Travel Insurance: Yes or No? - Expedited Passports

People have a lot of questions about travel insurance. What is it? What does it cover? Is it worth the price? Where do I get it? So here are some simple answers to help you make a more informed decision.

All travel insurance policies are different. So before you buy, make sure you’re getting the protection you want at a fair price. But don’t buy until you find out if you already have these benefits through your existing insurance coverage and credit cards. If you’re already covered, make sure the coverage meets your needs.

One of the main reasons people buy travel insurance is for trip cancellation and interruption protection. It would cover some or all of the charges if you had to cancel your trip or come home early due to an emergency.  Some travel insurance policies offer reimbursement for your pre-paid nonrefundable trip costs if your passport is lost or stolen prior to starting your trip.  A trip would have to be canceled if the traveler could not secure a replacement passport in time.

Another type of coverage protects personal effects while traveling. But again, do your homework before you buy. Some airlines will reimburse you a standard payment for lost  bags. Your credit card and homeowner’s insurance may also cover loss of personal effects while traveling.

Then there’s health-related coverage. If you need emergency medical care while traveling, it could get expensive – especially when the health emergency prevents you from making your scheduled departure. Costs could include medical treatment, evacuation, lodging, food, transportation and new travel arrangements to return home.

While your current medical plan may cover some costs of emergency medical treatment while traveling, it may not cover others – like accident-related costs from “high risk” activities, or charges for medical evacuation. If you’re traveling abroad to places where you don’t trust the level of medical care, you’ll want to make sure you have an exit plan in place if a health issue should arise. If you do decide to buy travel insurance with medical coverage, make sure you know exactly what you’re buying. Some policies may exclude pre-existing conditions or limit coverage for evacuation, travel and more.

So do your homework, then decide if travel insurance is right for you. And while you’re making your travel plans, make sure that you know where your passport is and make sure it is not expired. For more information about passports, including expedited passport services, go to www.rushmypassport.com.

Would you buy someone else’s long-expired passport? What if the passport showed that, many years ago, the person lived in the same place where you live now?

For Nuno Fonseca, a Portuguese medical student studying in Paris, the pull of the mystery represented by a 60-year-old passport he found at a flea market was too strong to resist. The long-lost passport was covered in stamps from Europe and the Middle East, and its original owner had once lived in the exact same student housing complex as Mr. Fonseca.

As Mr. Fonseca told a reporter from the University of Berkeley, “I knew I had to have the passport of someone who, 60 years before me, took the adventure of going to Paris and lived at the same address. And, of course, I wanted the thrill of finding the passport’s rightful owner.”

When it came to returning the lost passport, Fonseca didn’t have much to go on. He had a name, of course – the passport once belonged to a young woman named Betty Hatfield. Other than that, all he really had was a birth date and birthplace. (more…)

At RushMyPassport, people come to us to replace lost passports all the time. For one British man currently living in Australia, though, his passport is impossible to lose- it’s tattooed across his back!

According to the Sun, Richard Ashton decided to have the tattoo done in 2006, to commemorate a backpacking trip to the country he now calls home. The tattoo includes all of the information on the identification page of his passport, including his passport number. What possessed him to have all of that tattooed across his back in permanent ink? He explains:

“I wanted something to remember my holiday by, but also wanted something patriotic. My girlfriend at the time thought I was a bit daft, but eventually she found it hilarious. That seems to be the general reaction.”

Of course, the tattoo is basically useless for international travel. Customs and Border Protection made a point of debunking a Canadian citizen’s claim that he used a scanned copy of his passport stored on his iPad to crossd the border; there’s no way a copy stored in your skin would ever be considered legit.

That said, Mr. Ashton has been able to use his passport tattoo to withdraw money at the bank.   Apparently the teller figured that if he was willing to go through the cost and pain involved in getting the information tattooed on his back, the chances were good that it was actually his information.

Travelers are advised to travel with a printed copy of their passport in addition to the original, which makes it easier to replace a stolen or lost passport overseas. In theory, Mr. Ashton’s tattoo could serve the same purpose, making it so that he can always access his biographical information and passport number. Keep in mind, though, that your passport number changes every time you renew or replace it. Tattoos, on the other hand, are for life.

If you need to replace a lost passport, see Passport Replacement Services for detailed information on how to do that in the United States.  If you are overseas and you’ve lost your passport, see How to Replace a Lost Passport Overseas.

If you’re in the US and you need to replace a lost passport quickly for travel, you have two options: make an appointment on one of the country’s 24 regional passport agency offices or use a private passport agency like RushMyPassport. RushMyPassport hand carries your paperwork to the Department of State for processing in as little as 24 hours. Plus, by going through a private company you avoid the twin hassles of having to make an appointment and having to travel to a passport agency office.

To replace a lost passport in a hurry, contact us today!

It was the travel story of the week:  a 33-year-old Canadian man named  Martin Reisch left on a road trip for the US without his passport, but managed to convince Customs to let him across the border by showing them a scanned copy of the document on his iPad.

As Mr. Reisch told the Montreal Gazette, the US border guard wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the situation, but after taking his iPad off to another location temporarily, the official waved him on through:

“I guess he looked me up in the computer and saw I’m not a criminal or a terrorist or anything.“He didn’t say much besides ‘Merry Christmas.’ ”

On his return trip, Mr. Reisch also reportedly got into Canada without a hitch, again by bringing up the scanned copy of his passport on his iPad. He told the Montreal Gazette that he believes Steve Jobs would be proud:

“He’d probably say: ‘Here’s something to work on for the future.’ Maybe have some kind of digital certification or encryption to let people travel like this.”

Ah, the triumph of technology over bureaucracy. It makes for a great story, but there’s just one catch- it might not have actually happened. (more…)

Waiting in line to go through a border checkpoint can really try your patience. However, when it’s your turn to hand over your passport, don’t let your impatience make you less vigilant. While it’s rare, there have been a couple of cases recently where customs officials have handed people back the wrong passports.

First, there was the case of Joe Valdez in Texas.  Poor Mr. Valdez lost his passport when a border patrol official handed his passport to a stranger who was also crossing from the US into Mexico. The passport was never recovered, though Mr. Valdez was able to get the cost of a replacement refunded after a local news station gave the situation some publicity.

More recently, two couples crossing from Canada into the US were also given the wrong passports.  Huguette and Gilles Remillard were crossing into the US en route to Mesa, Arizona, when they handed their passports over to US Customs official. As Huguette explained to CBC news, when officer handed the passports back, she told the officer “Those are not mine. And he said, ‘Uh oh.’”

“Uh oh” isn’t exactly what you want to hear from a government official, but Customs was kind enough to let the couple drive through. However, they were naturally worried about their missing passports, and it took a week to find  Dennis Slack and Susan Heywood, the couple who had driven off with them. They never looked at the passports they were given, and were blissfully unaware of the situation until the Remillards were able to contact them through their son.

Fortunately, this story has a happy ending: when the Remillards contacted the other couple, they were able to get their passports back.  U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman  Chris Mission, “there has always been a policy to verify the identity of a passport holder, but one border officer made a mistake that day.”

9 times out of 10, if not more so, the passport you hand over to border officials is the passport you’ll get back. However, keeping your eyes on your documents (if possible) can help avoid mishaps. Lost passports are costly and time-consuming to replace, so it’s worth making an extra effort to try to prevent incidents like this from occurring.

If you lose your passport and you need it replaced in a hurry, we can help. We personally deliver your application to the Department of State, resulting in processing times as low as 24 hours, with no need to make an appointment or wait in line like you would have to at a passport agency office.

Let us help you get a passport quickly today!

At first, it seemed like an inspirational Hallmark story, the type of thing that restores your faith in humanity. A British couple, Jeremy and Sally Weaving, lost a bag at the airport containing valuables like money, a digital camera and Mr. Weaving’s passport. They despaired of finding it again, only to wake up one morning to see a package on their doorstep containing the missing bag. In an interview with the Daily Echo, Mrs. Weaving described how delighted they were to see the bag returned:

“When we realised the bag was missing my husband drove straight back to the airport in the hope that it had been handed in but to no avail. To make matters worse he was due to go to France three days later to take part in a 600-mile charity bike ride…You can imagine our surprise when a large parcel arrived at our house.”

Unfortunately, the golden moment was quickly tarnished when the couple opened the bag.

A 2001 study by Reader’s Digest showed that about 67% percent of those who encounter a lost wallet will return it to its owner, along with the cash inside. The woman who returned the Weaving’s bag, however, must have been in the other 33%. The money was there, true, and so was Mr. Weaving’s passport. However, the woman claimed the couple’s digital camera for herself, writing “I am sure your gratitude will extend to let me keep the camera (I never did replace mine) as a reward.”

Even more cheekily, she had the nerve to tell the couple that they should consider it a “travel expense.” She signed the letter “A Good Samaritan, but not that good.”

Unfortunately for the “Not-So-Good Samaritan,” she may get more than she bargained for. The police are treating the case as a theft.

Should you happen to suffer from a lost passport, this story is an important reminder that you shouldn’t depend too heavily on the kindness of strangers. Look for it, give it a short period of time to reappear, and then call the National Passport Center at 1-877-487-2778 to report the lost passport so that nobody else can use it.

For instructions on how to get another valid passport, see How to Replace a Lost Passport.

Regular passport processing takes about six weeks, and even expedited service can take three weeks door-to-door. If you need your new passport sooner, you have two options: Make an appointment at one of 24 regional passport agency offices run by the Department of State, or use a private company like RushMyPassport for passport processing in as little as 24 hours with no appointment necessary.

Contact us today to get your lost passport replaced as quickly and simply as possible!

Lost passports are a perennial hazard for the teams of contestants on “The Amazing Race,” now in its tenth year of production. This time around, a passport mishap almost ended one team’s race before it could even begin.

Kaylani Paliotta and her teammate Lisa Tilley stopped at a gas station en route to Los Angeles International Airport. Unfortunately, Kaylani’s passport didn’t make it out of the gas station.  The film crew, who saw the dropped passport, were unable to intervene- except to call the show’s producers to tell them that the team was toast.

Host Phil Keoghan told the New York Times that “We were planning on eliminating this particular team, because there was no way they were going to travel.”

The duo’s race was saved, however, by an unlikely hero named Ryan Storm. Mr. Storm, a techie with an active Twitter account, saw Kaylani drop her passport and tweeted about it:

“So #Thelife gets crazier. So after being randomly filmed for ‘The Amazing Race,’ I see that one of them dropped there [sic] passport!!!”

His tweet was seen by another Twitter user, someone with a passion for “The Amazing Race” (and perhaps a bit too much time on his or her hands) who was monitoring the social network for mentions of the show. This person urged Mr. Storm to take the passport to the airport ASAP.

How could he say no? As he wrote to the New York Times, “Her dream was going to die right now if I didn’t get her this passport.”

With Kaylani’s lost passport returned, the elimination ceremony was called off and the two women were able to continue the race.

What would have happened if Mr. Storm hadn’t made it to the airport? While it would have been heartbreaking to see them shut out of the race that early, it was understandable that they were slated for elimination given the fact that lost passports take time to replace. Standard processing can take a whole six weeks, while expedited processing can take three.

Faster service is available, with twenty-four hour processing available by appointment only at one of the State Department’s 24 regional passport agency offices or without an appointment through a private expediter like RushMyPassport.com. Unfortunately, when it comes to The Amazing Race, even 24 hour processing is too slow.

Need help replacing a lost passport quickly? Contact us today!

Passport stamps always have sentimental value, but when it comes to aesthetics, they often come up short. But not always. Some countries have passport stamps that are like miniature works of art. Here are six of the most interesting and unique passport stamps from around the world:

Alaska 

Okay, it’s not a country, but when you re-enter the US from Alaska, you might find your passport adorned with anything from a moose (Poker Creek Customs) to an old-style locomotive engine (Skagway), depending on where you enter. See examples in this post from TravBuddy.com.

Republic of San Marino 

Completely surrounded by Italy, the tiny Republic of San Marino is actually the world’s oldest constitutional republic. It’s not required that you get your passport stamped at the border, but if you choose to, it will be adorned with a stately seal that befits this country’s ancient history.

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As Rio Grande Valley resident Joe Valdez found out last month, even Customs officers can make mistakes. For Mr. Valdez, what was supposed to be a routine border crossing resulted in a lost passport after a border patrol officer handed Mr. Valdez’ passport to someone else.

As Mr. Valdez explained to local news station KRGV, “I parked there, and another person on a bike parked there on the side. And the officer by mistake or something gave my citizenship passport to the guy on the bike and the guy took off.”

At first, the officer told Mr. Valdez that he would get his passport back, but apparently he was unable to retrieve the document.

Replacing a lost passport isn’t cheap, and at first Customs officials told Mr. Valdez that he might not get his money back, though he was more than welcome to file a claim for it.

Fortunately, a call to Customs and Border from the local news station quickly rectified the situation. According to Mr. Valdez, “Now I went today and talked to them, and they said we’re going to take care of it. So they gave me the forms to send it out and they’re going to be refunding my money back.”

If you lose your passport, the first thing you need to do is report it lost or stolen. This will invalidate the passport so that nobody else can use it (including you if you should happen to find it again.) To report a lost passport, call 1-877-487-2778.

Next, you’ll need to apply in person for a replacement at a passport acceptance facility, like a post office. You’ll need to fill out passport application forms DS-11 and DS-64. Bring proof of identity, proof of citizenship and one passport photo, along with money to pay the fees. It’ll cost $135 for a new passport, plus an additional $60 fee if you need it expedited.

Regular service will take at least six weeks, while expedited service from the Department of State will take at least three weeks. If you need your lost passport replaced more quickly, you should either make an appointment at one of the Department of State’s 24 regional passport agency offices, or for more convenient service use a private expediter like RushMyPassport. We’ll take your passport application directly to the Department of State, for processing in as little as 24 hours!

For help replacing a lost passport in a hurry, contact us today!

Soldiers and their families may soon be able to use their military ID’s in lieu of a passport for certain types of international travel, if New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has her way. The senator promised to work with the Department of Homeland Security to get a military ID listed as a “WHTI-compliant” document, one that complies with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. If she’s successful, soldiers and their dependents could forego getting a passport for land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. They would still need valid passports to travel by plane to these locations, however.

According to the Watertown Daily Times, Senator Gillibrand promised to make the issue a priority during a discussion with local business leaders and politicians, “I will focus on that immediately. We can probably do that directly with homeland security. I think that is a fabulous idea and that’s a great move especially because, as you know, a lot of our troops are coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan and we expect Fort Drum to literally be full — something like 90 percent full by next year.”

Nothing is definite yet, of course, but if she is successful it will make it much easier for military families to get across the border. Currently, to re-enter the US from Canada, you need a valid passport, a passport card, a NEXUS card, or an enhanced driver’s license. Only four states currently offer the enhanced driver’s license: New York, Michigan, Vermont and Washington.

Under Gillibrand’s proposal, soldiers would no longer need to spend time and money getting a passport or another form of ID. They could just use the military ID they already have. This gives them the option of taking spur-of-the-moment trips into Canada or Mexico, something that the rest of us can only dream of at this point.

Getting a passport costs money, an expense that can be especially burdensome for families with children. In also takes time- about six weeks if you apply for normal processing and about three weeks if you pay for the Department of State’s expedited service. For faster processing, the easiest thing to do is to use a private expediter like RushMyPassport. That way, you’re not stuck having to make an appointment or wait in line at a passport agency office.

Want to see how easy getting a passport can be? Contact us today!