U.S. Passport Processing Speeds Up by 2 Weeks

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tobi Oluwole, a 30-year-old former sales manager at a Big Tech firm who recently relocated to France. His former employer is known to Business Insider but is not named for confidentiality. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

In October 2022, I took a two-week backpacking trip through Europe, where I slept in shared train cabins and budget Airbnbs.

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Once you've finally landed a passport appointment, printed out the paperwork, and filled out all the necessary forms, there's one last important step: check the passport photo requirements and snap a winning shot.

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Paris and Berlin will soon be connected by a new high-speed train service.

I am not the likeliest serial traveler to Central America. I don’t speak Spanish, or surf, or have any kind of Latin dance skills. But in recent years, I’ve been drawn to the region repeatedly, making visits to Nicaragua, Guatemala, and, this past June, to El Salvador. After the country made this year’s “52 Places to Go” list from the New York Times, I felt the familiar, early tug of intrigue that so often sends me into trip-planning mode.

Waiting in a rental car line is high on my list of things I try to avoid after a flight. This was confirmed on a recent trip to Washington when I saw hectic crowds squeezing around the construction at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. This time around, I avoided them all with Kyte, a rental car company started in 2020 that delivers cars right to you or offers pick-ups and drop-offs at lots near select airports.

We’re well-practiced at carrying our driver’s licenses in the US, but it might surprise you that there are countries in Europe where it is illegal to venture out without your passport.

I’m not really much of a beach person, which may sound weird coming from someone who recently spent two weeks in French Polynesia. (Technically, the country is called “French Polynesia;” Tahiti is the name of the largest island, but often used to refer to the whole country).