Expedited Passports

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!

Winter got you down? No problem! Currently, American Airlines is offering some excellent deals on flights to Belize. (Via Smarter Travel). Why stay stuck in the rain, cold and frost when you could be lounging on a white sand beach, exploring the rainforest or visiting Mayan ruins?

American Airlines currently has flights to Belize for as low as $298 round-trip if you fly out from Saint Louis, Missouri; Hartford, Connecticut; Miami, Florida; Washington, DC or New York City. It’s $358 to leave from Chicago and $378 to leave from Los Angeles.

If you go to Belize, here are some sights you should not miss:

• Belize Barrier Reef- a paradise for scuba divers and snorkelers, the Belize Barrier Reef is home to a dazzling variety of marine life.
• Half Moon Caye Natural Monument- the first area in Belize to be designated as a protected area.
• Caracol- An amazing Mayan site. Climb to the top of the awe-inspiring temple of Canaa, which towers 143 feet above the jungle, and explore the surrounding buildings to get a sense of what everyday life was like for the Maya.

If you’re planning on going to Belize, a valid US passport is a necessity. To get the American Airlines special, you will need to book by December 22nd and travel between January 1st and March 31, 2010.  Depending on when you travel, you may need to apply for an express passport.

The easiest way to get an express passport is to apply with a private passport expediting company. Currently, the Department of State says to allow 6 weeks or more for regular service and 3 weeks or more for expedited service. The only way to get it faster is to apply at a Regional Passport Agency, which requires that you make an appointment.

An expediting company can get you an express passport quickly, often within 24 hours, with no need to drive to a Regional Passport Agency office or take time off from work for your appointment.

Apply for your express passport today!

You’ve always wanted to travel the world, right? Well, what’s stopping you?  Becoming a world traveler is a big change. Are you just not sure where to start?

Over at Almost Fearless, Christine Gilbert is offering an ebook that just might help you get your rear in gear, so to speak. The ebook, a compilation of a month’s worth of blog posts, is a guide to help you make the changes you need to make your lifestyle more travel-friendly. It covers topics like how to make more money, how to find a travel-friendly job, staying safe on the road, homeschooling kids, making arrangements for pets and much more.

Even better, right now the ebook is available as a free PDF download for subscribers to the Almost Fearless blog. All you have to do to qualify is subscribe to the blog via RSS or email. The ebook is free for now, but it may not be after January 10th, so if you’re interested, now is the time to go get it.

If you plan on traveling the world in the near future, of course, you’ll also need to get a passport if you’ve never had one before, or get a passport renewal if your passport is expired.

At RushMyPassport, we make getting a passport easier by providing you expert help with your application.  Then, we hand-deliver your documents to the US Department of State for super-fast processing-often as fast as 24 hours.  Compare that to the normal processing times of 6 weeks for standard service and 3 weeks for expedited service!

Ready to travel the world? Get a passport today!

If you’ve ever wanted to celebrate an old-fashioned Christmas in Europe or experience springtime in Paris, now is a great time to book a flight.  Air France is running a special on flights across the pond from several different US cities, and prices start at $47o round-trip. For that price, you can catch a plane from New York City to Lisbon, Portugal. For $574, you can fly from Washington, DC to Geneva, Switzerland, and for $576 you can fly from New York to Nice, France. You can even fly all the way from Los Angeles to Paris and back again for just $758.

Smarter Travel has more details about the special and more sample fares. To get these prices, you have to book by December 3rd, but you can travel anytime through December 16th or from January 6th through March 28, 2010.Some blackout dates do apply, so make sure you read the offer information carefully.

Of course, if you want to travel to Europe soon, you will need to get a passport,  quick! Passport applications can take anywhere from 6 weeks for regular processing to 3 weeks for the government’s expedited processing.  If you need a passport quicker than that, the easiest thing to do is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. With an expediting company, you can get your passport quick, with processing times as fast as 24 hours. Plus, you don’t have to make an appointment or drive down to a regional passport agency office. All you have to do is send your documents to us using the shipping label and information we provide you, and we’ll hand-deliver them to the Department of State. Getting a passport in a hurry has never been easier!

Need to get a passport, quick? Apply with us today!

Have you always wanted to be a travel writer? Do you dream of visiting Japan? Rough Guides has a new contest that could help you jump-start your career. Jaunted has the scoop: apparently, they are offering a chance to get training and experience as a professional travel writer for free. If you win the contest, you get a free trip to Tokyo, Japan. While you’re there, you’ll be doing research and writing to update the Rough Guides to Tokyo.

You’ll work with a “writing mentor” and spend 7 days traveling, staying in different hotels and working on the guidebook. Of course, all work and no play makes for a dull vacation. So, after you’re done, you’ll get a 4 day tour to yourself.

You can enter by submitting your best 500 word travel writing sample. You must write about one of the following topics:

• A Journey that Changed Lives
• Responsible Travel
• Adventure in an Unknown Culture
• A Memorable Experience Involving Food in a Foreign Country

To enter, you have to meet 3 qualifications:

• You must be over 18.
• You must not be a professional writer (curses!).
• You must have a valid US passport.
• You must be ready to go in February 2010.

What if you love to travel but don’t have a US passport? No problem-the applications aren’t due until December 21st, so you still have time to apply.

Of course, if you apply with normal processing, it will take at least 6 weeks for you to get your passport back. Expedited service from the government takes about 3 weeks. To get your passport more quickly, of course, you can use a private expediting company like RushMyPassport.com.

An expediting company forwards your application to the US Department of State for much faster processing-anywhere from 24 hours to around a week, depending on the option you choose.

Ready to make your travel writing dream come true? Apply for your US passport today!

Macau, one of China’s special administrative regions, is a playground for tourists and one of the richest cities in the world. Every year in November, the province is taken over by auto racing fans for the Macau Grand Prix. This year, as the New York Times reports, the race runs from November 19 to November 22nd.

Unlike NASCAR’s standard oval track, the track for the Macau Grand Prix is a little bit more exciting, with sharp turns and hills to add some spice to the race.  In fact, it is considered to be one of the most challenging tracks in the world. There’s also more than just cars: according to Wikipedia, this is the only street-circuit racing event that has both car and motorcycle races.

Of course, if you want to see the race in person, you will definitely need a passport.  If you don’t have a one already, you’ll need to get your application processed super-fast to be able to make this year’s race.

If you’re traveling within the next 14 days, you can either apply for fast passport processing at a Regional Passport  Agency office or use a private passport expediting system. Using an expediter is the easiest and most convenient way to get a fast passport. You don’t have to make an appointment or spend a lot of time driving to/waiting around in a passport office. Instead, you can go to a passport acceptance facility, like a post office or library, have your application documents “sealed,” and send them to the expediting company. The expediting company then forwards them to the Department of State for fast passport processing.

In fact, with RushMyPassport.com, your passport application could be processed in as little as 24 hours!

Need a fast passport? Apply with us today!

The tiny Caribbean island of St. Lucia is an excellent destination for anyone who likes tropical beaches, scuba diving, snorkeling or hiking.  Now, you can fly there on JetBlue. Jaunted covered JetBlue’s inaugural flight to St. Lucia, and notes that it is a good deal cheaper than competing fares from old-school airlines like American.

Your flight may not feature rum and cake, like the inaugural flight did,  but hey, it’s still an affordable way to get to Paradise.

Of course, if you want to fly with JetBlue to their newest destination, you will need to get a new passport if you don’t already have one.

Here’s a brief rundown of what’s required when you fill out a new passport application:

• You must apply in person at a passport acceptance facility (usually a post office, library or county clerk’s office).
• You’ll need proof of identification and proof of citizenship. You’ll also need a photocopy of your identification.
• You must complete a new passport application, form DS-11.
• Submit 2 passport photos.
• Pay the applicable fees ($70 application fee + $25 execution fee + $60 if you want expedited service).
• Wait at least 6 weeks for regular service, and at least 3 weeks for expedited service.

If you’d like to travel St. Lucia  sooner than that, a private passport expediting company is your best bet. With an expediting company, you fill out your passport application at an acceptance facility, then have the documents “sealed.” Send the sealed application packet to the expediting company, and they will forward it directly to the Department of State, putting it on the top of the stack for super-fast processing.

In fact, RushMyPassport.com can often get passport applications processed in as little as 24 hours.

Apply for your new passport today!

When I wake up in the morning, the whole house is chilly, my bones ache, and I envy the flocks of geese and other birds that pass over my yard on their way to warmer, more hospitable climes. Birds are smarter than people-when the weather turns gross and cold, they fly south to sip margaritas on a beach somewhere until spring.

Well, okay, not really. But that’s what I would be doing if I, like many North American songbirds,  were overwintering in Mexico! Like it or not,  most of us can’t afford to put all of our possessions in storage and spend 3 months of  each year south of the border. However, there are some awesome deals on airfare to Mexico and the Caribbean right now, so you just might be able to afford a week or so of sunshine.

SmarterTravel.com has the scoop, with fares starting at $152 round-trip, for a flight from Tampa, Florida to Freeport, Bahamas on Spirit Airlines.  For $176, you can get from chilly Boston to Nassau on American Airlines, and for $194, Continental will take you from Dallas, Texas to Guadalajara, Mexico.

To get your tickets at these prices, you will need to be ready to depart by November 30th, and return by December 15. So, if you don’t already have a passport, you’ll need to get one in a hurry-you can’t fly to the Caribbean or Mexico without it!

There are two different ways to expedite your passport: apply for the government’s expedited service or use a private passport expediting company.  Of the two, a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com is by far the easiest and least stressful option.

If you don’t apply for expedited service, you can expect to wait at least 6 weeks for your passport, by which time this sale will be long gone.  If you apply for the government’s expedited service, you’ll stay wait at least 3 weeks for your passport to arrive.  ‘

You also can request emergency passport service with proof that you are traveling in 14 days or less. However, you have to make an appointment and drive to a Regional Passport Agency office, and there may not be one of those within easy driving distance.

With an expediting service, you can expedite your passport application to get it processed in as little as 24 hours, with no appointments, long drives or waiting in line.  Expedite your passport the easy way with us today!

Americans tend to avoid thinking about death unless they simply can’t help it. But across the border in Mexico, there is an entire holiday centered around death- El Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead.  The Day of the Dead is traditionally a time to honor dead relatives and friends.  It is believed that the souls of the dead are able to return during the celebration and be with their loved ones again.

The celebration takes place right after Americans get done celebrating Halloween, and it’s actually 2 days long.  On November 1st,  dead children and infants are believed to return in spirit to spend the day with their families. T0 honor them, families decorate their graves and an altar inside the home with little gifts like toys and balloons.

The next day, November 2nd, is the day that the souls of adults come back.  They are honored with more “grown-up” offerings, such as bottles of tequila or mezcal, or atole, a thick, hot drink made from cornstarch.

Both children and adults are also honored with altars and tombstones draped in yellow-orange marigolds, and rich feast of cakes and candies, most decorated with grinning skulls.  Most people visit the graves of family members in cemeteries, and in some areas, more elaborate ceremonies and candlelit vigils take place.

The best places to observe the Day of the Dead in Mexico are generally considered to  be  Mixquic in Mexico City, the island of Janitzio in Michoacan, Oaxaca and Meridia in Yucatan.  It’s not uncommon for tourists to visit these areas to observe the celebrations-just remember to be respectful,  since this is a serious, important holiday for the people who live there.

If you’d like to see the Day of the Dead for yourself, you’ll need to get a passport, quick.  Since June of 2009, passports have been required for all travel to Mexico.  Currently, it takes about6 weeks to get a passport if you apply with regular processing, and at least 3 weeks if you apply for expedited processing.

That doesn’t really give you enough time to get your passport and get to Mexico in time for the Day of the Dead this year, but a private passport expediting company can help you get a passport more quickly.

An expediting company will your passport directly to the Department of State, putting it on the “top of the stack.”  This means you get your passport quick, with processing times as low as 24 hours.

Need a passport quick? Apply with us today!