Take a look at your passport. If it's seen better days and has been damaged or is showing a lot of wear and tear, you should consider replacing it before your next international trip. Two recent stories out of Canada show how traveling with a damaged passport could ruin your vacation.
The first incident happened right before Christmas, when according to CTV News,. Larry Caza was not allowed to board a plane to Mexico due to the water damage on his passport. In addition to being an inconvenience, the episode left Mr. Caza and his girlfriend with little choice but to pay an additional $1,000 in fees for rebooking their vacation.
In the second incident, which happened earlier in December, the Chapdelaine family had to pay an additional $800 to book a flight to Mexico for their daughter on a different airline. According to the Toronto Sun, the airline the family had originally booked with refused to let their daughter on the plane with a damaged passport.
In both cases, the airline released a statement saying in essence that it was up to the people at the gate to decide whether or not to let a passenger board with a less-than-pristine passport, and noting that the airline could be fined if it allowed passengers with damaged passports to board international flights and they were denied entry at their destination.
These two stories may have happened in Canada, but the situation is the same in the US: it's up to the airline to decide whether or not they want to take the risk of sending you to a country when you might not be allowed in, and they often choose to err on the side of caution.
If your passport is damaged, it's better to be safe than sorry: replace it before your next trip overseas. If you are leaving in the next couple of weeks, getting expedited service by making an appointment at a passport agency or using a private company like Rush My Passport is well worth the expense.
Author,
By Alison Kroulek
