Expedited Passports

Your US passport is one of your most valuable possessions, and you are probably very careful with it. However, no matter how careful we try to be, accidents happen. When it comes to passports, the most common causes of accidental damage are pets, toddlers, washing machines and for frequent travelers, normal wear and tear.

Whether your dog chewed it or you accidentally sent it through the spin cycle, you should never try to travel with a damaged passport. Any damage to the passport book makes airport authorities and border officials start thinking about potential fraud, and there is a very real possibility that you will not be allowed to travel.

To replace a damaged US passport, treat it just like you would a lost or stolen passport. Fill out Form DS-64, Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport, and describe how it was damaged.  Then, you can either send your old passport in to be canceled and leave it at that or you can go ahead and apply for a new passport in person at a passport acceptance facility (see How To Apply for a New Passport for details.)

If you currently have a damaged passport, however, there’s a good reason to apply for a replacement now-the Department of State is planning to raise passport fees later this year.

Expect it to take at least 6 weeks to replace your damaged passport if you request regular processing, and at least  weeks if you request the government’s expedited processing.  If you need a passport sooner than that, the easiest way to get one is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com.  We’ll walk you through the paperwork to help you avoid common mistakes that could cause delays, then personally walk your US passport application directly to the Department of State for super-fast processing-often as quick as 24 hours!

Apply for your US passport today!

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!

Where is your US passport right now? Is it squirreled away in your desk drawer? In your purse? Still in the passport holder you wore around your neck on your last trip?

Wrong, says Jean Chatzky of The Daily Journal.  According to Chatzky, because your passport is such an important document, it needs to be located somewhere safe, where you can find it instantly if you have to leave your house in an emergency.  She suggests making a list of all things you would want to take with you in an emergency-your US passport, birth certificate, backups of important family photos, bank account information and any other documents that are important and hard to replace.

You might think that the best place to store these original documents would be in a bank vault somewhere, but Chatzky advises against this because you might need the documents in a hurry. She says that it’s best to store copies of your US passport and other important documents in a safe deposit box. However, your original passport should be located with the other documents somewhere in your house.

Of course, disasters don’t always wait until you are home to strike. So, ideally, you should store your US passport and everything else in a fireproof, waterproof safe.  Just don’t lose the key or forget the combination!

It’s 10:30 pm. Do you know where your US passport is? If you do happen to lose your passport, you need to report is missing immediately by calling 1-877-487-2778 between 8 am and 10 pm. Then, you’ll need to submit Forms DS-11 (Passport Application) and DS-64 (Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport).

Passport applications normally take about 6 weeks to process if you request normal processing, and about 3 weeks if you request the government’s expedited processing. If you need your passport faster, using a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com is the quickest and easiest option. Depending on the processing option you choose, RushMyPassport can have your passport processed in as little as 24 hours!

Apply for a passport with us today.

Are you looking for a cheap way to see the Caribbean? If you don’t mind working and learning new skills, you can often find a position as a crew member on a private boat. If you have experience sailing, you might even make a little bit of cash. But don’t worry, some boats will take you even if you are a complete landlubber, although you might have to pay a small fee each night for the privilege.

The New York Times’ Frugal Traveler wrote an excellent article about his experiences as  part of the crew on a schooner called the S.V. Illusion, which took him around the Caribbean for the bargain price of $55 per day. Go read the entire article…it sounds like he had one heck of a trip!

You may not need prior sailing experience to get a job on a schooner, but there’s one thing you definitely do need: a US passport. This is true even if you are just sailing to the Mexico, Caribbean or to Canada.  In June of this year, the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) became effective, requiring that US citizens traveling to Mexico, the Caribbean or Canada by land or by sea carry US passports prove their identity and citizenship.

One of the exceptions to the WHTI is for cruise ship passengers on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same US port).  However, joining the crew of a private boat is not the same as sailing on a cruise ship. You must have a US passport to re-enter the country.

Don’t let the ship sail without you-make sure to allow enough time for your new passport to arrive in the mail. If you apply with regular service, you should allow at least 6 weeks for it to arrive in the mail. The government’s expedited service takes about 3 weeks.

For faster passport service, a private passport expediting service like RushMyPassport.com is a great investment. With RushMyPassport, you’ll be assigned a case manager who will help you with the process of filling out your paperwork and gathering the necessary documents. Then, we’ll hand-deliver your application to the Department of State, for processing times as low as 24 hours.

Apply for your US passport today!

Have you always wanted to be a travel writer? Do you dream of visiting Japan? Rough Guides has a new contest that could help you jump-start your career. Jaunted has the scoop: apparently, they are offering a chance to get training and experience as a professional travel writer for free. If you win the contest, you get a free trip to Tokyo, Japan. While you’re there, you’ll be doing research and writing to update the Rough Guides to Tokyo.

You’ll work with a “writing mentor” and spend 7 days traveling, staying in different hotels and working on the guidebook. Of course, all work and no play makes for a dull vacation. So, after you’re done, you’ll get a 4 day tour to yourself.

You can enter by submitting your best 500 word travel writing sample. You must write about one of the following topics:

• A Journey that Changed Lives
• Responsible Travel
• Adventure in an Unknown Culture
• A Memorable Experience Involving Food in a Foreign Country

To enter, you have to meet 3 qualifications:

• You must be over 18.
• You must not be a professional writer (curses!).
• You must have a valid US passport.
• You must be ready to go in February 2010.

What if you love to travel but don’t have a US passport? No problem-the applications aren’t due until December 21st, so you still have time to apply.

Of course, if you apply with normal processing, it will take at least 6 weeks for you to get your passport back. Expedited service from the government takes about 3 weeks. To get your passport more quickly, of course, you can use a private expediting company like RushMyPassport.com.

An expediting company forwards your application to the US Department of State for much faster processing-anywhere from 24 hours to around a week, depending on the option you choose.

Ready to make your travel writing dream come true? Apply for your US passport today!

Commercial space travel is still out of reach for everyone but the richest of the rich. However, Chile’s “Valle de La Luna” (Spanish for “Valley of The Moon”) is as close to walking on the surface of the moon as you can get without actually leaving the planet.

Environmental Graffiti has an awesome post up with incredible pictures of this desolate valley. It really does look like a moonscape-the valley is barren of any plant life, and over the centuries the forces of nature have sculpted the rock and sand into fantastic, almost otherworldly formations.

The valley is situated in between the Andes mountains and the Atacama Desert, and immense, towering volcanoes rise up in the background, providing a suitably “lunar” backdrop for the valley. Dry lakebeds are coated in shimmering salt crystals. The most interesting and famous landforms in the Valley of the Moon are three vaguely humanoid rock towers called the Three Marias.

If you want to visit the Valley of the Moon, you’ll need a US passport to travel to Chile.  When you apply for your passport, make sure to allow enough time for the government to process your application.

If you apply through the mail with regular processing, expect it to take at least 6 weeks for your US passport to make it back to you.  To get it faster, you can request expedited processing from the government and pay an extra $60 to State Department. However, you still allow at least a month for your passport to arrive.

Find a last-minute travel deal that you don’t want to pass up?  A private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com can help you get your US passport more quickly.  We help you with the application, provide you with a checklist that helps you avoid common mistakes, and then submit your application directly to the Department of State by hand, resulting in processing times as low as 24 hours.

Apply for your US passport today!

Did you know that the first US passports were actually printed by Ben Franklin? According to this book review of “The Passport: The History Of Man’s Most Travelled Document,” the first US passports were made especially for the  United States legation in Paris, France around 1777. Franklin modeled them after the French passports of the time, and printed them from his own printing press.

However, passports did not become commonplace until 1918, when carrying them abroad became mandatory instead of merely advisable.  According to the US Department of State’s blog, passports during this period consisted of a large sheet of paper with the bearer’s photo and other information, pasted into a book cover, and were “bulky and inconvenient to carry.”  By 1926, a lighter, more durable design had been unveiled, which more closely resembles the passport books we carry today.

Additional modifications were made to the design of US passports over the years, usually with the aim of making them harder to forge. For example, background watermark images were added and the binding was tied with special knots. Today, passports contain an RFID chip to that connects to the Department of State’s database, making them even more difficult to forge. We also have the smaller, wallet-sized passport card, although it is only valid for land and sea crossings to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

When applying for a passport today, it is important to allow enough time for the government to process your request. If you apply for regular service, allow at least 6 weeks (maybe longer if the Passport Office is going through a busy period). If you apply for the government’s expedited service, expect to wait at least 3 weeks.

To get your passport faster, a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com can be a real help. With RushMyPassport.com, your application could be processed in as little as 24 hours!

Apply for you US 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!

US passport holders should be aware that if they are planning on traveling to China any time in the near future, they’d better be healthy when they leave home! The Chinese government has introduced some pretty strict quarantine measures to try to stem the spread of the H1N1 “swine flu” virus, and international travelers are receiving extra scrutiny.

For example, this article in the New York Times tells the story of a mother whose daughter went to China for a language camp. It turns out that one of her classmates was ill with the H1N1 strain of flu. When her daughter starting running a fever, the Chinese government made her go into quarantine in a hospital.

From the story, the girl seems to have been well-taken-care of, but being forced into hospitalization in a foreign country is kind of unnerving experience for anyone. US passport holders should be aware not only of the risk of contracting swine flu during travel, but also of the risk of being detained until you are deemed no longer contagious-a much greater inconvenience than the illness itself, in many cases.

Of course, before you travel to another country, you need to be aware of all travel warnings and requirements. You also need to apply for your US passport well in advance, to ensure that you have all of your documents in time for travel. A passport expediting company can help smooth out the application process and speed up processing times.

Get your US 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!