When I found out passport fees were increasing on July 13th, I quickly filled out the paperwork to renew my passport. A quick stop at Costco saved me $4 on each set of photos (two photos for the passport, extras for Visa applications) and my passport was on its way!
My first passport was stolen at a train station in Italy, which gave me the opportunity to visit the US Embassy in Rome. The Embassy had a photo booth for passport photos...and they only cost 2 Euros! It actually ended up being a great thing - I got to visit Hard Rock Rome and check out our beautiful embassy. The woman that helped even gave us directions for some of the best pizza I've ever had.
That temporary passport was only good for a year, so I had to quickly send off for another passport. The photo on that one was...horrible to say the least. This passport earned a few stamps and two India Visas - one 1 year visa (used for my 2008 trip) and one 5 year visa (for my 2009 trip).
My most recent passport needed to be replaced, so July 8th I rushed to send off my paperwork and managed to save $30 before the rate increase! This time I was given the option to add a passport card (good for travel by car or boat to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda) for an extra $20. I weighed the pros (extra ID while traveling) and cons (limited to driving or sea ports) and decided against it.
This morning I checked the status online, and my passport is being processed. Hopefully my new passport will arrive in the next two weeks! Hmmm...it must be time to plan a trip! :)
Post a Comment
Please make sure your comment does not contain information on my employer. Thanks!