Please stop what you’re doing and check your passports, ASAP!

This morning ABC News reported that the State Department has shut down it’s online passport appointment system to prevent scammers from grabbing and selling highly coveted appointment times on the black market amidst an unprecedented backlog. Sounds like a tall tale right? I assure you, its not. Now you must call in for an appointment time (877) 487-2778 M-F 8:00 am – 10:00 pm ET and hold times are in excess of one hour. And let me tell you, this will only go up.

If you follow me on social media, you would have already seen posts about the current passport processing times. Due to a surge in demand for travel, passports are taking approximately 18 weeks, 12 weeks with expedited services. Hear me when I say if you have an upcoming trip, or thinking about planning a trip in the near future, stop what you’re doing and check your passport expiration date ASAP. For most countries, your passport must be valid for at least six months post trip. So if you’re heading to The Bahamas this month, your passport must remain valid at least through January 2022.

If you don’t have a passport and plan to travel internationally, start the process NOW. This is not a drill!

Will 2021 continue to throw challenges our way? Oh, I am 100% sure of it! But will we continue to be proactive and overcome? You can count on it!

Now more that ever using a trusted travel advisor like myself is critical to help you navigate travel during COVID. Please free to email me with any questions you may have.