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The Kiosks are Coming! US Customs Set to Trial Paperless Immigration Procedure

When it comes to international travel the most stressful part—at least to us—is trying to locate a stupid pen to fill out the arrival paperwork. Usually a fellow passenger or flight attendant has pity on us and loans us a Bic; however, the need for pen and paper might soon be a thing of the past.

Uncle Sam—through the United State Border Control—is rolling out some new technology in hopes of speeding up the border control process. Kiosks will soon be available to welcome passengers to—and back to—the United States, as paper forms are filed away forever. The first airports testing out the new procedures will be Vancouver International Airport and Chicago-O’Hare, so things won’t change overnight.

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Travel News / Passports / Barbie / Toy Travel / Mexico Travel / → All Tags

Barbie Has a Passport, a Fact Which is Actually Causing Controversy

She's been a veterinarian, an Olympic gymnast, a marine biologist, an 80s rock star, a mermaid and the president (many times over). She's Barbie, and her range is even unencumbered by nationality. The newest Barbies are additions to the classic "Dolls of the World" collection, and one in particular is causing quite the uproar.

A "Mexico Barbie," complete with a traditional Mexican dress and a pet chihuahua, has a passport has an accessory. Yikes.

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Travel Tips / Summer Travel / Passports / Lists / → All Tags

Two Super Simple Things to Do Before Leaving on a Trip

Sort out the food in your fridge

When you're about to leave for a big trip but find it hard to gobble down all the perishable food in your fridge and pantry, donate it to a local organization who'll feed it to people who aren't fortunate enough to be off on a big trip.

In big cities, Food Banks will happily accept individual donations while, in small cities, you'll have to give your local soup kitchen a call. In New York City, where residents are constantly impulse-buying yummies at Duane Reade without remembering that they're jetting off on a business trip the next day, the Food Bank of NYC has clearly outlined rules for such donations:

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Travel Tips / Passports / Summer Travel / → All Tags

The Proper Care and Keeping of Your Passport

Spring it springing and your mind is likely on summer vacation..or even heading out far sooner than that, let's hope! Thus, it's once again time to think about keeping your passport nice. These things are valid for ten years. Ten years. That means that at no point in ten years can you spill coffee or especially Kool-Aid all over it.

Our three tips for passport care:

· Don't underestimate the power of a passport cover
Maybe this is common sense, but you'd be surprised how often we see travelers carrying their passports willy-nilly while walking through the airport. Get a passport cover...for several reasons. The "duh" reason is that it helps prolong the life of your passport, saving it from minor spills and whatnot. Other reasons for getting a cover include easy spotting it in your bag, keeping entry documents together, and not being obvious about your nationality. Just do know that you will have to remove your passport from the cover for inspection at immigration, customs, etc.

We have several passport cases, from basic and clear to leather and filled with pockets. Still, we've never found anything more easy to use than a larger wallet, where we stick the passport in the slot once used for a checkbook.

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Travel Tips / Vietnam Travel / Passports / Immigration / Travel Hell / → All Tags

A Friendly Reminder to Double, Triple Check Your Travel Documents

Sounds kind of like a given to ensure your travel documents are in order before handing over your boarding pass, but take it from us that you should always have another look on that tourist visa or itinerary. It's easy to overlook little misspellings or transcribed numbers, so it is even more important to have someone else look it over to give it the thumbs up.

Here is our story; any American traveler wanting to enter Vietnam needs to obtain a visa. This is not an e-visa that can be purchased online and electronically attached to your passport number. This is one of those old-fashioned, visit-a-consulate or mail-away-your-passport to the nearest embassy situations. While it's a bit of a hassle, a side perk is that you do get a pretty colorful sticker in your passport to show all your friends.

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Did You Know? US Passports Come in Regular or Extra Large Sizes

Everybody does it. There's no need to be ashamed to talk about it. After all, it's an important part of adulthood.

We're speaking, of course, about renewing a passport, which can often be quite the stressful occasion if you travel with any regularity.

When renewing your US passport (assuming you already have one—if not get one now), there's a few steps to be completed, whether you opt for a regular or expedited turnaround time. You take a passport photo, you pay the $110 passport fee and you submit the completed forms with your previous passport. But wait just a second!

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Common Sense / Passports / Travel Safety / Travel Tips / → All Tags

Three Tips for Making Your Passport Last All Ten Years

Hopefully the winter holidays included some travel to wipe the dust off your passport, but you should think about keeping your passport nice whether your traveling or not. These things are valid for ten years. Ten years. That means that at no point in ten years can you spill coffee or especially Kool-Aid all over it.

Our three tips for passport care:

· Don't underestimate the power of a passport cover
Maybe this is common sense, but you'd be surprised how often we see travelers carrying their passports willy-nilly while walking through the airport. Get a passport cover...for several reasons. The "duh" reason is that it helps prolong the life of your passport, saving it from minor spills and whatnot. Other reasons for getting a cover include easy spotting it in your bag, keeping entry documents together, and not being obvious about your nationality. Just do know that you will have to remove your passport from the cover for inspection at immigration, customs, etc.

We have several passport cases, from basic and clear to leather and filled with pockets. Still, we've never found anything more easy to use than a larger wallet, where we stick the passport in the slot once used for a checkbook.

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Travel News / China Travel / Beijing Travel / Shanghai Travel / Visa / Passports / → All Tags

Visiting China Without the Necessary Visa is Now Totally Possible

In order to visit China as a US citizen, you've got to apply, pay, and be approved for a visa. In order to apply for that visa, you've already got to have a China trip booked, including round-trip ticket. It's a true Catch-22, because what if you're denied for some reason or make some small mistake in the application process?

Luckily for all who want to quickly cross China off their bucket list, both Beijing and Shanghai have just cut the need for visas completely for visitors on the ground for 72 hours or less.

Essentially you'll be "in transit," but 72 hours is much more than a sneeze in Shanghai's direction; 72 hours is 2-3 nights in town, meals, museums, gardens and perhaps a little shopping. All in all, moving quickly could mean a very good taste of one of these two metropoli before committing to a longer trip and the headache of getting one of those compulsory visas.

The only clincher to the new 72-hour, visa-free policy? Well, you've got to eventually continue on, and you have those 72 hours or less to do it. It's just a transit visa, after all, which you can apply for and be instantly approved at immigration.

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China Travel / Political Travel / Passports / Visa / Travel News / → All Tags

Trying to Get Your Chinese Visa for Upcoming Travel? Try Harder.

Isn't it just the worst when you've taken a chunk out of your day and money out of the ATM to head on over to the Chinese consulate to get your Chinese Visa paperwork submitted, and then find out you've filled out the wrong form? #worldtravelerproblems

Even if this hasn't happened to you, it most likely will at some point because scoring that necessary visa for travel to China is only getting more convoluted with the addition of extra documentation.

Up until recently, Americans with China travel on the horizon needed only to complete a form, turn in their passport (valid for at least another 6 months), turn in a 2x2" passport photo and $140, then make it over to China within 90 days of the issuing of the Tourist Visa to keep it valid for the year. On August 1, new requirements came into effect and now you'll not only have to be ready with all of the above, but also provide the following:

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Travel Bans / Airport Security / Customs / US Travel / Passports / Lists / Airports / Travel Safety / Dangerous Travel / → All Tags

Five of the Best Banned Items You Absolutely Can't Bring Back Home

If you’re not happy with the souvenir options from the airport, there’s always thinking outside the box. Just be sure to watch where you shop, because some stuff that’s cool abroad isn’t as cool once you arrive at US Customs and Border Patrol. Here’s a list of some of the best stuff you just have to leave behind. Oh, and skip the bootleg purse or watch—those are banned too.

Kinder Eggs

A couple from Seattle learned this the hard way recently, as they were detained at the border over their chocolate contraband. Kinder Eggs—popular pretty much everywhere but the US—aren’t allowed to be brought into the nifty fifty. Basically the issue is that the little toys inside the chocolate eggs are a choking hazard, and the FDA isn’t too cool with them because food with non-nutritive objects in it is a big fat nope. So for now keep your candy separate from your toys, and you’ll be okay.

Absinthe

Wander through an overseas liquor store and you might come across the green fairy, but just be sure that you consume what you need aboard—the real good stuff isn't looked kindly upon in the United States. Even though most absinthe isn’t the stuff of literary legend, anything with just the word "absinthe" on the label is questionable. According to Uncle Sam it’s also against the law to import any absinthe beverage especially if the label shows artwork or pictures hinting at hallucinogenic or mind-altering effects—bummer.

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Airport Security / US Travel / Passports / Airports / Airport News / → All Tags

US Pre-Clearance Could Arrive at Even More Foreign Airports

You know what’s cool about flying to Canada—besides Tim Horton’s of course? It’s that you can take care of your customs clearance and border patrol shenanigans right up in Canada, so that when you land back at home in the nifty fifty you’re free to just depart the airport without any additional screenings or security checks. Well, it looks like the additional airport fun is expanding elsewhere sooner rather than later, so you just might need to arrive at the airport a little bit earlier on your next departure back to the USA.

Apparently the foreign screening is all part of Homeland Security’s plane to keep us safe, as the thinking is that American Customs and Border Protection will have a head start if they're checking stuff out before the bad guys even get here. Sure, that might be somewhat helpful on some level, but what we’re most interested in is simply the convenience.

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Videos / Passports / Presidential Travel / Barack Obama / Obama-Around-the-World / Political Travel / → All Tags

Video Proof That President Obama Has a Passport, Gets Stamps

Wow. One of life's greatest mysteries has been solved via a simple WhiteHouse.gov video. We speak, of course, of the existence of a presidential passport. It does exist!

Although President Obama does not have to endure annoying boarding procedures when he flies—waiting for Group C to be called, worrying about overheard cabin space, hitting up Sbarro's in a fit of hunger desperation—it's comforting to know that he must still pass though immigration.

Notice that it is a black passport, the color of Presidential-level passports (versus the red of diplomatic and navy blue of normal citizen level).

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