Getting a passport can take 10 weeks or more, but there are shortcuts

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — About 2 million more people are expected to renew their passports between now and the end of the year.

Matthew Phillips, AARP’s director of travel, says that has contributed to the backlog for passport renewals. The average passport processing time is between 10 and 13 weeks, which does not account for the mailing on the front or back end.

If you know you are going to travel between now and the end of this year or next year, don’t wait.

There are services you can use to expedite the process including a rush order with the State Department. AARP just announced a relationship with a company called Rush My Passport that helps speed up the process, Phillips said. “You can do it a few weeks out, or even faster up to one week for emergency services when needed. We know that ancillary travel services and documents, vital documents, like passport services are something that our members have asked us for and are looking to do.”

According to The Vacationer, Thanksgiving is a great time to travel internationally, as many countries don’t celebrate the American holiday. That means you’ll be traveling during a non-holiday period.

There are great flight deals right now to hotspots like Italy and France. Domestically, however, while we’re only entering October, seats for Thanksgiving and Christmas travel tend to fill up quickly. Halloween is the cut-off date for getting a reasonable price on a Thanksgiving flight. For Christmas flights, you should book before Thanksgiving.

Online travel websites like Expedia and Priceline sometimes have better flight prices than booking directly with an airline, but there is a drawback. If your flight is delayed or canceled, every second counts. You’ll save time not dealing with the middleman if you can rebook directly with the airline.

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