Unesco’s World Heritage List highlights places of cultural importance, and “seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity,” according to the World Heritage website.

For dedicated international travelers, the World Heritage list offers a wealth of suggestions for places to go and things to see.  The list is always growing-this year, 13 places were added, giving you 13 more reasons to renew your passport and see the world! Here are the new sites:

  1. The Wadden Sea, in Germany, one of the last remaining intertidal zones that human activity has not significantly altered.
  2. The Dolomites, in Italy, for their natural beauty and distinctive geological features.
  3. Stoclet House, in Belgium, an exquisite example of Art Nouveau architecture
  4. The Ruins of Loropéni, in Burkina Faso, 1,000-year-old ruins built by gold traders.
  5. Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande, in Cape Verde, the first European colonial outpost in the region.
  6. Mount Wutai, in China, a mountain that is sacred to Buddhists and contains many monasteries and statues.
  7. Shushtar, a historical hydraulic system in Iran, an ancient and stunning feat of engineering built during the reign of Darius the Great.
  8. Sulamain, Too Sacred Mountain, in Kyrgyzstan. This mountain has long been considered sacred, and is filled with ancient places of worship and caves with petroglyphs.
  9. The Sacred City of Caral-Supe, in Peru, is actually the oldest city in the Americas.
  10. The Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, in the Republic of Korea. The oldest of these tombs dates back to 1408.
  11. The Tower of Hercules, in Spain, has been used as a lighthouse since the time of the ancient Romans.
  12. The towns of La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle in Switzerland were built to suit the needs of the watchmaking industry that once thrived there.
  13. Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal, in the United Kingdom, is an early Industrial Revolution-era example of engineering genius.

All of these sites are well worth a visit. To be on the safe side, the US government recommends that you renew your passport several months before it is supposed to expire. In fact, if you have 6 months or less before your expiration date, many countries won’t let you in unless you renew your passport first.

The easiest and fastest method of passport renewal is a private passport expediting company. You’ll get personal assistance with the paperwork involved, and processing times that can be as quick as 24 hours.

Renew your passport the easy way today!