August 23, 2007 • 10:22 pm
The backlog of unprocessed passport applications is now in the millions so the State Department has created an interim regulation that allows for extra time in processing expedited passport applications.
From the U.S. Department of State website:
‘If you apply at a Passport Acceptance Facility or by mail (for renewal, additional pages, and amendment) and choose routine service, you will receive your passport within about 10-12 weeks.
If you apply at a Passport Acceptance Facility or by mail (for renewal, additional pages, and amendment) and choose Expedited Service plus overnight delivery service for sending your application and returning your passport to you, you will receive your passport within about 3 weeks (door-to-door.)’
For more information…
Filed under: Air Travel, Travel Industry, passport applications
This bill, S. 966, was signed into law by President Bush on July 30, 2007. This law will help to ease the horrific backlog of passport application processing. The law, sponsored by Senator Charles Schumer of NY and Cosponsored by Senator Joseph Biden, Senator Norm Coleman and Senator Chuck Hagel allows the State Department to temporarily rehire Foreign Service retirees to assist with application processing.
We hope to see the backlog dramatically decrease once the extra staffers are in place.
White House Press Release
The Library of Congress
midhudsonews.com
Filed under: Air Travel, Foreign Travel, Travel Industry
The TSA is lifting the ban on butane lighters or “common lighters” in carry on luggage effective August 4, 2007. TSA says lighters pose no serious threat. Last year the TSA confiscated more than 11 million lighters. The United States is the only country in the world to ban lighters.
Filed under: Air Travel, Travel Industry, Travel Tips, airline, airline industry
Holland America wears the mantle of ‘traditional cruise line.’ While other lines have added mega-sized ships, rock climbing walls and movie nights, Holland America added the Culinary Arts Center, a venue that offers cooking demonstrations in a professionally staged demonstration kitchen. I attended a demonstration given by Michael Lomonaco on the Noordam. It was impressive. Our table thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We ate some tantalizing treats and drank a few glasses of wine…hey, what’s not to enjoy?
Now, Holland America has launched As You Wish dining. It consists of choice of seating, early and late as usual, and flexible/dining service from 5:15pm-9:00pm daily. Guests who choose the flexible seating option can also make reservations up to 4:00pm each day for their choice of dining time.
Currently, the Noordam is the only ship offering the service, but the Ryndam will debut As You Wish dining on October 11. The Volendam will follow on November 13 and the Statendam will finish the 2007 roll out of the flexible dining debut on December 18.
The other members of the Holland America fleet will introduce the service in the first half of 2008. Richard Meadows, the executive vice president of marketing and guest programs offered the following comment, “We’ve operated As You Wish dining in a pre-launch phase aboard the Noordam and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”
I think this is a great idea and am happy that Holland America is giving their guests more options. I like an assigned dinner seating because I know what time I need to be dressed and ready to go. On the other hand, sometimes I just want to eat a bit earlier or a bit later and the ability to have that choice is liberating. This is a nod to a younger, more casual clientele who still likes to dress for dinner.
Filed under: Cruise Industry, Travel Industry, caribbean cruises, cruise agency, cruises
One of the sites inscribed during the meeting is: Twyfelfontein or /Ui-//aes The site has one of the largest concentrations of rock petroglyphs, in Africa. Over 2000 figures have been documented at the site and most of them are well preserved. They include rhinoceroses, elephants, ostriches, and giraffes. There are also drawings of human and animal footprints. The site is located in Namibia and is the first World Heritage Site in the country. http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/359
The Galapagos Islands were moved to the List of World Heritage in Danger. The concern is that increased tourism has produced increased immigration and the inter island traffic has introduced invasive species in some areas. The number of days spent in the area by tourists has grown by 150% over the past 15 years.An interesting decision made by the Committee was the changing of the name “Auschwitz Concentration Camp” (so listed since 1979) to the new title of “Auschwitz Birkenau” and the subtitle of “German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945).” The Committee also adopted a “statement of significance” for the site. Read here. It is a powerful statement and lays it all out. http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/363
The Committee also took the unprecedented step of removing The Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman from the World Heritage List because Oman reduced the area of the Sanctuary by 90%. The population of Oryx in 1996 was 450, today it is 65 and of those, only four breeding pairs remain. This rare antelope will probably not survive due the actions of the State Party of Oman encouraging hydrocarbon prospecting as well as their inaction in controlling poaching and site degradation. This is the first time a site was removed because the obligation to conserve was not fulfilled.
I read a quick article in one of my trade magazines about the Galapagos Islands being placed on the Danger List and went to the website to read about the Heritage Sites and the Danger List.
Since the Committee is holding their meeting this week, they are releasing quite a few press statements about what they are doing. There is a site (Dresden Elbe Valley, Germany) that is in danger of being removed because of the possibility of a four lane bridge being built. Germany has been warned that it has four months to come up with a satisfactory alternative or the site faces removal at next year’s meeting. My original thought of a quick look see at World Heritage Sites turned into an hour of reading through some press releases, viewing some of the sites and thinking about the stand they have taken with the Auschwitz name change and statement as well as the importance of conserving these sites.
Filed under: Specialty Travel, Travel Industry, World Heritage Sites
Moving Toward WHTI Implementation for Cross-Border Travel by Land and Sea
Release Date: June 20, 2007
The final decision, maybe, on passport or other secure document acceptance for those who travel by land, sea and air to and from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean.
It is a phased approach. read here…
Filed under: Air Travel, Cruise Industry, Travel Industry, airports
Cunard announced today that the QEII has been sold to Dubai World, a holding company for the Dubai government. The plan is that the QEII will be turned over to Dubai World in November, 2008 and will become a tourist destination for the The Palm Jumeirah.
The Palm Jumeirah is the largest man made island in the world and is located in Dubai.
Filed under: Cruise Industry, Specialty Travel, Travel Industry, cruises
I’ve been identifying honeymoons that are unique and out of the ordinary. A Volunter Honeymoon is one such experience.
Global Volunteers has been sending volunteers on community development projects since 1984. To date they’ve sent 20,000 volunteers to more than 19 countries. Global Volunteers has been granted Special Consultative Status with the United Nations and has always sought work projects that were locally initiated and maintained.
Can you mix travel AND volunteering and end up being happy and satisfied? It’s an exciting way to experience a destination as a “non-tourist” while serving as a valuable resource in the host community. For volunteer-spirited clients, this truly is an unbeatable combination of two “loves”: International travel and service.
When a couple spends all or part of their honeymoon participating in a volunteer service program, they give and take from the experience. First and foremost, they have the ability to help others. In addition, they believe that they have grown on a personal level as well as a couple. A volunteer service program offers the unique opportunity of observing a side of life that most of us never see.
Because of my travel company’s partnership with Global Volunteers, We have been able to offer two different volunteer honeymoons to our customers. One project is in Italy and the other is in the Cook Islands. Details can be found at TravelEco.
Volunteerism allows us to give back to society. Global Volunteers helps us to give back in unusual and unconventional settings and the life experiences we gain are invaluable.
Filed under: Cook Islands, Italy, Specialty Travel, Travel Industry, Volunteer Vacations, honeymoon, unique honeymoon
Recent headlines are full of reports predicting that this summer will be a record-breaker when it comes to airline passengers being bumped from their flights. Being bumped from your flight is not only inconvenient and annoying, but can be costly as well. Add to this the ever changing airport security regulations, mounting confusion over the change in passport rules and you have the recipe for increased delays and frustration at the airport.
And…you haven’t even started your trip yet!
Get an advance seat assignment. Passengers with seat assignments are typically only bumped if they arrive late and their seat assignment is released.
Check-in online. If you do not have an advance seat assignment, or you want to change your seat assignment, check-in online. Most airlines allow you to do so within 24 hours of departure. Seat assignments that were not available at the time of ticketing may be available when checking in online.
Don’t be late. If all else fails, get to the airport early. (get there early anyway) Some airlines reserve a portion of their seat assignment inventory for airport check-in. If you are denied a seat assignment at check-in, put your name on the “standby” seat assignment list.
Try these tips to stay cool, calm and collected. Have a great time!
Filed under: Air Travel, Travel Industry, Travel Tips
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