Expedited Passports

It’s almost Valentine’s Day. In honor of the annual love-fest, why not plan a trip to one of the romantic cities described below? Each of the cities below is famous for having a romantic atmosphere that makes falling in love seem effortless-so much so that all 5 of them have been used as settings for some of the classic love stories of the silver screen:

Paris, France:  Paris’ reputation as the “City of Love” has made it the city of choice for romantic flicks-think Last Tango in Paris, An American in Paris, and Gigi, among many, many others. Walk along the Seine, climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and don’t forget to share a bottle of wine and some excellent chocolate with that special someone!

Rome, Italy- Used as a setting for romance movies both old (like Roman Holiday) and new (like When in Rome), a visit to the Eternal City is even better when you share it with someone else.

Casablanca, Morocco- The scene of the classic romance Casablanca is still a romantic city to visit, thanks to its mild climate and gorgeous architecture.

London- What could be more romantic than strolling through the streets of London, the scene 0f Shakespeare in Love, and many of Shakespeare’s plays as well?

Rio de Janeiro- The scene of Notorious, a 1946 romantic thriller featuring Cary Grant and Ingrid Berman, Rio de Janeiro features world-class beaches and stunning scenery.  For a romantic afternoon activity, take the glass-paneled cable car up Sugarloaf mountain.

To get to any of these cities, you need more than a taste for romance and adventure. You also need a US passport. RushMyPassport makes applying for your US passport easy and fast. We help you through the application process, providing clear, easy-to-understand instructions and a handy checklist that makes gathering the appropriate documents a breeze.

Then, we hand-deliver your passport application to the Department of State, resulting in processing times that range from 24 hours to a little over a week, depending on the option you request when you sign up.  Compare that to the normal processing time of 6 weeks for regular passport processing and 3 weeks for the government’s expedited service, and you can see why our service is the most convenient way to get a US passport quickly.

Apply for your US passport today!

Of course you need a passport to travel outside of the country, but do you need to have one before making flight reservations?

Some international airlines may ask for your passport number when you make a reservation for an international flight. However, it is optional to provide it when you book, and shouldn’t have any problem getting your tickets without it.

However, getting on the plane without a passport is another matter entirely. If you show up at the airport sans passport, you will be denied boarding.

As you are planning your trip, remember to keep in mind how long it takes to get a passport once you’ve applied. If you apply with regular service, you can expect to wait at least 6 weeks.  If you apply with the government’s expedited service, you should still allow at least 3 weeks.

Two additional options are available if you need to get a passport in a hurry. With an itinerary showing that you plan to travel out of the country in the next 14 days, you can make an appointment at a Regional Passport Agency office to get your passport, or use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. The latter the option is the most convenient-no need to make an appointment or drive to a Passport Agency office.

However, you will need a copy of your itinerary to get a passport expedited using either of these two methods. So, if you have something come up and you need to take a trip out of the country in a hurry, go ahead and make your plane reservations and then apply for your passport through an expediting company or at a Passport Agency office.

RushMyPassport offers quick and convenient passport service, with processing times as low as 24 hours. There’s no need to make an appointment, take time off work or drive to a Passport Agency office.  Just go to the nearest passport acceptance facility (usually a library, post office or County Clerk’s office), fill out your application like normal and have your documents sealed and sent to us. We’ll hand-deliver your application to the Department of State and then send your passport right back to you via Fed-Ex.

Apply for your 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!

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!

Fall is almost here, the air is starting to feel just a tad crisp, and its time for Homer Simpson’s favorite holiday-Oktoberfest!  Americans are always eager for an excuse to drink beer and listen to music, so there are plenty of small local Oktoberfests to go to, but wouldn’t it be great to go to the mother of all Oktoberfests in Munich, Germany?

According to Wikipedia, the original Oktoberfest was actually held in 1812, to celebrate the marriage of King Ludwig the 1st to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The citizens of Munich had so much fun at the party that they decided to make it an annual event. And really, with beer, cheese and sausages galore, what’s not to like?

Oktoberfest is celebrated in the same meadow as it was in 1812, the Theresienwiese, named after King Ludwig’s bride. However, the event has grown, and is now the largest public festival in the world.  Entrance is free, but it’s not a bad idea to book seats inside one of the beer tents-they do tend to fill up. Some beer tents have free seats available, too. You can find out more at the Oktoberfest website.

This year’s Oktoberfest runs from September 18th  to  October 3rd. Originally, the festival was held in the middle of October, but the date was moved up to take advantage of the gorgeous weather at the end of September.

If you want to attend this year’s Oktoberfest, you’ll need to get a fast passport! Applying for a passport via the government’s expedited processing can still take 3 weeks or longer, and that’s cutting it much too close!

The safest way to go is to get a fast passport from a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. An expediting company can hand-deliver your application to the Department of State to put your paperwork on the top of the stack, resulting in super-fast passport processing times. With RushMyPassport, your new passport could be on its way to you in as little as 24 hours!

Don’t miss out on this year’s Oktoberfest-apply for a fast passport today!

Do you fantasize about quitting your day job and traveling the world? Many people dream about it, but only a small percentage actually do it. And yet, it is definitely possible- if you willing to step outside of your comfort zone!  Bef0re you bid your 9-to-5 job adieu, however, you’ll need to do some research. After all, it’s always better to learn from other people’s mistakes rather than your own.

To help you get started, here are 5 great resources for wannabe world travelers:

1. For motivation and inspiration, check out The Art of Non-Comformity’s classic blog post, Why Should Quit Your Job and Travel the World
2. For more motivation, plus a healthy dose of practical, basic tips for survival on the road in another country, check out How to Quit Your Job and Travel the World by 5dolla on Kuro5hin.  Geeks (like yours truly) will also appreciate the sci-fi/fantasy references.
3. Nomadic Matt has a series of travel tips that covers everything from getting a job in another country to finding accommodations.
4. Nomadic Backpackers’ how-to archive covers everything from dealing with community bathrooms in a hostel to dealing with culture shock when you come home.
5. Almost Fearless is doing an excellent series on how to quit your job and travel the world this month:  30 ways in 30 days to Redesign Your Life And Travel the World.

Of course, before you can put your world travel plans in action, you need to renew your passport (or get a new one if you’ve never traveled overseas before).  Without a passport, you aren’t going anywhere!

Also, when you renew your passport, make sure you allow enough time for the Department of State to process your application. Regular passport renewals take 6 weeks or longer to process, and the government’s expedited service still takes about 3 weeks. If you have a departure date looming and you still haven’t applied for your passport, the safest option is to renew your passport with a private passport expediting company. You’ll get help with the paperwork and much faster service. In fact, if you use RushMyPassport.com, your application could be processed in as little as 24 hours!

Renew your passport with us today!

Are you a movie buff? The 66th Venice International Film Festival is coming to Venice, Italy next month.  The festival starts on the 2nd of September and runs through September the 12th.  The Venice Film has the distinction of being the oldest film festival in the world. It was founded by in 1932 by an Italian nobleman named Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata.

This year, Ang Lee, the director of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” will head the jury. At the end of the festival, the best film shown will receive the prestigious “Golden Lion” award.  On September 6th, George Lucas will also present a special “Golden Lion” for achievement award to Disney’s Pixar. You can register for tickets here.

Now is actually a good year to attend this event, as the cost of travel overseas has dropped significantly. But, if you want to go, you’ll need to get a fast passport. Even with the government’s expedited service, getting a passport can take 3 weeks or more.  However, with a private passport expediting service like RushMyPassport.com, you can apply for a fast passport and have it in time to take your trip.

Here’s how it works: the expediting company takes your application and delivers it by hand to the Department of State. This results in fast passport processing times, often as low as 24 hours. Then, once your passport has been processed, it is shipping back to you overnight.

Don’t let not having a passport keep you away from the film festival this year: apply for a fast passport today!

According to this article in the Miami Herald, now is the time to score great deals on transatlantic cruises. In the fall, cruise lines move their ships from the soon-to-be chilly waters off the coast of Europe to the always-sunny waters off the Caribbean. That means that you can save big-the Miami Herald article says that many cruise lines are offering cabins for as low as $100 per night!

What can you expect on a transatlantic cruise? Well, the weather may not always be perfect, and you’ll spend several days in a row on the boat as the ship crosses the Atlantic Ocean. However, most cruise lines add ports of call to the beginning AND the end of the trip-so if you can’t decide between a European cruise or a Caribbean cruise, you can get the best of both worlds!

Of course, to take advantage of these great deals, you will need a passport.  Most of the cruises take place in October and November, so remember to apply well in advance of your sailing date to ensure you have your passport in hand.

Currently, if you apply directly through the passport office, you can expect to wait at least 6 weeks for your passport to arrive. If you apply for the government’s expedited service, you can expect to wait at least 3 weeks.  That doesn’t allow as much spare time as it might seem-if you haven’t crossed all your t’s and dotted all your i’s on your passport application, it could be rejected and you would have to apply again.

The best way to ensure that you have your passport on time is to apply for an express passport private passport expediting service. An expediting service will help you with the paperwork to make sure you don’t make any mistakes, greatly improving the chances that your passport application will be processed the first time.

You’ll get your passport more quickly, too. Expediting companies offer express passport processing times that can be as quick as 24 hours.

Don’t let the ship sail without you-order your express passport today!

Have you always wanted to travel the world, but never been able to come up with the dough? These days, if you aren’t afraid to talk to strangers or to get your hands dirty, there are lots of ways to take your US passport around the world for cheap.

1. Working on an Organic Farm: If you volunteer with WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms), you can arrange to work at an organic farm overseas in exchange for food and lodging. Volunteer for weeks, months or even years…it’s up to you (and your host).

2. CouchSurf Across the Globe:  If you aren’t afraid to depend on the kindness of strangers and you don’t mind crashing on an unfamiliar couch in another country, couchsurfing can help cut your travel bills.

3.  Lead a hiking tour: Get out your hiking boots and lead tour groups across Europe with HF Holidays. In exchange for leading groups of hikers on walking tours, you get to explore the Old World for free!

4. Work from the road: If you have a laptop and an internet connection, you can often work remotely while you travel.  To break free of the cubicle, check out the Digital Nomad job board on Almost Fearless.

5. Join the Peace Corp: If you have 27 months to spare, want to travel and don’t mind working hard to make a difference in a local community, the Peace Corp might be for you.

Of course, to do any of these things, you will need to have a US passport. Make sure you apply well in advance-it takes at least 6 weeks to get a US passport if you apply with normal processing, and at least three weeks if you apply with the government’s expedited processing service.

If you’ve found the opportunity of a lifetime, it’s a good idea to order your passport through a private passport expediting service.You’ll benefit from more personal customer service, faster tracking of your passport application, and much faster processing times. In fact, with an expediting service like RushMyPassport.com, you can get your passport application processed in as little as 24 hours!

Order your US passport today!

The new Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, just came out yesterday. Hardcore Harry Potter fans have probably already seen it, maybe even more than once. The next film, the first installment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is not going to be out until next November. What’s a Harry Potter fan (young or old) to do until then?

Well, you could get a passport and take a plane to Great Britain, where the books were set and the movies were filmed.  Naturally, Harry Potter-themed tours have sprung up in London, as well as in other locations used in the films. For example,  you can see Platform 9 3/4 in King’s Cross station, (or, rather, a baggage cart that appears to be disappearing into the wall where Platform 9 3/4 would be if Muggles like us could see it).

Other London locations that were featured in Harry Potter films include the London Zoo (Little Whinging Zoo), the Australian High Commission (Gringotts Wizarding Bank) and Charing Cross Road (Diagon Alley). You can get a free PDF  of a self-directed Harry Potter London walking tour here.

You can also visit Oxford, where many of the scenes from inside Hogwarts’ library and dining room were filmed.  Other scenes from inside Hogwarts were filmed inside Gloucester Cathedral. Don’t forget to visit Glenfinnan Viaduct (Hogwart’s Express) and Alnwick Castle, too! (more…)