Comments on: Should the travel industry give passport laggards a break?

By: Susan

Susan — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 00:44:08 +0000

Hey, my middle name is procrastination, and granted, getting a passport can be a little time consuming, but we ALL know how ALL governments work – VERY VERY SLOWLY. Although I had a passport ages ago, I did have to renew mine. You have to do it early and we were told well in advance that it would be required. Even if you haven’t planned a trip, you know you might in the future. So get the damned passport, be glad we have a government that operates marginally well, though slowly and stop bitchin’ because YOU waited till the last minute.

By: Brad

Brad — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 01:16:24 +0000

This past January, sent in my valid passport for my forth renewal. It took TEN WEEKS to get my new pass port, just in time for my 19 day cruise…

By: Timothy Mao

Timothy Mao — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 21:05:26 +0000

If everyone else in the world needs a passport to enter the U.S.A., doesn’t it make sense that Americans should have one to travel abroad? FYI, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda are not part of the U.S. even if they do allow entry from the U.S. without a passport.

Blame the Passport Service for slow processing but also take some blame yourselves for not realizing a passport is your ticket to the world.

The good news is Hawaii and New Mexico are part of the U.S. so a passport is not needed to travel there.

By: Kathy Thomas

Kathy Thomas — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:50:52 +0000

I am a travel agent and I do not think that people without passports (except for emergencies) should be given a break. Don’t forget the State Dept. announced the new passport policy long before it went into effect. Then, they delayed it which, I think, made people drag their feet even more. One other comment–if you can’t afford a passport, you probably can’t afford the trip!! We are one of (if not the only) country that has not needed a passport from the day you are born–people are just spoiled.

But, I also put a bit of blame on the government–they knew what a mess it was going to be, so why not hire some extra personnel and move things along faster–but, then that would cost money.