Expedited Passports

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!

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!

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!

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!

Are you looking for an excuse to get away? How does a free hotel room sound? Marriott has an awesome special running right now, where you can stay for three nights and get one night free. However, the offer is only good at Marriott hotels located outside of the US and Canada. So, to take advantage of it, you’ll need to have a passport.

You’ll also need to book your rooms (and flight)  by August  21st. Fortunately,  there are a  lot  of  last-minute international flight deals available right now, too. Compare prices on flights using one or more of the major travel search engines, and you’ll be amazed at what you can find! Of course, leaving at the last minute is only possible if you have a passport ready. Getting a passport can take 6 weeks or longer if you apply with normal processing. If you apply for an expedited passport directly through the government can take at least 3 weeks.

However, there is a faster way to apply for an expedited passport. By applying through a private passport expediting company, you can your expedited passport application processed in as little as 24 hours. Plus, you’ll get personal assistance with your passport application from a knowledge passport professional, to help you get your application processed quickly the first time.

So, go ahead, start planning that last-minute vacation-apply for your expedited passport today!

How would you like to travel to Europe this year?  One of the major expenses of a European vacation is the cost of a flight across the ocean. However, would-be globetrotters are in luck- the New York Times just reported on some amazing travel deals on European flights! And by amazing, I mean round trip flights as low as $208 (from Philadelphia to Madrid) to $392 (from New York t0 Paris).  Not long ago, these prices would have been considered “deals” if they were just one-way fares!

Yes, these low ticket prices are exciting…just don’t get so excited that you forget to turn in your passport application! Getting a passport takes some time. In fact, if you apply using the regular government processing service, you can expect to wait at least 6 weeks, and possibly longer, for your passport application to be processed. If you apply using the government’s expedited service, you’ll wait at least three weeks.

However, there is an easy way to get your passport application processed quickly, so you can take advantage of these excellent travel deals. A private passport expediting company can hand-deliver your passport application and associated materials to the US Department of State. These services allow you to put your application at the top of the stack for faster processing. By using an expediting service, you can get your application processed in as little as 24 hours!

RushMyPassport.com has a range of expediting options to meet your needs and your budget. Save yourself time and stress: let us submit your passport application today!

For most people, a vacation means relaxing, whether on the beach or beside the pool. However, other people prefer to kick it up a notch, to do something that gets their blood and their adrenaline flowing. If you fall into the latter category, “adventure travel” is probably your idea of a perfect vacation. Adventure travel usually involves activities like wilderness hiking, kayaking, or whitewater rafting. However, many adventure travel providers also offer luxurious accommodations so that you don’t feel like you’re back in summer camp.

Adventure travel opportunities are available almost everywhere, especially places that are a little remote, located away from “civilization.” According to Road and Travel Magazine, two of the best places for adventure travel are Brazil and Australia. Travel prices to Australia are the lowest they’ve been in a long time, too, so now is a great time to go!

The Caribbean also has some wonderful adventure travel-oriented resorts-check out this travel deal from Puntacana Club and Resort in the Dominican Republic. You get three nights in a Deluxe room, a biking expedition, horseback riding, guided hiking and more for $262 per night.

Canada is also a great adventure travel destination. National Geographic’s Adventure Travel Deal of the week is for a stay in British Columbia’s God’s Pocket Marine Provincial Park, a great place for sea kayaking with marine life like dolphins and otters.

Wherever you decide to go, if you want to leave the United States this summer, you’ll need to get a fast passport.   For most people, the quickest and easiest way to get a fast passport is to use a private passport expediting company to submit your passport application. An expediting company can hand-deliver your application to the Department of State for super-fast passport processing, sometimes as quick as 24 hours.

Don’t miss out on your summer adventure-apply for a fast passport today!

The slowdown in the economy has eaten holes in American wallets and reduced the amount of money available for travel.  The travel industry has taken a hit, but the silver lining is that they are trying to lure customers by offering incredible travel deals, too. Now, the governments of some of the island nations in the Caribbean on getting in on the act, offering some “economic stimulus” payments of their own to tourists, usually to the tune of around $200.00.

This post on WalletPop.com has all the details, including when the offers are valid and what you have to do to qualify for the payments.  If you want to learn more about a specific destination, check out this post on Destinations for Leisure, which profiles the best beach destinations in the Caribbean and includes most of the destinations that are offering the payouts.

Remember, except for Puerto Rico, which is a US territory, you’ll need a passport to visit these islands. Since many of the offers have expiration dates, it would be a good idea to get your passports expedited if you and your significant other/family are planning to take advantage of them.

You can get passports expedited through the government, but it will still take at least month, even if you pay for overnight shipping to and from the passport office. A faster way to get your passports expedited would be to use a private passport expediting company, which can have your passports processed in as little as 24 hours. Other, more affordable expediting options are available from these companies as well, if you have a little bit of breathing room before your departure.

Go somewhere new and exciting this summer-get your passports expedited today!

According to the New York Times, the unemployment rate in the US is up to 8.5%, and 663,000 jobs were lost in March. That’s bad news. The good news that if you are among that number, now would be a great time to take that vacation you’ve been putting off.

I know, taking a vacation after losing your job…that’s crazy-talk, right? Maybe…it depends on your circumstances.  For many of the newly unemployed, travel won’t be an option. However, if you have extra money in savings or you were able to snag a decent severance package from your former employer, now is an excellent time to hit the road.

Resorts and hotels around the world are offering “recession packages” to tempt people out of the comfort of their homes. Travel Musings points out that Wyndam Hotels in the Caribbean are offering “stimulus packages,” so you can stay for 2 nights and get 2 nights free. SuperClubs is also offering massive discounts on spring travel to its Caribbean resorts.

Also, Travel and Leisure just published a list of the “Top 10 Holidays for the Unemployed.” This list has a lot of awesome ideas for international travel on the cheap. For example, if you like to garden, why not volunteer to “farm around the world?” Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms lets you volunteer part-time at an organic farm in exchange for food and a place to stay. Or, do a house swap to snag a free place to stay overseas. You can also gain new skills, like stone-working or carpentry, by volunteering for places like the Peace Village Center for handicapped kids in Venezuela. (more…)