Hello readers!
I've started my first in a series (hopefully) of travel blogs since I'll be kicking it to France this May for the Cannes Film Festival through Grady's Study Abroad program at the University of Georgia. That was a lot of proper nouns, I know.
Since I have begun my serious preparation for departure on May 7th, I thought it would be appropriate to get warmed up for the trip by pre-blogging with travel tips and other general things of interest that I come across in the process.
things to know about... PASSPORTS
1. I know everybody says it but, if you are going to need a passport and you don't have one already, GO TO THE POST OFFICE NOW. Especially if you need it within a few months. Trust me. Don't assume that because the predicted time of your passport's delivery is 4-6 weeks, you can afford to wait until 6 weeks before your flight to go apply. It's not worth the stress of worrying whether or not you're going to get it in the mail on time. Same philosophy applies to renewals.
2. If you were under the age of 16 when your passport was issued to you, you are going to have to reapply for a passport (Form DS-11) instead of applying for a renewal (Form DS-82).
3. Cost of obtaining a brand new passport - $75, plus a $25 execution fee
Cost of obtaining a renewed passport - $75
Cost of getting your passport pictures made at the office - $15
4. Expediting your passport generally gets it back to you in about 2 weeks and costs $60 in most cases.
5. You can expedite an already-applied-for passport by calling the regional office and making an appointment or calling the National Passport Information Center (1-877-487-2778) for more information.
6. You need a passport number to reserve a ticket for international flights with some airlines (but not with Delta, I have found). If you are going to need to reserve your tickets anywhere in the immediate future, but you also need your passport renewed, it's difficult to change the passport number on your ticket reservations without having to pay a fee or re-reserve your tickets, which may also bump you to the bottom of the waiting list. So be careful and get your ducks in a row with the passport first if you aren't flying Delta or another airline that doesn't require a passport number for international flights.
Don't try this at home... or anywhere else:
Remember those bizarre beauty tips you used to read in magazines when you were still playing with Barbies and My Little Pony, like pressing your lips together to bring blood into them so they are nice and cherry red for your passport picture instead of pale, ghost lips like your mother frequently mentions you have? Well, it not only gets you awkward looks, but will also prompt the post office worker to ask you to stop so she can take your photo. Just bring chapstick.
Fun Fact:
The Cannes Film Festival was forced to close in 1968 during the French Revolution when most major French directors withdrew their films from the competition and the jury resigned.
