Express Passport to Horror: The Top 10 Places to Spend Halloween - Expedited Passports

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…)

Can getting a passport help you find your soulmate? Sounds bizarre, doesn’t it? Not to Air New Zealand! They’re currently offering $200 off to single travelers who book a ticket on their “Matchmaking Flight.” The flight leaves from Los Angeles on October 13, 2009. A plane full of single people will fly to Auckland, New Zealand to attend a “Matchmaking Ball” held 3 nights later, which should give you just enough time to shake off your jet lag.

You’ll also get to rub elbows with a couple of reality TV stars-Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney of “The Bachelor.” Or, if fancy balls aren’t your thing, check out their Adventure and Cultural Matchmaking Packages. Perhaps the person of your dreams is waiting for you in New Zealand’s lush mountains! You can book your flight here-make sure to enter the appropriate promo code depending on the package you want.

Also, make sure you apply for your passport well in advance-getting a passport can be time-consuming, and you can’t go to New Zealand without one. Getting a passport with normal processing takes at least 6 weeks. Even if you request the government’s expedited processing when you apply, it could still take at least 3 weeks.

If you can’t wait that long, a private passport expediting company can make getting a passport easier and faster. You’ll get easy-to-understand instructions to help you fill out the necessary paperwork, and you’re application could be processed in as little as 24 hours!

Apply for your passport today!

A cruise is a wonderful way to relax…there’s lots of food, lots of drinks and a chance to stop at a variety of interesting and cool destinations while you work on a killer suntan. What could be more luxurious than that?

This summer and fall, luxury doesn’t have to cost that much. The slow tourist season has led cruise lines to slash their prices and hold some incredible sales. For example, check out these cruise deals posted on the New York Times.  A 12-day cruise from Lisbon to Miami is only $2,655, while an 11-day cruise from Costa Rica to Miami is only $2,831.  These rates are for deluxe staterooms, and you get a credit of up to $1,000 to spend onboard. Nice!

The sale ends tomorrow, though, so you’d better book quickly! Also, to make sure that you allow enough time before your cruise to apply for a passport or renew a passport if necessary. Currently, it takes at least 6 weeks to get a passport if you apply with normal processing. Even applying for expedited service directly from the government can take almost a month or more.

Fortunately, there is an easy way to get a fast passport. If you apply for your passport using a private expediting company, you’ll benefit from personal attention from trained passport professionals. They can really help make it easier to get through the application paperwork.  They also specialize in fast passport processing, delivering your application directly to the State Department so that it can be processed in as little as 24 hours!

Don’t miss the boat-apply for a fast passport today!

If you’re thinking of traveling abroad, why not go beyond visiting tourist sites and eating at local restaurants? By attending cooking classes in another country, you’ll gain skills that you can take home with you, and you’ll be able to recreate the tastes of your favorite local cuisine in your own kitchen.

This article on Concierge.com has a wonderful, in-depth article on how you can use your US passport to improve your culinary skills.  Here are several reasons you might want to attend cooking school overseas:

• Get in touch with the locals: Most international cooking schools offer trips to local markets to collect ingredients,  giving you a chance to experience everyday life in the country you’re visiting, as well as to connect with local people.
• Gourmet food: You can learn how to make homemade in Italy, tagines in Morocco, lavender creme brulee in Julia Child’s French cottage, and more.  Plus, you get to eat everything you learn how to make!
• When you return home, you can “wow” your friends and family with your new cooking skills!

Of course, traveling to another country requires a US passport. As you plan your trip, make sure you allow enough time to receive your passport in the mail. Currently, it takes at least 6 weeks for a passport to come back if you apply with regular processing. If you apply for the government’s expedited service, you can expect to wait 3 weeks or longer for your US passport to arrive.

The easiest way to get a passport is to apply through a private passport expediting company. These companies will help you with the paperwork and make sure you know what documents you need to send in. Then, they’ll hand-deliver the application for you and send your passport back immediately, resulting in much faster processing times. In fact, a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com can often get your passport application processed in as little as 24 hours!

Don’t wait-apply for your US passport today!