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Travel Tidbits: Passport Alternatives and New York’s Revamped Tourist Attraction

If you are planning a trip to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean this year take note: The State Department says it will begin accepting applications February 1st for passport cards as alternatives to passports for Americans traveling to the aforementioned destinations. The wallet-sized cards, which will be available to U.S. citizens by this spring, will cost $45 for adults and $35 for children. That’s cheaper than a regular passport, and adults who have passports will have to pay only $20. However, the passport cards will only be accepted for land and sea crossings between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico and … Continue reading →

Outrageous Passport Fees

How much did you pay for your passport? If your passport was issued after 2005 you probably paid $97 (adults). For children under 16 the price for a passport is $82. Steep. No question about it. In fact, the price seemed so high that congressional investigators were recently asked to study whether a $30 portion of the passport charge was justified. According to the State Department the $30 is intended to cover the cost of clerks examining and accepting passport applications at post offices, State Department passport offices, courthouses, libraries, municipal offices and universities. But, now it appears the State … Continue reading →

Prepare For More Passport Changes

Consider this your passport wake up call: As of Monday, U.S. airline passengers will once again need to carry a valid passport when traveling to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda. I have dedicated a series of blogs to the ongoing saga of passport changes. If you are planning to travel to a foreign destination any time soon you may want to familiarize yourself with the many changes that have occurred within the past year or so. You can do so by reading the following: · Revised Passport Rules · Holiday Travel: Important Passport Information For Parents and Children · … Continue reading →

New Passport Requirements Force Deadbeat Parents To Pay Up

After numerous blogs detailing the problems generated by the latest passport requirements, I am thrilled to report on how some those same amendments are helping nail parents who skip out on paying child support. Three cheers for the Passport Denial Program, which has forced untold numbers of child support scofflaws to pay millions in missed payments. This program works very simply: The State Department denies passports to non-custodial parents who owe more than $2,500 in child support. Once the parents make good on their debts, they can reapply for passports. According to the federal officials, now that passports are needed … Continue reading →

Will You Be Traveling On The Fourth?

Independence Day falls on a Wednesday this year, but according to AAA the fact that the holiday falls in the middle of the week is not stopping Americans from adjusting their vacation plans accordingly. In fact, the barometer of travel says they expect families will be hitting the roads, rails and skies in record numbers. Will you be on the move next week? If so you will be joining a record 41.1 million other American who will be traveling sometime between June 29th and July 8th. According to AAA, that’s 0.8% more than the 40.8 million who traveled last year. … Continue reading →

Passport Horror Stories

Can you imagine shelling out 3,000 non-refundable dollars for a trip to Ireland only to be told you wouldn’t be allowed to go because the passport you applied for three months ago has yet to arrive in the mail? Sickening isn’t it? You bet it is. Just ask my 17-year-old cousin who is supposed to be days away from leaving on a high school band trip to Europe. In my previous blog I covered the new changes in the passport laws. As of yesterday, the federal government temporarily waived its new anti-terrorism rules and lifted the requirement that U.S. passports … Continue reading →

Revised Passport Rules

Here we go again… yet another revision in passport rules. However, this one may be welcome news to all of you angry travelers who have been victimized by the backlog of passport applications. As of yesterday, the federal government temporarily waived its new anti-terrorism rules and lifted the requirement that U.S. passports be used for travelers flying to and from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. What do the new rules mean for you summer travel plans? According to government officials, right now you will be able to fly without passports to and from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda … Continue reading →

More Tips To Remember When You Travel With Kids

Where are you planning to spend the Memorial Day weekend? If you are like millions of Americans you will be forgoing a relaxing weekend in your backyard for time spent on the highway, in the skies, or on the water. According to the AAA, about 38 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more this weekend, a 1.7 percent increase from last year’s holiday. Roughly 83% of them will drive, with the remainder taking airplanes, trains or other transportation. Regardless of where you are going and how you plan to get there, if you are traveling with kids … Continue reading →

Government Giving Parents A Break On Passports For Kids

Good news for you parents who travel internationally with your children. The Homeland Security Department just announced that U.S. and Canadian children will no longer need passports to come into the country by land or sea. If the news has you cheering, thank Canadian government officials and various tourism groups throughout North America—–both fought hard to ease the restrictions. Just so there is no confusion, this new policy change does not affect children who fly. There will be no change to the new rules for those who travel by air. Everyone coming into the United States by plane, no matter … Continue reading →

May I See Your Passport Please

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The rules for leaving and entering this country will become stricter for many travelers in a few days. In the past, most United States citizens did not need a passport to leave and enter many Caribbean nations, as well as Mexico and Canada. If you plan to travel to those destinations by air, you will need a passport. You can find out how to get a new one or renew one that has expired by typing “passport” into any search engine. Before I retired, I traveled to many international destinations. I have seen travelers make really stupid mistakes with their … Continue reading →