Government Shutdown Could Delay Travel And Passport Processing

While the current prices of airline tickets are down from their peak earlier this year—thanks to pent-up travel demand being released and more flights being added—they likely won’t stay that way for long. The holidays are coming and, with them, an increase in flight prices.

In Panama City, Panama, a historic city core juxtaposes with modernity in the most intriguing ways. The Central American destination has a skyscraper-studded skyline, almost reminiscent of Miami’s Brickell neighborhood, yet uniquely its own.

Bain Capital-owned Virgin Australia said on Tuesday that the airline returned to a profit for the first time in 11 years for fiscal 2023, buoyed by a strong recovery in travel demand following the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the evolving landscape of post-Covid travel, Hilton has cast its spotlight on a new demographic, the “GenerAsian Traveler.” Hilton says this group is driven by a strong desire for self-discovery and a deep interest in exploring their cultural and ancestral roots through travel.

A government shutdown was narrowly avoided when the deadline neared on October 01, 2023. Even though the government has remained open, the possibility of a shutdown remains as only a stopgap funding bill was passed. Should the government shutdown happen, one thing it will affect is travel, and it will be around the holidays. Here’s what you should know.

It’s getting easier to renew a passport this fall as processing times have significantly decreased.

After warning travelers to expect consistently delayed passport processing times for 2023 in March, the U.S. Department of State has announced slightly improved wait times.

Time is ticking for lawmakers in Congress to strike a budget deal and avoid a government shutdown, although chances of coming to an agreement in time are looking increasingly bleak. If a shutdown does happen on October 1 at 12:01 a.m., all non-essential government functions would cease, and the air travel system would be stretched to its limit, with air traffic controllers and TSA officers essentially working without pay.

Peak fall foliage is popping in Estes Park, the mountain town just outside of Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. Soon, the elk will be bugling as part of their annual mating ritual, a wildlife spectacle that draws tourists to the mountain town for “Elktober.” Down in southern Colorado, the “ring of fire eclipse” is projected to pass directly through Mesa Verde National Park on Oct. 14, drawing tourists eager to catch the rare celestial event among the Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings.

As a government shutdown becomes increasingly inevitable this weekend, flyers may soon see longer security lines and passport wait times.

A U.S. government shutdown is looking more likely by the day as budget negotiations drag on in Congress. A shutdown would start Sunday, unless the government can reach a deal by the September 30 deadline. 

Most U.S. National Parks will shut down their operations if U.S. lawmakers don’t reach a deal to fund the federal government by Saturday night, the Department of Interior said Friday in a press release.