Save the Lemurs! Get a Passport to Volunteer in Madagascar - Expedited Passports

When I was kid, I loved animals, so much that I managed to bug my parents into getting me that “Illustrated Wildlife Treasury” set that they used to advertise on TV.  The set basically had a bunch of different cards with pictures of animals and facts about them.  One of my favorite groups of animals in the set were the lemurs.

Lemurs are a type of primate that lives only on the African island of Madagascar. They are more primitive than monkey and apes, and their faces are often more cat-like, with enormous eyes that help them see in the dark.  Madagascar is the world’s 4th largest island, and its relative isolation has made it a hotbed of biodiversity: approximately 5% of the world’s plant and animals species are found here.

However, Madagascar’s unique environment is under threat: an entire third of the island’s native vegetation has disappeared since the 1970′s, and that’s bad news for those adorable bug-eyed lemurs.  In fact, most lemur species are now endangered.

However, you can get a passport and help protect both Madagascar’s rich environment and its people, two thirds of whom live below the international poverty line. UK-based charity Azafady offers a program called “Lemur Venture,” which Lemur Venture gives volunteers the chance to “work on an extensive range of projects from the collection of data on endangered lemur species to environmental education with local communities and tree-planting for reforestation purposes.”

To participate, you need to be willing to work and in good physical shape.  You’ll also need to do some fundraising: the US  equivalent of £1,600 for 4 weeks or £2,200 for 8 weeks.

And, of course, you’ll also need to get a passport if you don’t already have one, or renew your passport if yours has expired.  Remember to allow enough time for your passport to arrive-it generally takes 6 weeks for regular service and 3 weeks for the government’s expedited service.

If you need a passport more quickly,  the most convenient way is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. An expediting company will personally deliver your application to the Department of State, reducing the amount of time it takes to get a passport to as little as 24 hours!

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The Department of State just announced that it will celebrating “Passport Day in the USA” later on this month, providing citizens with an opportunity to submit their passport applications during special Saturday hours  at regional passport agency offices and passport acceptance facilities around the country.

This is the second year in a row that the Department of State has celebrated Passport Day. In addition to being open on a Saturday, for this one day you won’t have to make an appointment in advance to apply for a passport at one of the regional passport agencies. You also won’t have to pay a $60 expedite fee or bring a copy of your itinerary showing that you plan to leave the country in 14 days. There are 23 regional passport agencies scattered throughout the country. They will be open from 10:00 am to 3:00pm.

If you don’t have a regional passport agency office nearby and you need to get a passport, check with your local passport acceptance facility to see what hours they will be open on that Saturday. Passport acceptance facilities are often located inside post offices, libraries or county clerks’ offices-you can find the one that’s closest to you here.

In a statement on the Department of State’s website, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Passport Services Brenda S. Sprague commented on the event:

“Passport Day in the USA is a great opportunity for Americans to apply for their passports. Since it is on a Saturday, people can drop by a passport agency or their nearest passport acceptance facility and still have plenty of time to enjoy their weekend.”

Passport Day in the USA is a great opportunity if you don’t have imminent travel plans and just want to get a passport without having to take time off work. However, it is not for people with urgent travel plans.

The only expedited service available at this event costs $60 and will get you your passport in around 2 weeks or longer as opposed to 6 weeks or longer. If you need your passport sooner than that, you still have to make an appointment at the nearest regional passport agency (an acceptance facility can’t help you)  during normal business hours and bring proof of travel.

If you need to get a passport in a hurry and either can’t make it to a regional passport agency office or just don’t want to take the time, a private expediting company like RushMyPassport.com can help.

Rather than you having to take off work and drive to an agency office that could be hours away, you would simply submit your application to the expediting company and the expediting company will deliver it to the Department of State for you. We offer processing times as low as 24 hours and a level of personal attention and service you won’t find anywhere else.

Ready to get a passport? Apply for one today!

It may still be cold and gloomy outside in many parts of the country, but make no mistake: spring is coming! That means it’s time to start planning for Spring Break.  And if your Spring Break plans are taking you outside of the country, you may need to get a passport.

To help you with your travel plans, here are the passport requirements for some of the more popular spring break travel destinations:

Mexico

Warm blue water,  gorgeous beaches and margaritas galore-what more could you want in a spring break destination? You probably need to get a passport before you can go party in Cancun, though.  For more details, see:

Do You Need a Passport to Go to Mexico?

US Citizens Visiting Mexico Face New Passport Requirements

Canada

If you prefer skiing and other winter sports to lazing around on the beach, Canada has some excellent ski resorts.  Most trips to Canada will require a passport.  For details of Canada’s passport requirements, see Do You Need a Passport to Go to Canada?

Europe

If you have the funds, springtime is one of the best times to visit Europe. The weather is nice, and because “high season” for travel to most European destinations is in the summer, visiting Europe in the spring means you get lower prices and fewer crowds.

Travel to Europe always and without exception requires a US passport.

The Caribbean

The Caribbean is another great place to go for a laid-back vacation filled with sun and sand.  However, most Caribbean travelers will need to get a passport before they leave.  For details, see:

Do You Need a Passport to Go to the Caribbean?

Cruises

A spring break cruise allows you to easily visit many different destinations for a great price.  Passport requirements for cruises depend on where you go. For more details, see:

Do You Need a Passport to Go On a Cruise?

If you need to get a passport for Spring Break, you’d better hurry-you don’t have much time. Regular passport processing can take at least 6 weeks. The government’s expedited processing option takes 2 to 3 weeks and costs an additional $60 plus overnight delivery fees.

If you need to get  a passport sooner than that, the most convenient way  is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com.  An expediting company will deliver your documents to directly to the Department of State, for processing times as low as 24 hours.

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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!