When traveling with your family, one of the most important things you need to do is take care of your travel documents. Ensuring that everyone’s passports and visas are ready to go is crucial to making your travels go smoothly. But we know you have a million things to consider when planning your trip and worrying about your travel documents may not be at the top of your list. That’s why we’re here to help! We wanted to share some practical tips for managing passports and visas while traveling with children, including safety and organization tips regarding your travel documents.
1. Check the Expiration Date of Your Passports
When you start planning your international trip, one of the first things you should do is check the expiration dates of your passports (you can find the expiration date on the passport’s information page). If you find that any of your passports are close to expiring, we highly recommend that you start the passport renewal process right away. Passport processing is taking longer than usual, and if you wait too long, you may not receive your passport in time for your trip.
2. Apply For Passports and Visas Early
We highly recommend you apply for your passports and visas as soon as possible. Routine passport processing times are taking longer than usual, and you could risk not receiving your passports in time for your travels if you don’t apply right away. When it comes to visas, if you are applying for traditional visas (not e-Visas), you should apply for them at least a few months before your trip. This is so that you have time to address any issues that could come up during the application process.
3. Make Copies of Your Travel Documents
Regarding your travel documents, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. That’s why you should always make copies of your passports and visas and bring them along on your trip. Accidents can happen, and if you lose your passport or visa, you could be in a world of trouble. But if you have copies of your travel documents, you can have peace of mind in case your original documents go missing.
4. Keep Your Travel Documents in a Safe Place
Another thing to remember when it comes to your important documents is that you’ll want to keep them in a safe place while you’re traveling. Always keep your documents close to you so that you can access them if needed. Once you arrive at your hotel, place your travel documents in the hotel safe or another spot where they will be secure (preferably in a place where your children cannot reach them).Â
5. Ensure That Your Passport Has at Least 6 Months of Validity
One thing you should always remember to check is that your passports all have at least 6 months of validity from the date you leave the United States. This is for numerous reasons, including that many countries require that you have 6 months of validity left on your passport. Another reason that you’ll want to check this is because there are cases in which you may become stuck somewhere for longer than anticipated. And if your passport expires while you’re out of the country, you may have difficulty reentering the United States.Â
6. Determine if Your Group Needs e-Visas or Traditional Visas
When planning a family trip outside of the country, you may need to obtain visas for everyone in your group. But what some people don’t know is that you must first determine if you’ll need traditional visas or electronic visas (e-Visas). In some cases, you will need to obtain traditional visas, but many countries have adopted e-Visas in recent years, too. So, figure out which type of visa your family needs, and ensure you give yourself plenty of time to apply for your visas.
7. Use a Reliable Company to Obtain Your Passports and Visas
Lastly, make sure you use a reliable travel company to obtain your family’s travel documents, such as Swift Passport and Visa Services. We will work with you to ensure you receive your travel documents in time for your trip. Our team of professionals has years of experience in the travel industry and looks forward to helping you get your new passport, passport renewal, child passport, visa, or e-Visa. No matter where you’re going, we’ll get you there!
