While planning our California family vacation from Australia, we asked our 18-year-old twins and their two friends one question: After visiting Los Angeles, should we go to Disneyland or Palm Springs?
02.02.2025 - 14:53 / travelandleisure.com
Chances are you’ve heard about the Real ID — maybe you already have one. The gist is that starting May 7, 2025, every U.S. citizen who is 18 years and older will need a Real ID or approved alternative to fly domestically. If you don't have one, you’ll be denied entry at TSA checkpoints.
But what exactly is a Real ID and how do you know if you have one? And if you already have a passport, do you even need one? The short answer is no. But here’s the why:
The Real ID is a more secure, federally standardized driver’s license or identification card. The transition to Real ID cards started in 2005 when the 9/11 Commission suggested that the federal government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses and identification cards.” The idea is to ensure that all U.S. driver’s licenses (aka ID cards) meet the same security standard and to prohibit federal agencies from accepting non-compliant driver’s licenses and identification cards for things like air travel and entering federal facilities.
For this reason, if you’ve gotten a new driver's license or identification card since 2005, chances are good you already have a Real ID. The compliant identification cards are being issued by all 50 U.S. states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
You’ll know if your driver's license or identification card is a Real ID if there is a star in the top portion of the card (or, in California’s case, a bear with a star cut out). You can see the various “star types” (and the bear with a star) on the Real ID FAQs page at dhs.gov.
If you don’t have a Real ID, you can use your passport or passport card to travel. The FAQs section of the Real ID website states: “The Act does not … prohibit an agency from accepting other forms of identity documents (such as a U.S. passport or passport card).”
In addition, if you live in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, or Washington, you might have a state-issued Enhanced Driver’s License. These “Enhanced Driver's Licenses” and identification cards are an acceptable alternative to a Real ID. You’ll know if you have an Enhanced Driver’s License if your card has an image of the U.S. flag and the word “Enhanced” at the top of the card. Most Enhanced Driver's Licenses and identification cards do not have the Real ID star marking in the top right corner.
While we’ve established that you can still travel domestically with your passport, passport card, or Enhanced Driver’s License, chances are you’ll eventually want a Real ID. To get one, you’ll need to visit the DMV and provide the following information, at a minimum:
1) Full Legal Name; 2) Date of Birth; 3) Social
While planning our California family vacation from Australia, we asked our 18-year-old twins and their two friends one question: After visiting Los Angeles, should we go to Disneyland or Palm Springs?
When I was 15, my dad and I took a trip to Los Angeles that changed my life. We didn't have a set agenda, and since we were staying down the road from the University of California, we took a campus tour.
While travelers have felt the pain of expensive airfare, a new report reveals a clever way that can help save money. The Department of Transportation regularly publishes a ranking of the cheapest, and most expensive, airports within the United States based on the price of an average round-trip ticket. In its most recent filing, the range of airfare prices varies widely from a low $90, to an expensive $1,600 ticket. Within the data, the ranking shows how driving a few extra miles can help a traveler save dramatically on their flight.
When we think about room service, our questions tend to be whether we should get salad or fries on the side, treat ourselves to dessert, and how early is too early for a glass of bubbly.
Feb 5, 2025 • 6 min read
Travelers have new destination options for spring and summer vacations. Frontier Airlines recently announced new services that include Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, as well as Tampa and Las Vegas. The discount carrier is launching new flight routes ahead of the busy summer travel season. Best of all, the airline is celebrating the new routes with one-way introduction fares that start at just $29. The airline will launch new service four times a week to Tampa International Airport (TPA) from Charlotte, NC (CLT) starting on May 2, 2025.
Chat with any pet parent who loves to travel and they’ll likely tell you how guilty and anxious they feel dropping their beloved animals with a pet-sitter or friend on the way to the airport. But it doesn’t have to be this way: Many pet-friendly airlines will let you bring your dog, cat, bird, or other household critter along for the journey.
The US Travel Association warned that the Trump Administration’s tariffs on Canada could impact Canadian visitation to and spending within the United States, with even a 10 percent reduction in Canadian travel leading to a loss of 14,000 American jobs and $2.1 billion less in spending.
The U.S. Department of State has just announced an expanded series of special passport fairs scheduled to take place across the country, offering more opportunities for travelers who need to apply in person.
A United Airlines flight from Houston to New York was evacuated on Sunday morning because of flames coming from an engine, video shows.
Jan 31, 2025 • 8 min read
A European getaway just got cheaper.PLAY Airlines, a discount carrier based in Iceland, recently announced a 25 percent discount on flights from the United States to Europe, including Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, London, and Paris. Best of all, the tickets can be purchased now for travel throughout the spring, fall, and winter travel seasons. The discounted fares are available in PLAY Basic, and the discount only applies to airfare, and not taxes or fees.