Expedited Passports

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!

Passports have changed a lot over the years. We recently wrote about a 400-year-old passport that a popular BBC show discovered in May. Back then, passports were letters written on parchment, signed by the king, that gave the bearer the right to travel the world on the king’s behalf. Obviously, passports have evolved a great deal.  What will they look like in the future?

Samsung thinks it knows. The company has developed a prototype electronic passport that uses a flexible OLED screen to display a rotating, 3-D image of your head. The electronic passport is powered by the RFID chip inside of the passport, so it never needs to be charged. Engadget has a video posted.

Is this the US passport of the future? Who knows…it’s still in the early stages. Currently, US passports already have an RFID chip to make them harder to forge, so perhaps someday this will be the next step.

If you need a passport, a private passport expediting company is the easiest way to get one. You’ll get personal assistance and detailed instructions on how to apply for a passport, to make sure that the application process goes smoothly. You’ll also get much faster processing-sometimes as fast as 24 hours!

Apply for your US passport today!

Recreational boaters in the Great Lakes region have long enjoyed sailing across the Canadian border to visit our neighbors to the north.  However, security concerns and regulations have made what was once an easy trip a little bit more complicated.

On Monday, June 1st, another set of restrictions became effective as the US Government rolled out the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). With the WHTI, US citizens traveling to Canada by land or by sea now need to carry a government-approved travel document, such as:

• A US Passport Book
• A US Passport Card
• An Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) , which is only available if you live in certain states
• NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST card

In addition, pleasure boat operators have some additional responsibilities when it comes to entering Canada.  If you’re the captain, you need to steer your boat to the nearest marine port of entry and have the following information handy:

• Name
• Birthday
• Citizenship information and  passport numbers for everyone aboard the boat
• Your boat’s name  and registration number
• Home port, current location  and contact information.

Only one person (usually the boat’s owner) should exit the boat to report that you’ve arrived. For more information on taking a pleasure boat into Canada, check out the following brochure from the New York Sea Grant.

A US passport book is more expensive than a passport card or some of the other acceptable documents, but it has some  advantages. First, passports are good for 10 years, longer than Enhanced Driver’s Licenses. Second, a US passport book is necessary to travel to and from Canada by plane. The other documents, including a passport card, are only acceptable for land and sea travel.

When you apply for your US passport, it’s best to allow at least 2 months for it to arrive. Even with the government’s expedited service, you’re advised to allow at least 3 weeks.  But have no fear-if you need a US passport to take your boat into Canada, you can get one in plenty of time to do so this summer. A private passport expediting company can offer faster service. Different processing options are available, ranging from 24 hours to a little over a week. Plus, you’ll get personalized service from knowledgeable professionals, greatly reducing the hassle of applying for a passport.

Apply for your US passport today!

If you’re planning on traveling in the near future, it would be a good idea to check and make sure that all of your travel documents, including your US passport,  are up-to-date. According to the Chicago Tribune, TSA has started to crack down on people whose travel documents don’t match their tickets.

If you are traveling on a US passport, you definitely need to make sure that the name on your passport is the name on your ticket. Period. It doesn’t matter how many supporting documents you bring with you-the names must match  exactly-including the middle name or middle initial.  According to the story in the Tribune, the requirement that your middle name/middle initial match is effective now for domestic flights and will be effective in December for international flights.

If your name has changed since you were last issued a US passport, you should get it changed as soon as possible. For details on how to accomplish this task, see Changing Your Name on Your US Passport Renewal.

Remember to apply to have your name changed on your US passport at least 6 weeks in advance if you use regular processing. The government’s expedited processing service takes at least 3 weeks. If you need the name on your passport changed sooner than that, a private passport expediting company is your best bet. An expediting company will hand-deliver your passport name change application to the US Department of State, resulting in processing times as short as 24 hours.

Don’t wait until the last minute-change your name on your US passport today!

International travel is a lot of fun, but it can also be dangerous. To help keep Americans safe, the Department of State issues travel warnings whenever travel to a particular country becomes dangerous. Here are the top 10 places not to take your US passport. You can find more travel warnings at the Department of State website.

1. Yemen-On the list for terrorist attacks that specifically target Americans.  In September of last year, the American Embassy was attacked, and the US government remains concerned about terrorist activities.
2. Sudan- The current situation in Sudan is a true human tragedy.  Americans are advised not to travel to the country at all, since there is a possibility of being caught up in protests or terrorist attacks that target Westerners.
3. Central African Republic-Armed rebel groups, bandits and poachers…not anyone’s idea of a good vacation.
4. Algeria-From the Department of State’s website: “Terrorist attacks including bombings, false roadblocks, kidnappings, ambushes, and assassinations occur regularly.” Enough said.
5. Iraq- The situation on the ground in most of Iraq is still dangerous for civilians, especially Western civilians. (more…)

According to the Telegraph, a British woman who legally changed her name to Mrs. Pudsey Bear to help raise money for charity was denied a passport by the British government.  The 37-year-old woman, born Eileen De Bont, changed her name to raise £4,000 for the BBC charity Children in Need. She has changed her name successfully on her bank account, credit cards and tax records, but the Identity & Passport Service refused to issue her a passport in the new name, saying they considered the name change “frivolous.”

Could this happen here? Can you get a US passport with a name like “Pudsey Bear,” or will the US Department of State turn you down?

Have no fear, Pudsey Bears of the United States! In the US, if you can convince a judge to change your name to Pudsey Bear, you can convince the US Passport Agency as well.

To request a name change on your passport, all you need to do is fill out the appropriate passport form (DS-5504 if your passport was issued less than 1 year ago, DS-82 if it was issued more than 1 year ago). Send the form in with a copy of the court order supporting your name change, passport photos and any applicable fees, and in a couple of months, you’ll get your new passport.

If you are traveling within the next couple of months, it’s a good idea to use a passport expediting service to speed up the process.  An expediting company will provide you with detailed guidance on how to fill out the paperwork, so you’ll know everything is in order. Then, they’ll deliver your passport name change application directly to the US Passport Agency for faster processing. With an expediting company, you could have a passport with your new name on it (however silly that name may be) on its way to you in as little as 24 hours!

Get your name changed on your US passport the easy way!