When it comes to bang for your buck, Barcelona has it all: beautiful architecture, coastal location and a cosmopolitan energy that makes it one of Europe’s foremost cultural hubs for art, fashion and technology.
27.07.2023 - 18:05 / smartertravel.com
Renewing a passport, like most official government matters, is a long process. The State Department’s expedited passport service costs an extra $60 and still takes a cool six weeks. Faster expedited service (three weeks or fewer) requires an in-person visit to a passport center. And standard passport renewal is subject to ever-changing processing times. Which is why horror stories of travelers discovering their passport expired (or is about to expire; some countries require passport validity of three to six months for entry) the weekend before an international trip are so cringe-worthy—there’s never been much you can do about it. But a new and fast passport renewal service via FedEx is aiming to change that.
By partnering with an existing service called RushMyPassport, FedEx is facilitating a nationwide solution for those who need very fast passport renewal. While expedited passport services like the State Department’s and the U.S. Post Office’s take weeks (and still cost an added fee), FedEx and RushMyPassport say they can turn around a passport renewal in 24 hours by combining the shipping service’s thousands of U.S. locations with RushMyPassport’s expertise. The passport renewal service can also replace a lost/stolen/damaged passport, complete a name change on your passport, or acquire a second passport—but no matter which service you need, it’ll cost you.
Related:6 Rules for Faster Passport RenewalCompared with the painful prospect of missing your paid-for vacation, though, the $449 fee (not including shipping costs) might seem like a deal to some. Add on the $170 expedited service fee that goes to the State Department and the one-day rush shipping costs, and the several-hundred-dollar expense is certainly a last resort that’s probably only worthwhile if you’re totally unable to visit a passport center before your trip. If you have slightly more time before your trip, FedEx also offers a 10-12 business day rush for $99 (plus those same added fees).
According to FedEx: “Expedited passports and rushed passport renewal baseline pricing, which factors in the expedited processing service, is offered among six tiers. These include 24-hour service, next-day service, priority service, rush service, standard service, and rush renewal. Additionally, customers can purchase two high-quality, government-compliant 2×2 photos to submit with passport applications.”
So if you’re totally, completely out of time to get a new passport, your local FedEx might be the place to save your trip—for a price. Travelers can start the process, which includes 24/7 customer service from a “passport advisor,” by visiting a FedEx or filling out an application online.
Readers: Have you ever expedited a passport renewal or visited
When it comes to bang for your buck, Barcelona has it all: beautiful architecture, coastal location and a cosmopolitan energy that makes it one of Europe’s foremost cultural hubs for art, fashion and technology.
Anyone who had plans to fly at the start of 2020 will remember the travel nightmare that began that March when the spread of Covid-19 left a barrage of canceled and disrupted flights.
Online shopping can be challenging. With seemingly endless choices and product reviews that may be less than trustworthy, it can be tough to make confident decisions, especially for high-ticket items. Can AI help? Microsoft says that its goal is to bring more joy to shopping—and to help consumers make more knowledgeable decisions. According to the company, Microsoft Edge has offered $3.7 billion in savings to shoppers worldwide in the last year thanks to built-in shopping features like Coupons, Cashback, Price History, and Price Comparison. In addition, Microsoft estimates that U.S. shoppers can save an average of $400 per year with Microsoft Edge.
I don’t know when I started using the word exotic to describe the Welsh uplands. The more commonly used adjectives are lonely, barren, windswept. But today, so close to the summer solstice, after weeks of constant sunshine, this Cambrian Mountain scene is almost African, reminding me of the uplands of Kenya. The little River Elan, far below, is fringed with blazing trails where algae has dried hard on the rocks turning salt white. The slopes are tan and umber. The line of the horizon shifts and undulates in a heat haze. Replace the ubiquitous sheep with antelopes and you’d believe you were far away from here.
The classic travel guide is being overtaken on online marketplaces like Amazon by completely generic, AI-written ones — but there are a couple of ways to tell if the guide you're looking at is a fake.
Before I became a mother, people told me I'd miss rest. I thought that was silly. I had waited my whole life to have a baby, and in my mind's eye, all I saw was us doing things like walking everywhere hand in hand, baking in the kitchen, and singing together.
In the century-plus since its inception in 1910, Glacier National Park in northwest Montana — the Crown of the Continent — has seen drastic changes.
Just an hour away from Rwanda’s famed gorilla trekking and nestled amongst inactive volcanoes lies a little-visited but spectacular sight: the country’s Twin Lakes. Early in the morning, small islands on Lake Burera and Lake Ruhondo glow white against velvety blue water as fishermen begin their day. Then, when the afternoon sun burns away the mist, verdant green hills appear.
St Lucia is a volcanic island and one of the more mountainous in the Caribbean. At only 27 miles long and 14 miles wide, the island is small enough to get from one end to the other in less than two hours.
Summer 2023 is turning out to be one of the wildest for tourists on record.