Traveler’s Resources
General Trip Info - Tips and Recommendations
Detailed information, tips, and tidbits relevant for all Atlas tour clients, but also useful as a resource for all travelers….
Passport Information
You can grab a passport application at just about any U.S. Post Office, or by clicking on the link to the State Department below and printing one out. Our advice would be to carefully follow every tiny nuance of the application instructions and do exactly what it says. Make sure the passport photos are precisely the size they should be. Passport photos can be obtained at many national pharmacy chains that have film processing, at any commercial photographer, at many national chain copy centers, and at many big box chain discount stores, such as Walmart and Target. A quick phone call can confirm if they provide the service.If you take your own with a digital camera and print them out at home, be sure you comply with the exact requirements, or your passport application will be rejected. If planning a side trip to an adjoining country it would be prudent to get two or three extra copies of your passport photo while you’re at it…they will be needed for the visa. Make sure that you send a certified birth certificate, and it must be the original, not a copy. Allow plenty of time to deal with the county records people if you need to get a certified original.
The smallest mistake is grounds for rejection, and you may not even know that it has been rejected until it is too late to do anything about it. You can submit the application with money and accoutrements at any post office, or through the mail, and give yourself a good six to eight weeks to receive your passport back in the mail. This is not something you want to do at the last minute! The State Department link below has a long list of FAQ answers, as well as a link to print out the application form on your home computer. Read the directions carefully to determine which form it is that you need.
http://travel.state.gov/ppt_faq.html
If you spaced it out and realized it too late, then you’re in a heap of trouble….or maybe not! Fortunately, especially if you live in a city of any size, in your phone directory you will likely find a listing for “passport/visa expeditors”. It will cost about $150 to 200 dollars extra (or more), but they can have a passport overnighted on both ends, and they pay people to walk the applications through the process at the regional passport centers. Below are some web links for these services (in alphabetical order), and most of these companies deal with both passports and visas:
www.us-passport-service-guide,com
Lastly, do a bit of research on your destination before it gets too late: some countries will deny entry into the country if your passport will expire within 6 months after your arrival date, while other destinations have their own sets of rules. Bottom line, do your homework when it comes to passports…it’s the most critical document you have, and without it you can be stuck in traveler’s limbo, forced to live in an airport for the rest of your life. Always travel with a photocopy of your passport, or carry an expired copy with you as backup documentation!