Aug 11th, 2010 at 2:13PM: Before you start planning your next dream vacation, make sure your passport is up to snuff. Check the expiration date carefully. Many countries do not allow you to visit with a passport that expires within six months of your trip.
For example, Brazil requires your passport to be valid for six months after your tip. For Switzerland, it's three months.
Plus each country has its own rules for ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
passport posts
Inspect your passport carefully - International travel tip
Aug 11th, 2010 at 2:13PM: Before you start planning your next dream vacation, make sure your passport is up to snuff. Check the expiration date carefully. Many countries do not allow you to visit with a passport that expires within six months of your trip.
For example, Brazil requires your passport to be valid for six months after your tip. For Switzerland, it's three months.
Plus each country has its own rules for ...Pack spare passport photos - International travel tip
Aug 6th, 2010 at 4:35PM: When traveling abroad, it is a good idea to have an extra set of passport photos packed among your belongings.
In the event that your passport is lost or stolen, you can save valuable time by immediately taking these photos to the embassy or consulate when you apply for a replacement. Without the photos, you may find yourself frantically searching for a photo lab in a potentially unfamiliar ...Airline passenger stupidity ends with indictment, not bang
Jul 19th, 2010 at 1:30PM: Would you like to be featured on Gadling? It's not as hard as you think. It just takes a little bit of planning ... with a healthy dose of stupidity. In fact, you can get your 15 minutes of fame the way Derek Stansberry did. Here are four steps to take to turn your bad decision into one that everyone will judge you for.
Book a trans-Atlantic flight, maybe to Paris
Slip a note to a flight ...Forgot your passport? Here's a way out!
May 22nd, 2010 at 8:00AM: En route to the Dominican Republic last week, I did something I've never done before: I forgot my passport. I was already out of Manhattan, deep into Queens, and turning back simply wasn't an option. I panicked.
There was no reason for me to forget my passport, something I haven't done in a dozen years of travel as a professional. As I do for every trip, I put my wallet, keys and passport on ...U.S. Passport offices open this Saturday
Mar 24th, 2010 at 4:30PM: Saturday, March 27, has been deemed "Passport Day in the USA" by the U.S. State Department, and offices around the country will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to accept passport applications without an appointment. It's actually the only day of the year that a U.S. Citizen can apply for a routine passport in person at one of the country's 23 passport agencies. Most days, only expedited passport ...Email your docs - International travel tip
Jan 20th, 2010 at 11:29PM: Missing documentation is among the the most challenging issues an international traveler can face. So, take a moment and email yourself the following:
a scanned copy of your passport
a scanned copy of your birth certificate
a detail copy of your itinerary
your airline reservations
your hotel confirmations
While traveling, if you need any of the documents, you just need to get to your ...Passports with Purpose raises $13,000 to build school in Cambodia
Dec 8th, 2009 at 11:30AM: One of the most difficult parts of travel is visiting a less-developed country, seeing a need, and wishing there was something you can do to help fill it. So four travel bloggers from the Seattle area got together and decided to raise some money and put it to use on a particular project. This year, that project is building a school in Cambodia, and they've been joined by over 50 additional travel ...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 ...
