trips

U.S. Passport Rules Changing on June 1, 2009

Passport rules are changing on June 1 for Western Hemisphere travel. If you plan to travel outside the U.S. this year, get or renew your passport now, and think twice before planning a car trip to Mexico or Canada in June. That's because come next month (unless Congress changes the deadline), Americans will need to show a passport, a passport card, or other special document to return to the United States by land or sea from Mexico and Canada.

What do you need to do? Get reading, and get planning. According to an L.A. Times article pulled from Philly.com:

What you need now. Generally, you need a passport to enter the U.S. by air from any foreign country. If you enter by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Bermuda, you may not need a passport, but you will need at least a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship, plus a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license. Children 18 or younger need only a birth certificate for land and sea entry from these areas.

What you'll need starting June 1. The same rules apply for air travel -- passport required. If you're arriving from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Bermuda by land or sea, you'll generally have several choices: a passport; a passport card; an enhanced driver's license; or a "Trusted Traveler" card such as SENTRI and NEXUS for frequent border-crossers. There will be exceptions for land and sea crossings from these destinations. U.S. and Canadian children younger than 16, for example, will need only proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate; in organized groups, the cutoff will be age 18.

Passengers on cruise ships that sail round-trip from a U.S. port may need only a birth certificate and a government-issued photo ID (although the cruise line or foreign countries they visit may require a passport).

You'll find a summary of the current and new rules at a Web site maintained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The State Department's travel Web site is one-stop shopping for information on passports and passport cards. Click on "Passports for U.S. Citizens," and you can get instructions and forms.

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Tags: journeys, passport, travel, trips, voyages, western hemisphere, WesternHemisphere

Dream Getaways That Can Happen in A Weekend

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Although 2 week vacations are awesome the trouble is that it's often so hard to get away that they rarely (if ever) happen. But why delay that trip to Paris or Buenos Aires til who-knows-when? A long weekend, which is much easier to do for most people, can be more than enough to have a fabulous time in an exotic far-off location if you do things right. Vienna, Milan, and even Sydney are realistic possibilities. Why take the chance that a trip to your dream location might never happen when you can be there later this month? 1, 2, or 3 nights is better than none at all, right? I'd say so.

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Tags: australia, france, italy, journey, journeys, paris, sydney, trip, trips, vacation, vacations, vienna, weekend, weekends

Wish List Trips For A Distinctive New York Experience

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Previously I brought you news of the American Express Going Once campaign, now they are concentrating on New York City with the My WishList promotion. The NYC-centered trips are available from to choose June 4th-June 14th and include a variety of adventures such as a New York City "Today" Show Vacation and a Sharp AQUOS 65" HD-TV or an on-set "30 Rock" Experience and a Sharp AQUOS 65" HD-TV for $3,000; courtside seats to the U.S. Open; and a Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp that includes rock counselors Jane Weidlen of the Go-Go's, Scott Ian of Anthrax, and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of Steely Dan.

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Tags: 30 rock, american express, AmericanExpress, new york city, today show, travel, trips

Top Yoga Retreats

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

While massages and attentive butlers are all well and good when it comes to getting pampered on a vacation, few things are as relaxing as yoga - and even fewer when that yoga is taking place at a gorgeous spa. Concierge.com has a list of their top ten yoga retreats, chosen from resorts all across the world. Some of their top picks include:

Wildflower Hall in India - Yoga was invented in the Himalayas, so this mountain-top retreat can really get you inspired

Chiva-Som in Thailand - One of Thailand's top spas, with all-private instruction, customized to your preferences.

Maya Tulum in Mexico - Set between the ocean and the Mayan ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula, you'll relax, workout and get to hobnob with the glitterati who frequent the retreat.

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Tags: concierge, exercise, holiday, journey, retreat, spa, travel, trip, trips, vacation, yoga