Among the many aspects of travel that the pandemic disrupted, one issue was more bureaucratic — but no less frustrating — for some Americans: an enormous backlog of U.S. passport applications.
As recently as last summer, the estimated wait time to get a passport was as long as 10 to 13 weeks — nearly twice as long as the prepandemic benchmark. Even expedited service took seven to nine weeks.
Now, for the first time since March 2020, processing times have returned to prepandemic norms, according to an update on the State Department website, with six to eight weeks for routine service, and two to three weeks for expedited service.
Through August of last year, many Americans expressed fury and frustration that passport application wait times were disrupting their summer plans. Many across the United States were writing federal lawmakers for help, while others wrote directly to Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. Some officials described the situation as a “crisis” and an “unacceptable failure.”
The State Department, which issues and renews passports for American citizens, has faced a number of challenges since the start of the pandemic. Staffing shortages caused extensive delays in the application process, including a scarcity of in-person appointments, while a surge of Americans hoping to travel led to a record number of applications and renewal requests.
David Alwadish, the founder of itseasy.com, a passport and visa expediting service, called the backlog of passport applications a “perfect storm.”
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If there was any doubt about the health of the transatlantic aviation market, look no further than Phoenix. The city has just announced a new route with Air France, connecting the Arizona state capital with Paris. While air services come and go, to secure a European flag carrier on a new city pairing like this is notable.
Travelers looking for cheap flights often start their search on Google Flights — and this new money-saving tool is taking it a step further to make the best decision while booking.
If you're interested in earning more rewards on everyday purchases, you might want to start using — or using more frequently — dining rewards programs. While many travelers are familiar with online shopping portals, fewer are familiar with dining rewards programs. In short, dining rewards programs let you earn extra points or miles when you use an enrolled card to pay at select restaurants, bars and clubs.
Compared to a lot of things in the big, complicated world or travel, how to rent a car is pretty straightforward. You book the car, you get the car, you return the car. And barring any unforeseen incidents involving moose in the middle of the road, it's a fairly seamless experience. That said, there are some nuances to car rental that can save you both money and time if you know what you’re doing.
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Our experts answer readers' credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess credit cards). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners; however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.
Ever fantasized about having an entire hotel to yourself while on vacation? The Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora can make that dream come true: For $2.75 million, guests can buy out the entire island property for a week, dining at its open-air restaurants, snorkeling in the lagoon, and playing tennis with the hotel’s pro. Or, you could invite up to 245 of your closest friends to stay with you in the resort’s seven villas and 108 bungalow suites.
In the year ahead, the use of biometrics — an individual’s unique physical identifiers, such as fingerprints and faces — will be expanded at airports in the United States and abroad, a shift to enhance security, replace physical identification such as passports and driver’s licenses, and reduce the amount of time required by travelers to pass through airports. Biometric technology will be seen everywhere from bag drops at the check-in counters to domestic security screening.
Bhutan is one of the most fascinating and remote travel destinations in the world. And its tourism model and visa system are famously unlike any other in the world.
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