’re looking for a female relative before the ’20s, you may need to look under her husband’s name.  That’s because before the 20′s, most women simply traveled on their husband’s passport, and men filled 95% of US passport applications. However, by 1923, women were applying for passports in their own names, and up to 40% of the applicants were female.

Do you have a passport? What will your descendants learn about you from the application?

If you need a passport in a hurry, RushMyPassport.com can greatly speed up the application process for you.  We’ll help you with the paperwork and then submit your application by hand to the Department of State, resulting in processing times as fast as 24 hours.

Submit your US passport application today!

Looking for something exciting to do this October? AirFrance has some excellent deals on trips to Europe.

For example, you can go from Boston to Madrid, Spain for $506 roundtrip, and from Washington, DC to Paris, France for $596. Miami to Milan, Italy is $586.  You can find a complete list of fares here, on the Smarter Travel website.

Need some suggestions for what to do while you are there? In addition to the normal tourist activities, check out these local, seasonal things to do:

Looking for some liquid refreshment? Check out Cava Week in Sant Sadurni d’Anoia, Spain. The festival, which runs from September 22nd to October 13th, is a glorious celebration of the local sparkling wine, called cava.

The Alba White Truffle International Festival takes place in Alba, Italy from October 2 through November 7, and is a great place to sample local foods as well as the famed (and expensive!) white truffles.

If you’re traveling with children, check out the Kidexpo in Paris from October 15th-17th. It’s packed with games and activities for kids of all ages.

On October 30th, celebrate Halloween with the Witch Festival in Chalindrey, France. The Witch Festival celebrates the history behind the legends of witchcraft.

The Torino Film Festival runs from October 12th through October 20th in Torino, Italy. If you’re a fan of foreign films and independent cinema, it’s definitely worth a visit!

If you’re a chocoholic, you might also consider traveling to Perugia, Italy for the Eurochocolate Festival, October 15th through the 24th. The whole town will be swimming in rich chocolaty goodies!

Of course, if you want to travel to Europe this fall, you’ll need to expedite your passport if you don’t already have one. The easiest way to expedite your passport is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com.

With RushMyPassport.com, you can get your passport application processed in as little as 24 hours, without having to make an appointment or wait in line at a passport agency office.

Want to go to Europe this fall? Expedite your passport today!

It’s officially October, and that means Halloween is just around the corner. To help you get in the holiday spirit, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 spookiest places to spend Halloween.  Tired of the same old Halloween activities? Get an express passport and spend this year’s Halloween at one of these famous haunted locations:

• The Catacomb Museum in Paris, France- As if thousands of skeletons stacked on top of each other wasn’t creepy enough, at the Catacomb Museum, people have also reported seeing spirits and hearing voices.
• BallyGally Castle Hotel in BallyGally, Nothern Ireland-The ghost of this old castle’s first mistress, Lady  Isobella Shaw, is said to haunt a room called the “ghost room.” Lady Isobella was either murdered or driven to suicide by her husband James Shaw. Other ghosts have been reported as well.
• Monte Cristo Homestead, Australia- This old mansion is advertised as Australia’s “most haunted house.” Unexplained phenomena include ghostly voices and mysterious lights.
• The Tower of London- If you’re looking for ghosts with a royal pedigree, check out the Tower of London.  It’s no secret that the Tower has a bloody history. Reportedly, the spirits of Lady Jane Grey, Anne Boleyn, Sir Walter Raleigh and others have been spotted in the Tower.
• The Skirrid Mountain Inn, Wales- The Skirrid Mountain Inn is Wales’ oldest public house. Although it is an inn today, it has also been used as a jail and was the site of many public executions. In fact, you can still see the original rafter beam where prisoners were once hung!

If you want to spend Halloween at any of these macabre destinations, you will need to get an express passport if you don’t already have one.  With regular passport service, you can expect to wait at least 6 weeks for your passport. With the government’s express passport service, you can still expect to wait at least 3 weeks.

If you really want an express passport for Halloween, the easiest way to get one is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. With RushMyPassport, your application could be processed in as little as 24 hours!

Apply for an express passport today!

Travel writers have an awesome job.  I mean, really, getting paid to travel the world,  see cool stuff, eat delicious local foods, etc.  Awesome!

If you’ve always wanted to become a travel writer but aren’t sure how to get started, there’s a new online course available to help you get your feet wet.  The Matador Network, which bills itself as the world’s largest independent travel magazine, is offering a program called MatadorU aimed at teaching aspiring travel writers the tricks of the trade.

According to this review of the course on the Sharing Experiences website, for $225 you’ll get professional critiques of your work to help you improve your writing style, information on how to pitch articles and how to find job leads, and information on how to build your career using tools like social media.

In addition to tips from industry insiders, the MatadorU course also comes with a guarantee-if you don’t like it, you can cancel within 3 weeks to get your money back. All in all, it doesn’t seem like a bad deal-especially compared to learning the craft of travel writing the traditional way, through the school of hard knocks!

Of course, for an aspiring travel writer, there are a few accessories that you absolutely won’t be able to go without.  Obviously, you’ll need either a laptop,  or a pen and paper if you’re old-fashioned. You’ll also need a valid US passport.

Since many countries require your passport to be valid for at least 6 months after your trip, you should renew your passport well before it expires. In most cases, you can renew your passport by mail- see Passport Renewal or a New Passport? to see if you will be eligible for passport renewal by mail.

Remember, it can take at least 6 weeks to renew your passport using normal processing, and at least 3 weeks if you use the government’s expedited processing.  If you need your passport renewed more quickly, an expediting agency is the easiest and fastest way to go. With RushMyPassport.com, y0u could have your passport renewal processed in as little as 24 hours!

Renew your passport with us today!

Students at Kentucky’s Centre College get an extra perk this year: the school, which strongly encourages students to study overseas, is paying for their passports, according to the Lexington Herald Leader.

Already, 85% of the student body spends at least one semester studying abroad. The college would like that number to reach 100%. To encourage as many students as possible to spend time overseas, the school runs a number of low-cost overseas study programs in various foreign cities.

In the Lexington Herald-Leader, Milton Reigelman, director of Centre’s Center for Global Citizenship, explained why the school believes so strongly in the value of studying abroad that they are willing to pay for students’ passport services:  “It kind of focuses their attention … that to be educated in today’s world, you have to do more than just read about other places, you have to live there.”

No matter where you go to school, there are plenty 0f options for studying abroad-and it really does broaden your horizons to be immersed in another culture.  However, before you can study abroad, you must have a valid US passport.

It is also important to apply for passport services well in advance of when you plan to leave. Currently, the US Department of State is processing regular passport applications in approximately 6 weeks, and expedited passport applications in about 3 weeks.  However, you should apply well before these deadlines-delays can and do happen, and an accidental mistake on your application can mean you have to start over from scratch.

Requesting passport services from a private passport expediting company like RushMy’Passport.com makes the process much easier and faster. You’ll work with a trained passport professional and get simple, easy-to-understand instructions that help you avoid common mistakes. Then, we’ll deliver your application by hand to the Department of State for the fastest possible passport services-often as quick as 24 hours!

Apply for passport services with us today!

Good news for Arizona residents who need emergency passports: The US Department of State opened a new passport office in Tucson, Arizona on September 8, 2009, according to this press release.

The new Western Passport Center is located  at 7373 East Rosewood Street and is open by appointment only to help travelers who need a passport issued for travel within the next 14 days. It brings the total number of passport processing centers in the country up to 23, of which 19 are open to the public.

At this point, if you’re mathematically inclined, you might be thinking “Wait a minute…only 19 passport offices in the entire country? Is that enough for everyone?” It’s true, a lot of Americans don’t live within easy driving distance of one of these facilities.  In fact, the closest passport offices to the one in Tucson are in Los Angeles and Aurora, Colorado.

Plus, the offices operate on an appointment-only basis and they have limited hours of operation.  For example, the Tucson office is only open from 8:30am to 3:00pm from Monday through Friday. Even if you live near Tucson, that can make things difficult if you work during the day. If you already have an overseas trip coming up, you might not be able to take additional time off work to go to the passport office.

Oh well, getting an emergency passport is supposed to be difficult, right? Wrong! With a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com, you can get an emergency passport without having to make an appointment at a passport office. All you have to do is go to a passport acceptance facility (often a post office or library), get your application and documents sealed and send them in. The expediting company then hand-delivers your documents to the Department of State, where they will be processed in as little as 24 hours.  Doesn’t that sound easier?

Apply for your passport with us today!