• FAA Tips on Flying with Children
  Keep your little ones safe while flying. Learn about the importance of using a child restraint system. It is safer than holding your child in your lap.  

• International Health & Vaccination Requirements/CDC
  A list of countries and their health requirements or warnings, plus news articles about outbreaks and immunizations. Also included are a geographic travel map and health recommendations.

• Mapquest
  Get door-to-door driving directions, detailed maps, plus helpful travel links.

• The Weather Channel
  All you need to know about current weather conditions and three to five day forecasts throughout the world.

• Currency Converter
  The Universal Currency Converter™, the world's most popular currency tool, allows you to perform interactive foreign exchange rate calculations on the Internet, using live, up-to-the-minute currency rates. 

• Travel Advisories
  Obtain worldwide travel announcements and advisories.

• U.S. Department of State – Passport Information
  Whether you are an American citizen traveling abroad or a foreign citizen traveling to the U.S., get all the information you need before you head overseas. This website contains tips for traveling abroad, passport and visa applications and document requirements

Here are some tips on how to avoid disappointment on your next vacation

·         If a telemarketer offers you a vacation deal, never give your credit card number over the phone.

·         If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

·         Seeing the offer on a Web site does not count as getting an offer in writing. A Web site can be easily changed and provides no proof of what the offer was like when you first saw it.

·         Before purchasing a vacation, check with a travel agent or other reliable source to be sure that the company you are dealing with is legitimate.

·         Find out if the company is a member of an organization with a consumer protection plan, which reimburses travelers' deposits and monies paid in the unlikely event of the company's default or bankruptcy

·         Know the cancellation clauses in your travel agreements.

·         To save money, investigate early booking discounts offered by tour operators.

·         If you can't find space on your own at a popular destination, consider a vacation package. Tour operators and travel packagers reserve blocks of space at the most popular destinations well in advance. Best of all, they can often save you up to 40% over booking the same vacation on your own.

·         Book airfare when you make your vacation arrangements. Don't play airplane roulette, waiting until the last minute to see what late airline sales occur. This is particularly true if you're traveling to a highly visited area, where flights may be booked well in advance.

·         Be realistic: you get what you pay for. Don't expect luxury accommodations at bargain basement prices.

1.  New Regulations went into effect on January 31st requiring all persons entering or re-entering the U.S. to show proof of citizenship. 

Proof of citizenship can be accomplished by presenting a valid passport, an original or certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate, or an original copy of your certificate of citizenship or naturalization. We recommend a passport because it is the only document that proves both your citizenship and your identity.

2.  The Department of State, the agency of the Federal Government that issues passports, announced new rules for the issuance of passport cards.  

• The application form for applying for a new passport has been amended so that applicants can check whether they are applying for a passport book (the traditional passport), a passport card or both. The new Application for Passport form DS 11, which is the same number as it has been previously, must be used for all persons applying after February 1, 2008.
• The passport card is not valid for travel by air. It is valid only for land and sea crossings between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean region. The passport card has the same validity as the passport book: 10 years for adults and 5 years for minors under 16.
• Passport cards can be used for identification for domestic flights. Remember: the passport card can be used as government-issued proof of identity and proof of citizenship. So, if you do not have a driver’s license and need identification for passing through security for domestic travel, you can use your passport card for proof of identity instead of presenting your driver’s license.
• Passport cards have the same validity as passport books – 10 years for adults 16 and over and 5 years for children under 16.
  Citizens will be able to apply for a passport card at any acceptance agent on the same basis as a regular passport.
• The passport cards will be able to be scanned at U.S. borders when a person is in the vicinity of an electronic reader that will be operated by U.S. border control officials. The chip in the card contains only one item of information – a unique identifying number that has meaning only inside the secure database of the State Department and Homeland Security Department. There is no personal information such as name, date of birth, social security number, etc. stored electronically on the chip. So, if someone did pick up the signal, they would not be able to use the data to learn anything about the holder.
• The government may permit alternative documentation for land crossings such as driver’s licenses issued by states that have established methods for determining citizenship acceptable to the Federal government. Several states have already submitted proposals to the Federal government. This matter will be addressed in subsequent regulations issued by the Federal government.
• The execution fee for applying for a passport card is $25. The execution fee for applying for a passport book is also $25.  If  you apply for both at the same time, there is only one fee.

3.  Effective February 1, 2008, there are new forms that must be used for passport applications. 

4.  The new fees for Passports effective February 1, 2008:  

The fees for obtaining a passport card for persons without a passport are as follows: 
    a. Adults: Total $45 -- $20 application fee, plus $25 execution fee 
    b. Children under 16: Total $35 -- $10 application fee, + $25 execution fee
Persons who have a valid passport book (Remember: a “passport book” means a person who has a “passport”) and who are applying for a passport card (in addition to holding a valid passport) are not required to pay the execution fee. Thus, persons with a valid passport who also want a passport card can apply for $20.

5.  Change in the age for parental consent and issuance of passports to minor children:   

Effective February 1, 2008, both parents must appear or sign consent forms for a child under 16 to apply for a passport.  Formerly, the requirement for both parents to consent was for children under 14.  It is now required for children under 16.

Home Office Travel, Inc.       100 Northhill Court       Longview, TX 75605                    

(903-297-9128)   

      georgette@travelbygeorgette.com