Oct 19, 2007
Guess what's the busiest season for issuing passports? Guess what's the slowest season?
A little-noticed press release of the State Department provides valuable advice for would-be travelers, of which they might otherwise be unaware. The "slow" season for issuing passports, it turns out -- that is, the time when backlogs will be down and passports issued fairly quickly -- is NOW, the autumn, a time when fewer people plan their trips. And when do things pick up? According to the State Department, it's the month of January, of all things, when people once again return in large numbers to the regional centers and frantically file their applications. January, February and March are when pressures begin building and the wait lengthens for the passport to actually be issued.
To those of us who have always regarded the deep winter months as a slow time in travel, this correction comes as a surprise. And it has more relevance than ever. Starting sometime in early 2008, Americans will need passports not simply for travel by air, but for land crossings of the borders with Canada and Mexico. They may also need passports (it's not entirely sure) to take a cruise. All the more reason to start the application process now, in autumn.
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To those of us who have always regarded the deep winter months as a slow time in travel, this correction comes as a surprise. And it has more relevance than ever. Starting sometime in early 2008, Americans will need passports not simply for travel by air, but for land crossings of the borders with Canada and Mexico. They may also need passports (it's not entirely sure) to take a cruise. All the more reason to start the application process now, in autumn.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: passports
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
