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Is A U S Passport Card Right For You?

Posted on 27 July 2010 | Comments Off

The US State Department is now offering the relatively new passport card id. Also called the PassCard, it was created for the convenience of Americans who travel to certain North American countries. What do you need to know about this card? Is it truly more convenient? Find out if the PassCard is right for you.

The PassCard is a new alternative to the conventional passport booklet as a way of identifying yourself as a US citizen. When travelling by land or sea, it can successfully be used when returning from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. It will not be accepted for travel by air and is not a valid travel document for any other countries.

Anyone who experiences a lot of travel between countries in North America may find the card beneficial. It is particularly useful for those who live in border towns because of its wallet size and lower cost. There is also a belief that this will speed up the process at border. For those same reasons it has benefits for many others.

There are certain security features involved to protect the PassCard from counterfeiting. The RFID chip helps the security process at the border, but there is no personal identification information held within the chip. The pasport booklet and many credit and debit cards also have the same kind of chip. For those who feel that it is necessary, a sleeve is given with the card that blocks transfer of information.

The price is what most people look at to make their final decision. The traditional booklet costs one hundred dollars, compare that to the forty five dollar price of the PassCard. Just like the booklet, the card is valid for ten years for those over the age of sixteen. Under sixteen years of age the card is valid for five years.

The card and booklet have the same application process. You will need to find an approved passport facility and turn in your paperwork in person if this is your first time getting a passport. You will need to show valid identification and fill out the proper form. Then the two 2×2 pictures you have brought will be mailed along with your proof of US citizenship, either a birth certificate or papers showing naturalization. These will be returned to you when your card arrives in the mail.

If you already have a passport there is no need to find a facility, the application can be sent by mail. You will still need to send proof of citizenship, but your passport can be used for this purpose. It will be returned to you in the mail with your card. You also have the option to renew your passport booklet and attain a new PassCard at the same time.

For some people, there are a number of benefits to the USA Passport card. The credit card size makes it easy to carry during travel and the low price is convenient for those on a budget. The PassCard made be the right fit for you. There are many online sources to help you in the simple application process.


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Hiring A Limousine

Posted on 27 July 2010 | Comments Off

If you’ve never hired a limousine before in your life you should do it – just for the experience. Hiring a limousine is much more affordable today than it was just a few years ago, and there are a lot more companies available in each city that can accommodate your needs. You can reduce your budget even further if you split the cost with a group of friends. Arriving at your destination in a limousine will make the entire evening much more memorable and classy. However, before you just call up and hire a limousine, there are some important things that you should consider first.The function you will be attending will determine the color of limousine you should hire. Common events for which you might hire a limousine are birthday or anniversary parties, high school proms, weddings, funerals, career functions and other formal gatherings. Black is definitely appropriate if the event is a funeral, a formal gathering or a work related event while white should always be used for weddings. Parties, dances and other special events could even go with a more festive yellow or blue.You need to decide what type of vehicle would you like the limousine to be. There are a huge number of different types of vehicles that have been adapted to be used as limousines. The most popular types are: Rolls Royce, Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, standard stretched, super stretched, and stretched Hummers. Some companies offer stretched versions of more exotic or uncommon cars like the Range Rover, the Cadillac Escalade, the Audi Q7 or BMW X5. As you would expect, the bigger and the more expensive the limousine you rent is, the more you will have to pay to hire it.Choose a search engine and you can easily do online research for companies in your area which hire out limousines. In most cases, you will need to call in order to get additional information such as the price and availability. There are details you should know in advance of making your call so that you can get a more accurate quote. Prices vary and are determined by dates and distances. You should know the date and time of the event you are attending, the distance from pick-up to drop-off and whether you want a driver to wait or return.Most of the limousine companies in a region or area will be quite competitive, so it is likely that most of your research will be in trying to find the specific type and color of limousine rather than looking for the best price. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the limousines, what year the vehicles are, what the driver will be wearing and if any extras such as champagne or other drinks will be included in the total price. Another thing to consider is the quality and reputation of the service that you choose. For the best experience, it is suggested that you request to stop by and take a look at the vehicle you want to hire before your big event just to be sure that you will be satisfied with what they have to offer.

Read On : Limo Hire Manchester


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Car Hire UK Information For Gatwick Airport

Posted on 26 July 2010 | Comments Off

After passengers arrive at Gatwick Airport they may wish to rent a car from the various car hire firms located at the airport such as Alamo, Enterprise, Avis, Sixt, Europcar and Hertz.

The car hire firms can be found at both the North and the South Terminal. The north terminal tends to be opened for business from around 0600 until 2200 in the evening.

Whilst the South Terminal is opened 24 hours for business. Passengers can save themselves the hassle of carry their luggage to the opposite end of the airport by using the tram which will take themselves to the south terminal.

If passengers prefer a less stressful method of transport they can select the train and let it take the strain as the saying goes. The Gatwick Express runs every 15 minutes through out the day and will take on average around half an hour. Another local train which stops of at various stations before reaching London St Pancras International Station and London Bridge generally runs every half hour whilst another local service which runs to Clapham Junction.

London Fulham Broadway can be reached in a one hour journey from Gatwick Airport. The bus leaves the airport on a regular basis around three times through out the hour.Gatwick Airport car rental UK. Car hire UK can be arranged and booked on line at London Gatwick Airport.

If you prefer to travel by taxi and share the cost amongst your friends. The price will vary depending on your final drop off point . You will take on average over one hour to reach the city very much depending on the traffic. Gatwick Airport car hire uk.

Gatwick Airport has two terminals called North and South. There are several car hire firms which can supply car rental on a 24 hourly basis from the south terminal.

 

London Gatwick Airport General Information


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Everything That You Should Know Regarding Damaged Passports

Posted on 26 July 2010 | Comments Off

Knowing what to do about a damaged pasport can assist travel plans. Distinguish most common perils that create damage. Rank the severity of harm and brace yourself for effects that damage causes.

The best sales person sunbathes at the seashore. She has won an award and now enjoys the first prize, a paid vacation, compliments of her company. She is unsure if the passport she dropped into the water will cause her to remain in paradise a little longer.

At the airport, this top sales person tells the customs agent that she dropped her passport in the sink in her hotel room. The customs official smiles and replies that water is a common cause of damage. Customs informs her that she cannot return home until she acquires a replacement passport. She feels uneasy about this turn of events. She walks slowly toward the taxis for the sad ride back to the hotel.

Leading Causes of Damage To Passports

Later, near her hotel, a travel consultant gives our unfortunate sales representative a cup of tea. The travel expert beckons her to sit in a chair against a wall on which hangs a painting of a white cruise ship. Many substances can do damage to a passport, the travel agent offers. He recalls one tourist who dumped ink on his travel documents as well as a mountain climber who jumped onto his passport while wearing climbing shoes. The pointy spikes made his visas look like Swiss cheese. Some U.S. passports get dented by heavy objects or people fold their travel documents and visas like newspapers. Harm caused by water occurs regularly and humidity is also bad for passports.

How To Recognize Damage

How can voyagers learn to recognize when they need to replace their travel passport? A photo that appears to the fingers or eyes to be scraped, warped, disfigured, or unclear demonstrates the existence of damage. Letters or stamps that appear wore down or poorly applied also indicate a damaged condition.

Customs officials can allege that travel documents are not credible if the electronic computer chip grafted inside does not operate. Passports currently carry a bar code and a computer chip. Customs officials may designate that a passport is too damaged to use if the bar code becomes unreadable. A chip could be corrupted electronically or physically.

Outcomes Brought On By Damage

Basically, the consequences involve inability and loss. One inability you may suffer is the inability to go again back from where you came. Imagine how the shock of being blocked must feel. You sit in an airport. You have a pocket filled with money. Planes fly back to the country of departure. Unfortunately, the scratched and torn passport does not credibly identify which country you came from. You feel stuck like the queen chess piece sitting on the back row of a chess board. The travel rules say the queen, while on the back row, can move forward to a new square. It also can move side to side, to a new square. The queen cannot move backward.

Loss can be illustrated by using the topic of anonymity. If tourists must substitute a scraped and dented travel document, they need follow processes and employ government officials. The tourist may have to speak to police agencies. This likely entails signing a few police documents. Oh yes, you must reapply for a replacement passport personally. Every signature certifies that you were present at that place. You will lose anonymity.

The delay to proceed home can bring about a loss of financial resources. Departing gets held up because of the wait for delivery of new undamaged travel documents. How crucial is the deprivation of money on account of missing a week away from work? An unforeseen loss of money can kick a hole in a vacation budget.

Her replacement visas and passport arrived after about seven days. Our sales champion flew back home. She feels happy that she brought along extra money because she needed it. She makes two promises to herself. She vows to get a new passport and visas before they get too worn and tattered. And she promises to remain watchful over her passport during future international travel.

Replace a damaged American passport and you protect a vacation is learned wisdom. Discover the common risks that can disfigure a passport. Recognize the harshness of damage that justifies replacement. Review the bad consequences of relying on worn out travel documents.


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Obtaining A U.S. Passport Made Easy

Posted on 26 July 2010 | Comments Off

The information is out there, it’s just organizing it that gives a lot of people problems. One of the first things you need to know, however, is you cannot procrastinate this process. Unless you want to pay extra for an expedited service, you need to start the passport process as soon as possible. The process can take up to three months, so be sure to start plenty of time in advance. An online pasport service is a great way to get new passports, so I’ll be sure to include that.

1. Your passport application form is the place to start and these can be acquired at your local post office or downloaded from an online passport service.

2. Complete your application and if you have downloaded it on your computer, it must be printed on standard letter size paper (8.5 inches by 11 inches) with a matte finish.

3. You will know need to prove your citizenship to the United States. There are a number of ways to do this. Birth certificates, naturalization certificates, international birth records, or a certificate of citizenship. These must be the originals, not copies.

4. Your identity must also be verified and this is done with the submission of a valid driver’s license, previous passport, naturalization certificate, certificate of citizenship, government or military identification.

5. Next, you get to model for the camera! You must obtain two identical passport photos for your passports. Be sure to wear your normal, everyday clothes with nothing covering your head. If you wear glasses or any other semi-permanent addition that alters your wardrobe, wear them. There are plenty of places where you can get these photos taken, including the post office, convenience stores, or photography studios. An acceptable passport photo has: a full-frontal view of the head and face centered in the middle of the photograph with both eyes open, a white of off-white background, adequate lighting as not to create distortions by shadows, and a natural facial expression.

6. Make sure you know your social security number, or have it in an easily-accessible place.

7. The normal cost for a passport is approximately $100 but the cost can increase depending on where you go to apply and if you require expedited delivery service so be sure you have enough cash on hand.

8. You application can be taken to your post office or court house or submitted online. Be sure to consider how soon you need it when determining your need for an expedited passport service.

Well, it might sound like a lot of red tape but getting a passport is easy, especially if you use an online United States passport service. In review, fill out your passport application, provide proof of citizenship and identity, get your passport photos, submit your application with payment and start planning your next trip. A passport is valid for a ten year period so this is a process that you won’t have to go through very often. Remember, a passport is you ticket to world travel and a lifetime of memories.


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Don’t Worry – Tips On How To Get A Passport For Your Infant

Posted on 26 July 2010 | Comments Off

What is a person to do when they are expecting their baby and their vacation to arrive at times uncomfortably close, especially when your vacation requires a passport. It’s certainly a good question to ask how to get a infants passport but planning ahead is the key to making this process a lot easier. The rules are pretty much the same with a few exceptions.

There are many misconceptions that surround this issue, as every country has a different policy. In the United States, you will need to use a birth certificate in order to verify citizenship. Hospital records or birth notices are not able to be used in place of a birth certificate. These birth certificates generally arrive around a month after birth. However, you can go to the courthouse and obtain one faster. Make sure to figure out what your county’s policy is beforehand.

While all passport applications request a social security number, it can be completed without one for a newborn baby. The government allows this information to be bypassed since it can take several months to receive your child’s social security number. The parent should simply write eight “0”’s in the spaced that would normally hold the social security number. Steps can be taken to expedite delivery of your child’s passport even if a social security number is not included. There may be an extra charge for this service but it will be money well spent.

The rules are the same when it comes to American passport photos. The newborn passport must have a picture of the newborn but there are special requirements for this picture. The baby must not be wearing anything on its head and the baby’s eyes must be open. This is to enable the airport customs agent to identify eye and hair color. Remember to call ahead when arranging for the newborn’s passport photo as special preparations may be necessary to accommodate a newborn baby.

While an adult’s passport is valid for ten years, a newborn passport is valid only five years. A child’s appearance will certainly change drastically within those five years and while this does not require a new picture be taken, it does limit the life of the passport to five years.

So if you’re planning on traveling in the future, but your travel date is uncomfortably close with your delivery date, you don’t need to panic. Simply preparing yourself and figuring out your county’s policies can make a world of difference. Being prepared means you can make sure you get a infants passport and arrive at your destination safely and on time.


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Spain: The Type Of Destination That Never Fails To Amaze

Posted on 26 July 2010 | Comments Off

Maybe when you think of international travel, you think of the hassle and stress of all the preparation including getting or changing your passport. Getting a new passport or adding pages to your passport can be done quickly and easily with online services available. You can spend your time deciding where to go and what to pack but preparing for a trip, even if you will be traveling internationally, has been made stress free with services offered on the internet.

Spain is synonymous with great food. Barcelona is one of the food capitals of the world, and it graces the top of lists that promote the best dining locations on earth. So, if you like good food and great wine served in a one-of-a-kind atmosphere, Barcelona will not disappoint. Tapas are the crowning glory of Spain, as they are served all over, in both chic wine bars and comfy cafes. To “go for tapas” is a popular activity of native Spaniards, and you will not want to miss out on trying a few for yourself.

The color and adventure of Spain can be enjoyed by walking along La Rambla in Barcelona. The traveler will be able to enjoy street performers, sculptures, and an innumerable amount of shops and boutiques. The home of Gaudi’s famous architecture can also be found in Barcelona. While his work was produced during the Art Nouveau period, his individualistic creations and uniqueness exempted his work from being categorized as “Art Nouveau”. To the adventurer, having a current passport in a mandatory prerequisite to this experience and expedited U.S. passport renewal makes that just as close as your computer.

Two hours from the Costa del Sol is the Sierra Nevada Mountains. These mountains provide some of the best skiing found anywhere in the world, and the fact that it’s such a short drive away only attests the variety of scenery that Spain offers. With ski lessons available, you can learn to ski on the powdery snow, and when the sun goes down, you can party until the sun comes up.

The Running of the Bulls is also synonymous with Spain and is know world wide. While I wouldn’t recommend it myself, if you are an extreme adventure seeker, you might want to plan your trip to Spain during this event which usually occurs in the summer along the streets of San Fermin. While anyone is welcomed to participate, you run at your own risk but if risk is what you seek, this may be the event for you.

Spain presents the truly complete type of cultural immersion that defines great vacations. With landscapes that vary from toasty beaches to alpine mountain tops, visiting Spain promises to give you the type of vacation that settles any type of itch for adventure you might have. And since travel planning has gotten easier thanks to internet services, you can get anything from expedited passport renewal, to getting a replacement passport for a stolen one, to adding pages to your pass port. So if you’re looking for the type of vacation that offers different types of adventures at every angle, take a look at Spain.


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The Beijing Tea House Scam

Posted on 26 July 2010 | Comments Off

Anyone fancy a cup of tea then?

I would like to warn travellers to Beijing, China about a scam that has hit me twice now personally. In the lead up to the Olympic games in Beijing, the warning may be very useful, especially for solo travellers who are particularly vulnerable. I have travelled in many developing countries such as Russia, Thailand, South Africa, Indonesia etc but never come across anything as subtle as this scam. There is an old saying “Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me”. I still don’t know whether to kick myself for letting this happen or be a bit more forgiving to myself because the scam is very subtle and its a trap that is very easy to fall prey to. I consider my self to be an experienced traveller, and yet I have fallen for this trick on two occasions now.

Basically the scam works as follows. Young residents of Beijing – mostly students – patrol the common tourist areas such as Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City looking for solo western travellers. They walk next to you and strike up an interesting conversation, usually about the differences in culture between China and the traveller’s country. After a few minutes they invite you to a nearby tea house to sit down for a traditional Chinese tea-serving ceremony.

After more interesting conversation and several cups of tea, the tea lady who served the brews presents the traveller for a bill. The bill runs into several hundred dollars and sometimes as high as USD0 . They tell you that you have voluntarily consumed rare and expensive teas during the ceremony and now you must foot the bill.

Your new companion/s who invited you there in the first place are adamant that the bill is legitimate and not particularly pricey. Off course they are in on the scam and stand to receive commissions from the tea house provider. If you encounter this scam, report it to consular staff of your embassy and / or the local police.

Travel Blogger

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Want an upgrade? What’s your best offer?

Posted on 26 July 2010 | Comments Off

lets make a deal Want an upgrade? Whats your best offer?
Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare, has a column that makes a number of suggestions for snagging an upgrade if you’ve got no status. You’ve heard most of them before — buy an upgrade at check-in or at the kiosk, participate in an elite challenge, or throw in the towel and fly Southwest. Wait, what? Yeah, he really suggests “upgrading” on Southwest by boarding early. Sorry, Rick, but if the seat isn’t wider and has more legroom, that’s not an upgrade…

Also missing from the list: the “ghetto upgrade” of sleeping across an empty row of seats.

Anyway, this post isn’t about sleeping in coach or opting for an all-economy carrier. There’s one suggestion for an actual, genuine, bona fide upgrade that struck me as a little offbeat. Make the gate agent an offer:

Be Alert for Desperate-Looking Gate Agents

Next time you’re sitting around the gate area waiting for your international flight, take a good long look at the gate agent — does he or she look a little anxious? Do you see a pad of paper and a pencil with the agent? You could be in luck.

My friend and co-founder of FareCompare noticed just such a scenario right before he took off from Scotland for the U.S., and he quickly figured what was going on: agents were offering passengers “extreme” last minute upgrade deals. It worked this way: an agent would briefly confer with a passenger, then write a number on his pad — a monetary figure –show it to the individual, and wait for a “yes” or “no.”

My partner was waved over, but he didn’t like the price he was shown, so he suggested his own, lower figure, and it was accepted. In other words, he and his son each got an upgrade to business class worth thousands, for pennies on the dollar. Sweet.

I’ll admit, I’ve never tried doing this myself. But as long as the price isn’t entirely absurd, why wouldn’t this work? After all, this is a perishable commodity, so if the airline wants to fill the seats, they’ll take what they can.

But then again, how likely is it really that you’ll be able to pull off this kind of dealmaking? If the airline has empty seats to begin with, they’ll likely push upgrades-for-sale way earlier than the gate, such as via the online check-in channel.

So the question goes to you: Have you ever actually tried this and made an offer for an upgrade at the gate? Successfully? What kinds of deals have they taken, and what have they rejected?



Upgrade: Travel Better

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Flying Cars to take off in the U.S. next year! They only cost… $148,000.

Posted on 26 July 2010 | Comments Off

BREAKING NEWS: Flying car company Terrafugia gets key FAA clearance for its ‘roadable aircraft’ and looks to deliver first one next year
From the article:
With that FAA clearance under the its belt, the company said it is on track to deliver the first Transitions to customers late next year.
The Transition, which is designed with foldable wings, [...]




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