Nov 26th, 2009 at 10:30AM:
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While travel as the act of discovering a new place can be exhilarating and exciting, travel as the act of being in transit can be annoying and exhausting. Long lines, delays, rude people and all the frustrations that go along with moving large amounts of people ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
passport posts
Seven travel-related things to be thankful for
Nov 26th, 2009 at 10:30AM:
tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/11/26/seven-travel-related-things-to-be-thankful-for/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling';
While travel as the act of discovering a new place can be exhilarating and exciting, travel as the act of being in transit can be annoying and exhausting. Long lines, delays, rude people and all the frustrations that go along with moving large amounts of people ...Americans stop going to Canada two years in advance
Jul 26th, 2009 at 8:00AM: If you went to Canada this year, you're in a shrinking minority. Visits across our northern border sunk to a 37-year low. Fortunately we have not one but two(!) factors to blame: the ongoing financial crisis and stricter U.S. passport rules. Obviously, unemployment continues its downward spiral, making it increasingly difficult for consumers to open their wallets. And, the tighter border-crossing ...Last minute emergency passports no longer welcome in the United States
Jul 4th, 2009 at 10:00AM: For decades, travelers who were struck by disaster and lost (or forgot) their passport were usually able to have an emergency passport issued by the border police at their airport. I know several people who had their passport stolen a week before a long trip, but were able to have a travel document issued just 2 days before their departure. The ability to travel to the US on an emergency passport ...Photo of the Day (6.21.09)
Jun 21st, 2009 at 6:00PM:
Passports? Check. Beautiful historical monuments? Yes. Alright, let's travel! The previous phrase is what went through my mind when I looked at Flickr user darren.murph's photo from Nicaragua. There's something really amusing about how they're flaunting their passports around. Couple that with the beautiful church in the background and it makes for an arresting, yet humorous shot. Have any ...Former US Presidents clueless about Canadian border rules
May 30th, 2009 at 3:00PM: Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush managed to amaze an audience at a town-hall style meeting in Toronto. As of this past Monday, all Canadians trying to cross the border to enter the US will need a passport, much to their annoyance. When asked about the passport situation, both past Presidents showed their total lack of knowledge of the situation and were both unaware of the new ...Reminder - customs and immigrations officials do not like jokes
Apr 4th, 2009 at 11:30AM: Everyone who has entered a foreign country probably knows that the men and women protecting the border are not selected for their sense of humor. Jokes are best kept for once you reach the other side of the customs and immigration zone. Sadly, two Dutch travelers were still having too much fun on their vacation when they arrived back home at Amsterdam airport, because they thought it would be a ...100% failure on passport fakes
Mar 15th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Getting a passport, it seems, doesn't have to be difficult. Even with stricter requirements in this post-9/11 travel world, investigators duped passport and postal service employees four out of four times. In one case, the identity of a dead man became a new identity – likewise a five-year-old boy. The route from identity fraud to new passport takes fewer than 10 days. In fact, the ...Visting the US? Remember to register with ESTA before you leave!
Jan 14th, 2009 at 12:30PM: If you live in one of the countries participating in the US Visa Waiver program, pay attention, as things just got a little more complicated for you. As of January 12th 2009, all visitors to the US who are eligible for the visa waiver program will have to apply for travel authorization at least 72 hours prior to their trip. There are 35 countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), ...So, what exactly is in your Homeland Security travel file?
Jan 10th, 2009 at 12:00PM: Back in 2007, Jamie wrote an article outlining how to request getting your hands on your Homeland Security travel file. Based on the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), anyone is allowed to request that federal agencies hand over the information they keep on file about you. There are of course a couple of exceptions, but your Homeland Security travel dossier is not one of them. Of course, just ...Green card holder? Be prepared for fingerprinting at the airport!
Dec 20th, 2008 at 12:00PM: As part of the US-VISIT program, designed to protect the country from terrorism and other threats, US Permanent Residents will soon have to subject to fingerprinting when they enter the country through an immigration checkpoint. The new rules go into effect on January 18th 2009. The scheme is already in place for non permanent residents and other visitors, but it is the first time it has been ...Two weeks of embarrassing passport news
Aug 9th, 2008 at 6:00PM: It's been a bad couple of weeks for passport designers. Several things happened that could alter the future of the technology used in our travel documents. The first bit of bad news came from the UK, where a van was stolen containing 3000 "virgin" passports. These passports were on their way to an RAF base, where they would be flown to consulates all around the world (previously covered here on ...Homeland Security's new border crossing rules to take effect June 1, 2009
Mar 28th, 2008 at 11:30AM: You have another 14 months to prepare for the Department of Homeland Security's tightened border identification requirements. The new requirements will officially take effect June 1, 2009. At that time, US citizens will need to present documents that work as both identification and proof of citizenship. The identification policy is the final step in the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which ...What were your biggest traveling mistakes? Here are mine.
Mar 9th, 2008 at 9:00AM: Every traveler makes mistakes. They are rites of passage that even seasoned travelers can never entirely avoid-- whether it's missing a flight or eating a regrettable roadside meal or wandering around lost for hours. If you have the right attitude though, mistakes are part of what keeps traveling interesting and exciting. As Thomas Edison, ever the optimist, once observed: "I have not failed ...Passport boxers for ID?
Feb 16th, 2008 at 12:30PM: Anything goes when it comes to art and boxer shorts. It's hard to be original these days, very little phases me -- I always feel like "ah, I've seen this before." But boxer shorts with a passport page design is something I have never seen before, nor imagined. The idea has merit, but why would anyone wear underwear with a stranger's passport printed on them? And pay $33 for a pair?! Tutut. ...Apply for a U.S. passport card on February 1
Jan 31st, 2008 at 1:30PM: Starting tomorrow, U.S. citizens can fill out an application for a passport card which will "facilitate entry and expedite document processing at U.S. land and sea ports-of-entry when arriving from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda," according to the U.S. Department of State's website. The card basically carries the same rights and privileges that the standard passport book offers, but it ...U.S. passport fees go up February 1, 2008
Jan 30th, 2008 at 12:40PM: Mardi Gras isn't the only place to spend your money this weekend. As of Friday February 1, 2008, U.S. passport fees are going up.
A new passport for an adult (16 years and older) will now cost a whopping $100. Granted the old fee was $97, meaning only a $3 increase, but somehow my eyes widen just a little more than usual when they see a three digit figure. For your kids, plan on paying $85, also ...Washington state issues enhanced licenses for border crossings
Jan 24th, 2008 at 10:20AM: Border crossings seem to be on my mind this week. For those of you lucky enough to be residents of Washington state (like myself), you are now able to surpass all the identification hullabaloo when crossing up to Canada.
Last year Washington governor Chris Gregoire, in an effort to maintain travel and cultural ties with British Columbia, signed a law launching a pilot program between the state and ...The Canadian Border: Homeland Security tightens ID regulations
Jan 23rd, 2008 at 2:00PM: In 2001 I was turning 18, and for the big birthday weekend I had a fun escapade in Vancouver, Canada planned out. My birthday is at the end of September, and unfortunately that year, the tragic events of September 11th foiled my plans for making a break for the border. Lines were extremely long (hours and hours of waiting to be exact) and people that had been crossing back and forth between the ...More U.S. passport regulations coming soon
Dec 13th, 2007 at 2:30PM: Are you one of the many Americans that still don't have a passport? Shame on you. But being shamed by some random travel blog on the Internets is the least of your worries, especially if you plan on re-entering the U.S. by land, ferry, or small boat. According to USA Today, those re-entering after January 30th "must carry either a passport or a government-issued photo ID plus proof of citizenship ...Mexico and borders: No longer a speedy crossing
Oct 21st, 2007 at 3:45PM: When I lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, heading to Juarez, Mexico for the day was a fun day outing. I didn't do it often, but at least twice a year we'd walk across the border at El Paso, Texas, have lunch, shop for presents at the market, buy a bottle of Kahlúa and Jose Cuervo and head home. Going across the border was a snap--quick. There was nothing to it. I found the same thing when I ...
