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August 3, 2005 20:56 - How to Renew Your Passport
You can easily renew your passport by following the instructions below. However, it is important that you apply early. How early? Many foreign countries require your passport to have at least six month's validity remaining before they will issue a visa. Add to this the time required to process your passport and you get a total of eight or nine months.
You should apply for a passport renewal if:
Already have a passport that is not damaged; and
Received it within the past 15 years; and
Were at least age 16 when it was issued; and
Still have the same name as in passport (or you can legally document your name change).
To apply for a passport renewal, you need to send in the following items by mail.
1. Completed Application For Passport By Mail , form DS-82.
The form can be downloaded at the U.S. Department of State web site or the sites of many travel agencies and travel document expediters.
When filling out the form, check everything twice. Be sure to sign the application.
2. Your most recent passport.
Your previous passport will be returned to you along with your new one.
3. Two identical passport photos.
The two photos must be 2 x 2 inches, identical, taken within the last 6 months. The photos must show a full face, front view with a plain white or off-white background. You should dress in normal street attire. Uniforms, except for religious retire that is worn daily, hats, headgear and dark glasses are not acceptable. Prescription glasses with clear lenses are.
4. Applicable fee.
The fee to renew your passport is $67. Payments should be made out to U.S. Department of State.
If your name has changed, include a certified copy of the legal document specifying your name change (e.g. marriage certificate, divorce decreee, adoption cdreee, or court order).
Gather all the appropriate documents and place them in a padded envelope. Send it to the address below:
National Passport Center
P.O. Box 371971
Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7971
If everything goes well, your application should be processed and your renewed passport sent to you within about 6 weeks.
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About the author:
William Manor of U.S. Passport Service Guide reviews private travel document expediters and provides comprehensive passport, visa and destination information for international travelers.
(Cheap Flight Home Page)
August 5, 2005 19:28 - What is Seattle Weather really like?
What is Seattle Weather like? Seattle weather can be very wet. It doesn’t always rain here, but Seattle weather has a reputation for rain that would make one think so. Positioned with the Puget Sound on one side of it and the Cascade Mountains on the other, we have a classic text book case for excessive rainfall: moisture laden winds hit the high altitude mountains and drop a deluge of rainfall in the process. The normal annual precipitation for Seattle is 37.19 inches. That’s actually less rain than what some major cities on the east coast get, but our rainy spells typically lasts longer, with fine drizzles and windy sprinkles that go on and on. On days when it’s not raining, Seattle weather is very often at least cloudy. That's the price the city pays for being so close to the ocean.
On the up side, along with the cloudiness comes mild temperatures. Seattle weather is neither scorching in summer nor extremely cold in the winter. We do have some hot days in the summer, but moderating effects from the ocean keep the temperatures usually below 90 degrees. In July and August Seattle weather is usually at its best. Sunny days entice crowds to the rocky beaches. Likewise, in winter we have very few cold weather related problems. We don’t get snowed in from blizzards or suffer from a sub zero wind chill factor. Those who like snow can take a mere hour’s drive to the mountains to find it. The same clouds that make for rainy Seattle weather can drop a nice amount of snow in the mountains close by.
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About the author:
http://www.a1-seattle-4u.info/seattle-weather.html
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August 21, 2005 18:55 - Want to Fly for Free? Here's How I Do Just That!
Travelling is so expensive! How on earth can you
afford to travel so many times in a year Glen?" With a bewildered look on my face I reply, "What
do you mean it's expensive. I fly for free. Don't
you?"
I have had this conversation so many times with
friends and colleagues that I decided it was about
time that I share with the rest of the world what
I thought was obvious. ...That pretty much anyone
can fly for free.
Let me explain something you probably already
know, but chances are don't fully capitalize on.
Flying is FREE!
How? With Air Miles of course.
What are Air Miles you ask? Those are the
'points' that most major credit card companies
will GIVE you when you make purchases with your
credit card.
I can hear you already. "Whoop dee doo Glen, tell
me something I didn't know!"
Well, although you may have known that you can get
free air miles using your credit card to redeem
towards free flights, did you know most people
(maybe even you) don't capitalize on this?
Did you fly for free 6 times last year? I did!
Yes, that's 6 as in 'six' times - free. And I
could have flown even more but I didn't need or
want to.
Now if you flew that many times or more last year
you probably need not read any further. But if you
didn't you need to learn how to maximize the
number of air miles you can squeeze out of your
credit card company.
Here's how I did it.
Obtain and use a 'Gold' Credit Card
All major credit card companies offer a 'Gold' or
equivalent credit card to their customers which
includes several benefits including, free
insurances, loss and theft protection of purchased
items, and of course free air miles!
Yes, I know, they charge you a yearly fee to have
a Gold card. Yup, I paid $120 last year for my
Gold card and I flew six times. That means I paid
a whopping $20 for each flight I took. Okay, you
got me, I don't fly for free but rather at a
99.9999% discount!
More Air Mile Points, Equals More Free Travel
Maximize the number of Air Mile Points you receive
by using your credit card for everything! And I do
mean everything.
Here are a few ways I use my card. See if you
can't think of some more.
Personal Use:
- groceries
- clothes
- diapers
- gas
- dinning out
- movies
- entertainment
- school, tuition
- books
- CD's
- health insurance
- home insurance
- car insurance
- life insurance
- down payment on new car
- car leases
- computer equipment
- phone bill
- Internet bill
- television bill
- water bill
- gas bill
- electrical bill
- property taxes
- and everything and anything else!
Business Use:
- Internet purchases
- paying affiliates
- paying suppliers
- paying contracted employees such as accountants,
programmers, support staff
- paying for advertising campaigns
- office equipment
- hotels
- rental cars
- food
... and anything and everything else you can think
of.
So you see, the possibilities on how and where you
can make purchases with your credit card are
unlimited. And because they are unlimited, your
free travel should be virtually unlimited to.
Think about it. At the end of the year, how much
of your salary is left in your savings account?
Ten, maybe even 15 or 20%?
Okay, let's say you are an exceptional saver and
are able to save 20% or your yearly income. That
means 80% was spent on everything and anything
else. Spend it on your credit card and get the
free Air Miles!
Let me do the math for you...
Based on the example of spending 80% of your
income,
If you earned $50,000 that means you spent $40,000
If you earn 1 Air Mile for every $1.00 you spend,
that's 40,000 Air Miles every year.
But Wait!
If you run a business and had expenses of say
$50,000 that would mean an additional 50,000 Air
Miles every year.
How many flights could you take with 90,000 Air
Miles every year?
What if you earn and even larger income? What if
your company expenses are larger than $50,000?
Do yourself a favor. Pick up a pen and paper and
start brainstorming all the ways you can start
paying via credit card and of all the places you
can start travelling for free!
Remember though, what you pay for using your
credit card MUST be paid off each and every month
in order to avoid paying absorbent interest
charges. I know, you knew that. But like
maximizing your Air Miles, most people don't do
it. Make sure you are not 'most people' and enjoy
your free flights!
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About the author:
This article may be reprinted with the following
attachment: Copyright (c) 2005 Glen Hopkins
Complete information on Glen Hopkins' articles
and other services offered is available from his
web site http://www.listopt.com
(Cheap Flight Home Page)
August 27, 2005 19:57 - Are you in search of the latest and accurate opinion pertaining to booking hotels.
Are you in search of the latest and accurate opinion pertaining to booking hotels. When you're after better advice about booking hotels, it'll be complex extricating superior advice from amateurish booking hotels submissions and help so it's best to know how to moderate the information you are presented with.
Now we would like to offer you some advice which we advise you to use when you are searching for information concerning booking hotels. Hold in mind any recommendation we present to you is only applicable to internet advice about booking hotels. We do not offer you any guidance or tips when you are also conducting research in books or magazines.
A good hint to follow when you're presented with information and advice about a booking hotels page would be to determine who owns the site. This may divulge who is behind the site booking hotels credentials The easiest way to reveal who owns the booking hotels site is to look for the 'about' page.
All reliable sites providing content on booking hotels, will always have contact information which will provide you with the owner's details. The fine points should detail some advice about the website owner's expertise. You can then decide for yourself about the vendor's education and practical knowledge, to provide advice to you regarding booking hotels.
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About the author:
Tom Brown is the webmaster at datainfotidings.info
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August 28, 2005 08:36 - Top Ten Secrets to Saving Big Money in the Airline Flights
Do you know that some people travel around the country and abroad, for both business and pleasure, and save bundles of money in the process? They do that by using little known ways of really taking advantage of the most popular form of transportation - airline flights.
They don't rely on the ever-famous “airfare price-wars”. They don't rely on their travel agents to save money while flying.
Certainly, you should not dismiss these two methods. The price-wars can work to your advantage. But depending on them too much is a big mistake.
1. Call the airlines.
Call the airlines between midnight and 1 a.m. Monday through Friday to get cheaper tickets.
Most people never realize that at midnight, airline agents revise and load new fares into their computers. The best fares are just after they have done the updating!
2. Check into other airports other than the main one you use.
Many major cities have two airports. Check into surrounding towns and cities so you can compare airfares. You may save hundreds of dollars on your flights.
3. The early bird catches the plane.
The earlier you book your flight the more you save. Most special fares have restrictions of 7 to 30 day advance purchase. Usually non-refundable but they can offer deep discounts.
On the other hand, there are “last minute” deals too. Visit www.smartliving.com to get emails for last minute deals.
4. Get out of town on Wednesday.
Mid-week travel is usually less expensive. If you leave on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday and stay over a Saturday night, you can garner terrific savings compared to Friday through Monday when most people fly.
Start taking your vacations Wednesday-to-Wednesday or Tuesday-to-Tuesday. You’ll save a lot by choosing your departure and arrival dates this way!
5. Buying a one way or split ticket.
Let’s say you travel from Boston to Dallas. It may be cheaper to get two separate tickets. You could buy one ticket from Boston to Nashville and one from Nashville to Dallas.
It all depends on the connecting cities and your airlines hubs. Just tell your agent you are willing to travel out of other airports and connect using regional airports to save money.
6. Open wide.
You should look into what is called an “Open-Jaw” ticket. These are used when a traveler is arriving and departing from different cities.
One ticket is purchased to cover both cities. Check with your travel agent or airline representative to see if this trick is available instead of two one-way tickets. Compare the price of each.
7. An excellent online service www.sidestep.com
You enter destinations and dates and SideStep quickly searches a couple of dozen affiliated regional and international airlines to find the best rates.
8. “Code share”.
Ask your agent if this flight is a “code-share” flight. That means the same flight is offered by two different airlines. Just copy down the name of the other airline and check into what they are charging.
Only one of the airlines is actually operating the flight. The actual operator always offers this flight for less, so book with them.
9. Sign up for the airline newsletters.
From weekend getaways to international flight packages the newsletter saves you money on travel and doesn’t require that you constantly visit the airline website for the latest offering.
10. The airlines often slash their fares during sluggish travel times.
Scan your travel sections in the newspapers and talk to your agent about these low fares.
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About the author:
Is Your Travel Experience Limited by Your Credit Card? Alex Fir is providing 250+ pages of insider tips and tricks that teach you how to travel cheap and sometimes free.
http://www.kosspa.com/cheaptravel
(Cheap Flight Home Page)
August 29, 2005 20:53 - Have you ever been to St. Thomas?
There isn’t a nicer spot on this earth than St. Thomas! The scenery in St. Thomas is incredible, just what you would expect from a Caribbean island. It’s a pleasure just to be there. The white sandy beaches and crystal blue water of St. Thomas make it an extremely popular vacation getaway. Visitors are invited to try snorkeling, or scorkeling, which is a version of scuba diving and snorkeling. There are welcoming trails into the lush tropical forests, rich with the colors and sweet scents of the flowers, amid chattering exotic birds. St. Thomas is famous for having one of the most beautiful seaports in the world. Besides its natural wonders, this is the place for good shopping. There is a generous duty-free allowance, about twice the amount as other locations, but shoppers hardly need the incentive to pick up a few things. The shops in Charlotte Amalie are well known for their lively hustle and bustle.
St. Thomas is one of three islands that make up the US Virgin Islands. Christopher Columbus came across St. Thomas in 1493, on his way to Puerto Rico. In the 1600’s, both the Dutch and English joined the French settlers in St. Thomas, bringing a mixed European influence that can still be seen today, as well as a strong African presence.
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About the author:
http://www.a1-st-thomas-4u.info/stthomas.html
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August 30, 2005 21:58 - Auckland to Cape Reinga - A Whirlwind Tour of New Zealand
New Zealand's North Island is one of the most rewarding places to visit on Earth. From ancient volcanoes and rainforests to unbroken stretches of golden beach that fade out into the distance, the North Island is a breathtaking experience for all of your senses.
The grand city of Auckland is undoubtedly the best place to start a tour of the North Island. Known as the City of Sails, courtesy of it affinity with the ocean, Auckland is home to a third of New Zealand's cosmopolitan population, and offers a spectacular array of treats for tourists. Why not take a walk along one of Auckland's two harbours to the sound of yacht masts flapping in the wind, or discover Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter & Underwater World attraction. After a bite to eat in one of Auckland's many waterside restaurants why not drive up to the volcanic crater of Mt Eden from where some awesome views of the city and harbour can be enjoyed. Alternatively, there is a huge number of water sports activities to be enjoyed off Auckland's beaches and a wide choice of cruises out into the harbour and around the bay.
From Auckland, a tour of the North Island should head out north towards the Waipoua National Forest. Here you will discover Tane Mahuta - New Zealand's tallest Kauri tree. At 169ft tall the Tane Mahuta is thought to be more than 2000 years old. Close to Tane Mahuta is Te Matua Ngahere - "Father of the Forest", with a trunk that is an astounding 59ft in girth.
Continuing northwards to the far tip of the North Island we find Cape Reinga and the world famous Ninety Mile Beach. An untamed wilderness, Cape Reinga is one of New Zealand's best kept secrets. Wild horses roam across the white sands in a place that is spiritually sacred to the Maori. Watching the sun set across the ocean from the lighthouse is a moment in life that you will never forget.
Moving south again Doubtless Bay near Mangonui offers sweeping golden sands and spectacular views out east across the Pacific Ocean. The land around Doubtless Bay is perfect for exploration by mountain bike, and come nightfall the nearby Nocturnal Park near Taipa provides a glimpse of New Zealand's mascot - the flightless kiwi bird.
Practical Information
Auckland International Airport is New Zealand's biggest airport. It caters for flights from all around the world. Car hire can be booked in advance for pick up from Auckland airport at http://www.your-carhire.com .If you are planning to drive on the Ninety Mile Beach it is recommended that you book a 4x4.
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About the author:
Seb Jay is a professional copywriter specializing in the origination of web content for http://www.your-carhire.com
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August 31, 2005 20:06 - Inns and Bed and Breakfasts – Are They For Everybody?
Inns are a delightful alternative to hotels and resorts. They can be just the right ticket for your vacation, providing you understand how they work and function. Are they for everybody?
No, they're not. But here’s the answers to some basic questions to determine if it’s the type of accommodation that’ll work for you…
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INNS AND BED AND BREAKFASTS?
Let's start by clearing up any confusion on the differences between inns and bed and breakfasts. And it's not so much in the name as how they advertise themselves.
Firstly, there's no difference in accommodation. The charm of a bed and breakfast can be every bit as good as the personality of an inn. The difference is the prepared meals. A bed and breakfast is just that… expect a bed and a breakfast, but you're on your own for dinner. But at inns, they're set-up to provide dinner as well, although it's usually an option, and not included in the quoted price. The listing will be very clear if dinner is offered. But assume its just bed and breakfast if nothing is mentioned.
In many areas of the world inns and bed and breakfasts are also called guesthouses.
ARE THEY RIGHT FOR MY KIDS?
When an inn says kids are welcome, then you'd better believe they really mean they're kid friendly. Now there's nothing wrong with that (I have three myself), but don't expect too much peace and quiet and solitude.
You'll find a number of listings that put age restriction on children. For example they'll say something like: 12 or older, or above 6-years old. They're not being mean. It's just these places are also catering to a single or couple looking for a chance to unwind and free of noise and high activity. If you've got high-action kids then bed and breakfasts may not be ideal for your family.
WHAT SERVICE CAN I EXPECT?
Staying in inns is very different than staying at a hotel. You shouldn't expect a country inn to be like a Sheraton, with hordes of staff at your beck and call, and soundproof walls. Also, having a party and playing loud music after 11:00pm won't win you any brownie points with your host or the other guests.
Remember... the innkeeper or host is there to provide you, and other guests, with a unique experience in unique surroundings, but to do that they'll need your understanding.
WHAT’S THE USUAL CHECK-IN TIME?
Your host will go out of their way to greet you when you check-in. Usually when you reserve you’ll be told when their normal check-in period is. But most can accommodate you arrivals outside those hours.
But you need to let them know if you’ll be late so they can arrange for you to get into the house (yes, the doors are locked after a certain hour), and to your room. It’s one thing to show up at midnight at your hotel – they’re staffed round the clock - but it’s entirely another matter to roll-in after 11:00pm at an inn, and expect your host to get out of bed and greet you smiling.
CAN YOU NEGOTIATE PRICE?
You bet you can!
Just like hotels the room rate for inns is negotiable. The main difference is unlike a hotel, the person on the other end of a phone is usually the owner of the bed and breakfast, and they can make the decision on the spot. All you have to do is ask in a nice way.
Just remember the innkeeper may only have a few rooms to begin with anyway, and if your haggling over the last room then don't be offended if it’s no dice on a price reduction. But on the other hand one room of a four-room inn without a paying guest reduces a host's profit by 25%. So it's always worth asking for a reduction!
HOW MUCH CAN YOU REALLY SAVE?
Off-peak travel will save you a bundle.
Most inns can book their weekend's months in advance. But filling the rooms during the week, particularly off-season, is much more difficult. You'll get the best deals for bed and breakfasts traveling mid-week and out of season. Now contrast this with hotels that have the opposite problem, because they cater to the mid-week business traveler, but can't get people in rooms at the weekends.
I love staying in inns. They've a lot going for them. Inns are usually very affordable, offer tons more variety than a bland hotel room, and are a great way to meet fellow travelers or vacationers. You’ll find web sites devoted to inn and bed and breakfast listings now – so crank up Yahoo or Google and get searching… and saving!
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About the author:
Cliff Calderwood is the owner and contributing writer of New England Vacations Online Guide. You can read other vacation articles and get a free travel report at his New England vacations guide site.
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