Imagine these scenarios…

You’re flipping through the pages of Member Connection and spot that dream cruise on sale. Your best friend calls, urging you to join them on a foodie tour in Europe. Your boss sends you on a VIP trip to the Maldives. You win an all-expense paid trip to Ireland. (Lucky!)

No matter how real-life or far-fetched these scenarios seem, none of them can be achieved without a passport. And getting one takes much longer than it used to due to increased demand for travel since the pandemic.

Take some advice from the experts. “We strongly encourage members to apply for a passport well in advance of their trip. No one wants to be forced to cancel their bucket list international vacation due to a passport delay. Even those with existing passports should check expiration dates and renew in advance since many countries won’t accept a passport that is set to expire within six months of the intended return date,” said Brian Murray, senior manager of travel products at AAA Western and Central New York.

Typical passport processing can take up to 11 weeks – so give yourself 12 to be safe. That’s three months before your trip! If you don’t have that long, there are options. The U.S. Department of State allows you to renew your passport at a Passport Agency in person for “life-or-death emergency service” or urgent travel within two weeks. There is a Passport Agency in downtown Buffalo, but getting an appointment can be difficult. One can only be made by calling (877) 487-2778.

The good news is, AAA Members save on RushMyPassport, a third-party hand courier that can get you your passport in as little as a week with a fee. The service also claims to help avoid 30 percent of delays by carefully reviewing your application for errors. AAA Members typically save 10 percent on passport processing through the RushMyPassport online service, which requires government-approved passport photos available at AAA.

Don't wait until it's too late. Get your passport processed today.

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