Expedited Passports

Thinking of Tuscany, it’s easy to get lost in a daydream of bright sunshine, fields of sunflowers, excellent wine and adorable quaint villages. However, if you visit Italy during the summer “high season,”  the reality is often quite different. Those adorable quaint village squares? Packed with tourists.  Museums and monuments? Packed with tourists. Local vineyards? Packed with tourists.

In today’s New York Times,  Danielle Pergament writes that a guest at her wedding, which took place in Tuscany in the summer, described the region as “beautiful, hot and full of Americans.” This is an apt description of high tourist season in Italy.  You’ll still enjoy yourself, but you won’t leave feeling like you’ve experienced the best that Tuscany has to offer.

To avoid the crowds, your best bet is to get a fast passport and leave now, before the tourist season kicks into gear. As a bonus, the New York Times article notes that Tuscany actually gets more colorful in the winter-instead of the parched gold of summer, the fields turn a vibrant green.  You’ll also enjoy better food, as most of the local delicacies are actually in season in winter and early spring, and cheaper prices for just about everything.

To visit Tuscany, you of course need a valid US passport.  You’d better get a fast passport, too-Italy’s low season ends this month, so you need to leave ASAP if you want to take advantage of low prices and experience fewer crowds.

Normally, it takes at least 6 weeks to get a passport. If you apply for a fast passport using the government’s expedited service, you can expect to wait at least 3 weeks. If you want to leave the country sooner than that, the easiest and most convenient option is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. With an expediting company, you can get fast passport processing, in as little as 24 hours, without having to make an appointment or drive out of your way to get to a regional passport agency office.

Don’t wait-apply for a fast passport 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!

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!

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!

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!

Right now, students are eligible for some excellent travel deals from STA Travel, with flights to Europe marked down up to 40%. That means you can fly from New York to London for $307 round-trip.  Chicago to Paris is $382, and Miami to Rome is $389. If you’d like to hang out in Amsterdam, round-trip tickets start out at $438 if you fly from New York.

You can also get an additional $100 off your flight if you book a room at a hotel or hostel, buy a Eurorail pass or purchase an adventure travel package from STA Travel.  You can see more flights and get more information here.

To qualify for these deals, though, you will need an International Student Identity card. Your college ID won’t cut it.  International Student Identity Cards are available to all full-time students ages 12 and up. You can apply for one here.

In addition to an International Student Identity Card, you’ll also need a valid passport.  You should fill out your passport application and turn it in well before you actually plan to leave the country. If you request regular processing with your application, you can expect to wait at least 6 weeks before you get your passport. If you expedite your passport application using the government’s expedited service option, you’re still looking at about 3 weeks for processing.

If you need your passport more quickly, a private passport expediting company is the most convenient option. RushMyPassport.com will hand-deliver your passport application to the Department of State, resulting in processing times as low as 24 hours.

Submit your passport application today!

In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was  common for wealthy young men to go on a “Grand Tour” of Europe,  visiting the major cities and seeing important historical sites and works of art.  In those days, the “Grand Tour” usually took months, if not years. However, if you act fast, Ryanair is giving you the opportunity to create your own, much faster version of this tradition, by selling a million plane tickets  from Great Britain to  different cities in Europe for only one euro.

What about getting there? Coincidentally, both American Airlines and United Airlines are having a sale on plane tickets to Europe, starting at $438 round trip.  So, you can get there and get around relatively cheaply.

However, if you want to take advantage of these specials, you’ll need to get a passport, quick. Ryanair’s deal ends tomorrow, on September 17th, and your travel dates have to be between October and December. Plus, the American Airlines deal is only valid if you travel before November 25, although United will give you until March of next year.

The best way to get a passport in time is to apply through a private passport expediting company. If you apply directly through the government, it will take about 6 weeks for your passport to come back. Even if you apply for the government’s expedited service, you can still expect to wait at least 3 weeks.

An expediting company will hand-deliver your passport application to the Department of State. This cuts processing times down to as little as 24 hours, so you’ll get your passport, quick!

Don’t miss out on these great airfare deals: get a passport, quick and start planning your trip today!