Things have changed a lot in the travel industry in the last 10
years with the growing popularity of the Internet. When was the last
time you called your "travel agent"? You don't have a travel agent?
Yeah, me neither. Now you just jump on a handful of travel websites like
Orbitz, Hotwire, Expedia, or Travelocity to name a few, and book all
your travel needs. You get your airline tickets, your hotel
accommodations, and your rental car in one convenient location.
What
about if you are leaving the country though and need a passport? Well
things have changed in getting passports as well. Yes you can still go
through the old-school government channels and get your passport in 1-3
months for your upcoming trip. But what if you need your passport
expedited the same day? You need your passport rushed to you right away.
Even if your trip isn't for a few weeks or even a month out, do you
really want to leave it up to chance and in the hands of our government
to get you your passport on time?
Just like booking all your other
travel needs, there is a better way to get an expedited passport. There
are a number of very helpful websites that expedite your passport and
even get you a same day passport in case of real emergency.
Here's
how it works. You still pay the regular government fees for your
passport, but on top of that you pay these companies who specialize in expedited passports
and visas a fee to make it happen fast for you. This fee varies
depending of how soon you need your passport. Obviously you pay a higher
price for an expedited passport that is the same day or over-nighted to
you than you would for one that is rushed in 1 week or 2 weeks.
The
fees are very reasonable and affordable. If you are in a jam, there is
not much else you can do. I for one am glad to pay the extra fees with
the assurance that I will have my passport in time for my trip.
Especially if you've already paid for airfare and hotel up front, you
can't miss your trip because of a passport problem.
The Internet
once again has given us a great new benefit in the travel industry. We
can get our air, hotel, car rental, and now passports all taken care of
just with a few clicks of the mouse.
Chris McCann is the founder of
[http://www.expedited-passports.com] He is a successful entrepreneur who
enjoys helping others with their travel needs.
