It's Time to get your Passport!

When I arrived in Minnesota from Texas, it was May 6^th. Spring was in the air. This is definitely the time to recruit new citizens if you're the governor of MN. Flowers are blooming, birds are returning, the sun is blazing but its only 68 degrees… everything is rainbows and butterflies. The only coat I owned at the time was a light leather bomber-jacket that I wore in Texas when it got really cold (below 60). People I would meet were always cordial and they would always ask me, "Did you buy your winter coat yet? Have you found a good pair of boots yet? Have you thought about gloves? Long-johns are on sale at the Fleet Farm, ya know…" I thought they were crazy. I had a nice pair of armadillo skin cowboy boots that fit me just fine. Winter was months away.

Fast forward 180 days. The low temperature forecast for that day was 35 degrees below zero. As I shivered with my hands thrust deeply into the pockets of my bomber jacket, I noticed that the moisture in my eyes had frozen and I wondered how long it would be before I would be able to blink them again. "Whatever it costs," I promised myself, "I will be warm when I come home from work today."  Almost $500 of seasonal retail pricing later, I had my first 3/4 length parka (Mount Everest certified), Sorell's finest winter boots (rated to 70 below zero), and my first complete outdoor snow suit with more zippers and pockets than I knew what to do with.  I was ready... but man, did I ever pay for it.

People apply this same logic to their passports. They've booked a trip a year or more in advance and they don't have a passport. I'm here to tell you that a large number of those people make it all the way to the airport and through security before they learn that they can't board the plane without one. I've seen them. I've shaken my head in wonder at them.

Getting a passport is simple and relatively cheap if you don't get stuck paying the expediting fees.  Don't wait too long. Remember, you'll need one to visit our neighbors in Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean too. I believe everyone in this country should have a passport. They last for ten years. Can any one of you fine readers guarantee me that you will not leave this country for any reason during the next ten years?

Here, I'll help you. Click Here!

That's the link for the US State Department's passport processing website. They'll answer everything you need to know, help you fill out forms online, and tell you exactly where to go to turn them in. You can even request an extra large 46 page passport for free if you want! Trust me; you don't want to find out that you're out of room right before you have to apply for a Visa for a trip you're supposed to make in three weeks.