This year marks the 400-year anniversary of the discovery of Bermuda by the British. In 1609, a British fleet was carrying food and settlers to the colony of Jamestown, in what is now Virginia. However, the fleet was caught up in a storm at sea. One ship, the Sea Venture, was separated from the rest of the group and blown off course, eventually landing shipwrecked on Bermuda.

The survivors stayed on the island for almost a year, before building new ships and sailing off to Jamestown. However, the island has been a British territory ever since, and if you help celebrate its 400th birthday, you may wonder how the survivors of that shipwreck were able to make themselves leave such an attractive island.

The island is holding a 400th birthday party, with a variety of specials and travel deals. For example, according to the New York Times,  one hotel is offering $400 cash back for a stay of more than 4 nights. Another hotel is offering a package deal that costs $680 per night-not bad when you consider that it includes all 3 gourmet meals a day for a family of four!

However, if you want to celebrate Bermuda’s 400th birthday this summer, you’ll need to get an expedited passport. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which just became law on June 1st, 2009, requires that all US citizens traveling to Bermuda have a US passport. If you apply for a passport with regular processing, you can expect to wait at least 6 weeks to get it back. If you apply for an expedited passport directly through the government, it could still take at least 3 weeks.

However, by using a private passport expediting service, you can get your passport much more quickly. In fact, if you submit your application through RushMyPassport.com, your expedited passport application could be processed in as little as 24 hours. Plus, our helpful staff of knowledgeable employees will help simplify the passport application process for you.

Apply for your expedited passport today, and get ready to sing “Happy Birthday” to Bermuda!