Passport Renewal

(or-- There's no Anxiety like a Travel Writer Without a Passport)

January of 2024 is a month I have been dreading for quite a while. It is the only opportunity I have to renew my passport. So, as I sit here writing, my passport has been mailed in and I am grounded. Not that I was planning to go anywhere, this is my very precious down time at home. But, as you can likely relate, the fact that I can’t travel feels like sitting in the corner and thinking about my choices.

Renewing a passport in the past couple of years has been an endurance sport. Wait times have exceeded 2 months. Things are getting better, though, so I thought this would be a good time to send out a friendly reminder— check your passport expiration date now!

Did you know your passport is not actually usable for 10 years? It is effectively 9.5 years. The reason is that many countries will not accept a passport with less than 6 months of validity. Please, ask me how I know this….