Benefits to Having a Valid Passport

Of course, it CAN be done -- but the fact remains: having a passport makes it easier to take advantage of last minute opportunities.

 

This thread is about "Benefits to Having a Valid Passport" -- why is it so hard for people to accept that not needing to hustle, and pay extra, to get a rush passport is such a benefit?

 

There seems to be a number of people who are simply against the idea of having a passport.

And what may be a benefit (or be seen as a benefit) by one doesn't mean that it is a benefit (or be seen as a benefit) to someone else.

3. A passport does have the benefit of removing some red tape if you miss the ship or have to return from the cruise, but one can still get home without one. The State Department has the authority to waive the passport requirement for emergencies or for humanitarian reasons.

State Department has nothing to do with waiving the need for a passport.

They can issue an emergency passport.

But CBP has the final say of whether to let you into the country.

State can give you a letter that may let you get on the flight, but when you arrive, CBP could deny entrance.

#7 in my first post. Most leisure travel is planned out well in advance for the vast majority of people so yes, if someone decides they have the wherewithal for an international flight they factor getting the passport into their planning.

Funny thing is, planning a week in Sicily, total cost is about half the cost of our next planned cruise. :D

But there are last minute deals and offers. Hard to take advantage of them without a passport.

The second was not as personality-shaping, but was even more important in some ways - my wife and I, at that point dating for less than a year at Uni, were chatting over a few beers and realised we both had ~8-9 days until we actually needed to start our summer jobs. So we packed our suitcases and walked down to the nearest travel agent and said "Where can you send us by tomorrow for less than 250 quid?" We ended up splurging 258 for a week on Lesbos - could have saved 20-30 and gone to Spain but since I'd been to Greece on the Uganda I thought it would be worth the extra few quid to go back. Tiny fishing village, no tourist hotels yet, stayed in one of a handful of guesthouses run by widows near the one village square.

We had a similar thing.

We started our own consulting company, and lots of long hours. After about 2.5 years in business, sitting over morning coffee one Monday morning, we realized we had no work booked from Tuesday afternoon for the rest of that week and the next.

49 hours later we were on a flight to the Caribbean for our first vacation in that 2.5 years.

State Department has nothing to do with waiving the need for a passport.

 

They can issue an emergency passport.

 

But CBP has the final say of whether to let you into the country.

 

State can give you a letter that may let you get on the flight, but when you arrive, CBP could deny entrance.

You should read the DHS regulations because that is exactly what they say. CBP doesn't have the authority to deny a US citizen entrance into the US.

Funny thing is, planning a week in Sicily, total cost is about half the cost of our next planned cruise. :D

 

But there are last minute deals and offers. Hard to take advantage of them without a passport.

Is it really, really, really that hard to understand that everyone isn't as blessed as you are and has completely different travel needs? Really? Not having a passport was not what kept me from taking any last minute deals and that applies to an awful lot of people. If it does apply to someone then of course they should have a passport.

A passport makes your life easier in the USA because it’s the gold standard as a form of ID. Applying for a job, a pension, social security provide your passport makes your life easier.

A passport makes your life easier in the USA because it’s the gold standard as a form of ID. Applying for a job, a pension, social security provide your passport makes your life easier.

And yet still completely unnecessary. I have a job, in fact several. Drivers license and social security card work just fine. Yes, if you have a passport because you use it to travel it adds a bit of convenience to use it when it’s not required. But many many people have no need for one and get along just fine.

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My point was that i disagree with the argument that the possibility of travel with short notice is a good reason to have a passport. You can get an expedited passport in a relatively short period of time. The bigger hurdle for most adults is getting vacation time from work and family commitments. I wouldn’t consider not having a passport to be very relevant to being able to jump on a trip with a short lead time. Per the passport website you can get a passport in as little as 2 weeks.

It might not be a vacation. It could be an issue with a family member who IS traveling overseas.

Or a close friend.

And yes, you can get one quickly, but for same or next day, you have to travel to a city with a passport office (unless you live in one). And you pay extra for that service.

And 2 weeks is not guaranteed. Maybe, maybe not. Do you want that added stress in an emergency situation.

Many scenarios.

IMO, it is better to have one and not use it, that to need one and not have one.

You should read the DHS regulations because that is exactly what they say. CBP doesn't have the authority to deny a US citizen entrance into the US.

How to prove you are a US citizen.

I started this thread to simply post a link to a fascinating article that is more amusing then anything else. But it immediately fell into the normal CC argument (not the intent of my OP). As somebody who has traveled extensively (internationally) since 1968 I cannot even imagine not having a valid Passport with more than 6 months remaining validity. But I also understand that folks who have no intention of traveling outside their country do not need a Passport as they are a bit expensive. I am of the school of thought that anyone who takes closed loop cruises is better off having a valid Passport then not. And as to returning to the USA by air (if you must leave a cruise) it is usually possible to eventually get permission. But the big problem is that most airlines will simply refuse to let you board a flight where a Passport is required...because they are responsible for taking you back to where you started...if CBP refuses entry. While these issues can usually be overcome.....it may involve several days of hassle (all at the expense of the passenger). And by the way, trying to deal (on an emergency basis) with the State Department on a weekend or holiday is quite interesting. You may well find yourself cooling your heels (wherever) until the next business day..before you can even start a process to get you back home. With a Passport you can simply leave the ship (anywhere), go straight to an airport and take the next flight.

But some of the posts are a bit ridiculous especially when it comes to last minute trips. Getting a Passport renewed on short notice is possible but a real hassle (and costs more). If you are trying to get your first Passport at the last minute it can become difficult to impossible depending on how much time you have, where you live, etc. And again, trying to expedite the Passport process generally will cost you more money...and you still may not get it in time.

As to last minute trips, we have done quite a few along with our longer planned vacations. A couple of our cruises were last minute bargains (some would say steals) that were booked within 10 days of the cruise. Two of them (in the past 4 years) were on simple Regal Princess repo cruises from NYC to Ft Lauderdale (we have paid about $40 per passenger day (net) for high category balconies on those last minute deals). That particular cruise, although it has a very basic Caribbean itinerary does require a valid Passport since it begins and ends in two different US Ports. This is one reason why it has been an amazing last minute bargain....because many who would take that type itinerary cannot book it without a valid Passport.

We have also jetted off to Europe on very short notice when we stumble on a great deal. Sometimes it can be fun to go off to Paris on a day or two notice if there are some last minute deals on air. I once surprised DW with Valentines day in Paris....and did all the arrangements only 2 days before departure.. Those kind of trips are exciting. We also live only a few hours from Canada...and at least once (or twice) a year will jump in a car and drive over the border.

So yes, there are plenty of last minute opportunities to those who have the time, money, and yes....a valid Passport. A Passport Book (not the card) is the only document that can get you into nearly any country on earth. So for those who enjoy travel it is a must!

Hank

One tangential benefit of having a passport is that it qualifies you for Global Entry - and the TSA Pre-Check which comes with it. If you fly with any frequency, the security check time saving is a real benefit.

How to prove you are a US citizen.

They do it every day and they have their ways. I live 8 miles from the border and at least once a year someone comes back from Canada without their ID because they had it lost or stolen. They still get home.

One tangential benefit of having a passport is that it qualifies you for Global Entry - and the TSA Pre-Check which comes with it. If you fly with any frequency, the security check time saving is a real benefit.

Less expensive just to get TSA Pre-check, but of course if one is traveling back into the country from an international trip they'll have the passport and Global Entry can save some time.

So yes, there are plenty of last minute opportunities to those who have the time, money, and yes....a valid Passport. A Passport Book (not the card) is the only document that can get you into nearly any country on earth. So for those who enjoy travel it is a must!

 

Hank

I can completely agree with this statement. Last minute travel does have 3 requirements: time, money, and a passport makes it a heck of a lot easier. My point was more that for those of us who know perfectly well that we don’t have the time and/or money; then maintaining a passport for this purpose is less important.

I consider myself very fortunate at my job. Im Union. Lucky in a way because our vacations are contractually guaranteed - they cannot be cancelled by work. Unlucky, because for all this to work, I have to choose my vacation weeks for the year in Jan. So if this last minute trip doesn’t magically line up with the vacation weeks I picked in Jan - it isn’t happening. Money or no money. Passport or no passport.

I get that this is a special circumstance. But I very much doubt that I’m the only one where getting vacation time approved at work makes last minute travel unfeasible.

As far as the article itself - sorry, thought it was a bit silly. The questions on the survey may have been phrased with ‘what do you think about people with passports’, but what they were getting at was ‘what do you think of people that travel’. It’s not like anyone would ever know you had a passport unless you talked about the trips you were taking. My prob w the article and this whole thread, is that there are some people who simply don’t travel. And it’s ludicrous to suggest they need to spend several hundreds of dollars on passports for their family just to sit at home so people think better of them, and in the event that a last minute trip to Europe (that they prob couldn’t afford and couldn’t arrange time off of work for anyway) comes up.

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There are other interesting factoids about Passports. It is estimated (by the US Dept of State) that only 36% of Americans hold valid Passports. Compare this to the 60% of Canadians and around 80% of Europeans who hold valid Passports. There are lots of articles speculating why Americans do not travel, internationally, to the extent of those from many other countries. We have our own theory which is a bit different then some. Many Americans with the financial means to travel, work, work, work. We are one of the most productive countries in the world and some of that productivity is due to us working long hours with relatively little vacation time (when compared to much of the industrialized world). In many Western countries, 6 weeks of annual vacation is considered something of a norm. But in the USA we still have many who only get 2 weeks vacation a year. And many of our jobs make it difficult to take a long vacation. While an Aussie will often take a long holiday (vacation) or at least 4 weeks....most Americans have trouble even taking 2 consecutive weeks off from work. And these days, even if technically off from work many are required (or feel obligated) to be in constant touch with their workplace via Smartphones or internet.

When my DD and her husband visit us here in Puerto Vallarta they sit on the beach with 2 phones each.....1 for personal and 1 for work :(. This is not the norm around the world...and makes international travel somewhat more difficult. When DW and I get on a cruise ship we usually turn our phones off and lock them in the cabin safe. But most younger folks (and more and more of we seniors) won't go anywhere on a ship without having their phone. For many Americans, International Travel is just not part of their culture.

Hank

I agree that many Americans don't have the vacation time--there's no mandatory vacation time in the US, unlike most of the developed world (although the US doesn't have the lowest average number of vacation days taken, FWIW; Japan has a lower number, for instance).

I think geography can play a role for some people. It's easy for anyone in mainland Europe to go to another country--they can usually reach another country in a matter of an hour or two. And there are cheap flights and easy train rides available, so it'd be pretty weird to come across someone who'd never gone across the border. I have family in the UK; one aunt and uncle take an annual trip to Austria. Others will just "drive to France" for a week. Or whatever. It's no big deal.

Some Americans live near Mexico or Canada, and I imagine you'd find a higher percentage of passport (and card) holders among those populations. But for many, it could take several hours (even days) of driving to reach one of those countries, assuming they even wanted to visit them in the first place. Flights cost hundreds of dollars. Flights overseas can easily run into four figures. At the same time, America has a wealth of different landscapes, theme parks, and cultural traditions that don't require a passport to enjoy. So for many people, it's probably easier and cheaper to spend what little vacation time they get in the US.

Inexpensive cruises may have upset that apple cart a bit, as it's become increasingly easier for people with limited time and limited money to take a trip to another country. If we all had passports, this would pretty much be a non-issue. I mean, I bring mine even on a closed-loop cruise where I don't technically need it, but then that's because I already have it, so why not? If you don't, though, that's when I guess things get more awkward. If you've never had one, it's an expense and a hassle to obtain one, as noted here:

And it’s ludicrous to suggest they need to spend several hundreds of dollars on passports for their family just to sit at home so people think better of them

Less expensive just to get TSA Pre-check, but of course if one is traveling back into the country from an international trip they'll have the passport and Global Entry can save some time.

Pre-check is $85 for 5 years. Global Entry (with Pre-check) is $100 per 5 years. :D

Pre-check is $85 for 5 years. Global Entry (with Pre-check) is $100 per 5 years. :D

Yes, but you need a passport in order to qualify for GE, so $100 for GE and $145 for passport equals $245 (after the increase in the acceptance fee). If someone is just flying a lot domestically with no international air travel it's less expensive to just apply for TSA pre-check.:D:D

DH and I are 51 years old. We got our first passports 5 years ago after sailing 10 times with our 2 kids with our BC and DL with absolutely no issues. Even with our passports for the last 5 years, we have never been in a situation where we “needed” to have them. We never had any desire or need to fly internationally and our cruises have all been closed loop cruises where they were not required. We’ve never needed them for our jobs or anywhere else in our daily lives. But we do travel a lot...we just limit our international trips to closed loop cruises and have been busy seeing our beautiful USA. 28 states down...22 to go. This is by our choice and we still have a bucket list a mile long that still don’t require a passport. None of our trips have been last minute and I can’t ever see that being a possibility until after we retire. I can easily see why many Americans do not have a passport and I personally know many who do not nor do they have a need or desire to have one.

Having said all that we did get passports 5 years ago to make us look sexier...jk🤪. We got them because our level of risk moved past the point of making having a passport worth the cost to us. This is an individual decision based on personal circumstances. Our circumstances were sailing without our kids for the first time leaving 2 teens home alone. We wanted the ability to get home as quickly as possible to them in case of an emergency. That emergency never happened but the passport purchase was for our own peace of mind....period. Still not needed but a want on our end. As Sparks had said many times, everyones travel needs are different and not everyone “needs” to have a passport. Some people do need them, some people want them for various reasons, and some just really have no need. All perfectly legal and acceptable whether some of you like it or not.

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I thought you looked sexier, Warm Breezes!

My dental hygienist just mentioned a benefit of passports that I haven't seen mentioned mostly because it isn't going to apply to the vast majority of travelers. We were talking about vacation plans and she mentioned that she and her family were flying to Florida to go to Disney in April and they got passports for the trip. Why? Because they save enough money flying from Montreal to Florida that it justifies the expense and still saves them money on the flights. So they got passports even though they have no plans of traveling anywhere else internationally. I've known that flying out of Montreal is most times less expensive than flying out of any of the Northeastern airports but didn't make this connection because when we flew out of Montreal the first time it was to Germany. After that since we had passports we have routinely checked airfare out of Montreal and when we flew to Miami last November we saved several hundred dollars versus flying from a US airport. So if someone lives close to the border and there is a major airport in Canada checking airfare for those flights might pay off and may justify getting a passport even if no other international travel is planned.

If you are traveling out of the U.S., I feel the peace of mind knowing you have the passport in hand if you need it is well worth the cost. When you consider that passports are valid for 10 years, the cost really isn't that much. I happened to be traveling when the 9/11 tragedy occurred. I lived on the East Coast, was stuck on the West Coast and ended up having to wait it out until the airports opened back up. Not exactly on point as the passport issue wasn't in play that time. But the point is you can't predict what will happen. That event changed how I travel in two ways. I never, ever leave the US without a valid passport in my hand, even on a cruise where I could get by without it. And I never, ever travel without emergency cash on hand. Just my view.

Back in high school, there was opportunities for being a foreign exchange student. None of my friends even considered the possibility because we didn't have passports, didn't know anyone with passports and didn't even know how to get one. In my mind, passports were for the wealthy or business executives who traveled overseas. So, none of us even considered exploring the possibility. I wonder now if we had child passports would that have opened our minds to just attempting an application.

This is interesting. We rent rooms in our house in Canada to International students. We get mostly European students and some from Asia. In ten years we have never even had an inquiry from a US student. Granted, we are not an exotic location for US students, being in Canada, but still, not one inquiry in literally hundreds. Our European guests are often in academic programs that require students do one or even two international exchanges. If US students and Americans in general are reluctant to get passports they would be far less likely to do academic exchanges, which is a shame.

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